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I am going to try to build an electrical ignition system similar to an Estes rocket ignition system. The idea is simple enough, just run a bunch of current through a wire until it heats up, but it gets harder if you want to do this from a safe distance away from what you are igniting or you want to do it with as few batteries to lug around as possible.
What I has in mind was to use a 9 volt battery as the power source, which would then be connected over a length of wire to the igniter (made out of very thin nichrome wire). But I am worried about how quickly (if at all) it will take for the igniter to heat up, it would be nice if it happened rather quickly. To try to give the battery a little extra “umph”, I thought of hooking up come capacitors into the circuit to be charged up by the battery prior to the final button being pushed.
I was wondering just how much capacitance should be needed or how effective this idea actually is?
Below is a link to the basic circuit design,
http://www.amazingrust.com/New/circuit.JPG
In the diagram, I have placed two capacitors in parallel. When the circuit is armed, the capacitors will charge up, then when the button is pushed, both capacitors and the batter will all be in parallel sending current down towards the igniter (the big resistor at the end). How does 1000 microfarads sound for the capacitance, too much, not nearly enough?
Capacitance = Charge / Voltage
I figure at 1000 microFarads, I could store up to 9000 microCoulombs of charge each.
Another quick question,
Is there a way I could arrange an LED with a capacitor so that after the capacitor is charged, the LED will turn on? If I put it in series with the capacitor, while charging, the LED would fade down to nothing, I want the reverse to happen.
What I has in mind was to use a 9 volt battery as the power source, which would then be connected over a length of wire to the igniter (made out of very thin nichrome wire). But I am worried about how quickly (if at all) it will take for the igniter to heat up, it would be nice if it happened rather quickly. To try to give the battery a little extra “umph”, I thought of hooking up come capacitors into the circuit to be charged up by the battery prior to the final button being pushed.
I was wondering just how much capacitance should be needed or how effective this idea actually is?
Below is a link to the basic circuit design,
http://www.amazingrust.com/New/circuit.JPG
In the diagram, I have placed two capacitors in parallel. When the circuit is armed, the capacitors will charge up, then when the button is pushed, both capacitors and the batter will all be in parallel sending current down towards the igniter (the big resistor at the end). How does 1000 microfarads sound for the capacitance, too much, not nearly enough?
Capacitance = Charge / Voltage
I figure at 1000 microFarads, I could store up to 9000 microCoulombs of charge each.
Another quick question,
Is there a way I could arrange an LED with a capacitor so that after the capacitor is charged, the LED will turn on? If I put it in series with the capacitor, while charging, the LED would fade down to nothing, I want the reverse to happen.
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