# General > IoT, IoE, and Maker Forum >  Possible? Or am I crazy?

## techgnome

Ok... I've been seeing many of the Pi, RB, Arduino posts over the last.... hmmmm what ever ... and never really thought too much about them. I've read about some of them, seen some of the things people have done with them, but it never seemed my cup of tea (or mug of coffee, or pint of beer). Mostly because I couldn't come up with any kind of project or idea that really interested me. Sure, there's thermostats and garage openers... but they're just not my thing.  Then I got to thinking about it the other night, and thought I might be able to use a board or two to control the switches on a model train layout. OK, that's something I can get behind. First I need a layout. Still a few years off from that. 

Then I found myself on the 4th of July researching firework launching boards. Seems like a lot of soldering involved and other work that my eyes and shaky hands (one of the reasons I'm looking at a board) might make some of it difficult. Next step was to read and learn about breadboards... ok, closer to a solderless setup, but still potentially a mess. That's when it hit me... is it possible to use an Arduino (or Pi or and RB) to send signals down a line that would trip/activate a rocket engine ingnitor? 

Is this something that's doable? or am I on a fool's errand? What kind of board would be best for something like that and what other kinds of components do I need to look for? My thought would be to have a board that I could then hook up to some kind of monitor and run a program of some kind that would then activate channels on command (if I want to run it manually, or if I choose, run a pre-configured launching sequence) which would then send the electrical charge down the line to activate the motor and launching things skyward. 

I am software oriented, I only have a basic understanding about electronics, so talk to me like I'm in kindergarten. I'm sure the programming side I can handle once I get to that point, but it's the understanding of what the boards can/cannot do and the electronic understanding that is a bit beyond me at the moment.


So am I crazy? Or is something like this possible?


-tg

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## jmcilhinney

> So am I crazy? Or is something like this possible?


Are they necessarily mutually exclusive?  :Wink:

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## dclamp

Of course you can do that with an Arduino. But the arduino digital power wont be enough on its own. You will need to use an arduino to control a Relay and have the relay connected to power + your launcher.

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## techgnome

> Are they necessarily mutually exclusive?


No, not necessarily... generally the first is a given... but taken in context of this thread.... well, considering I'm talking about working with explosive materials, it's still a given.




> Of course you can do that with an Arduino. But the arduino digital power wont be enough on its own. You will need to use an arduino to control a Relay and have the relay connected to power + your launcher.


Hmmm... makes sense. Especially since I'm hoping that I can use a single channel for simultaneous launches... even if the ignitors take a single volt, to set off 6, I'd need 6v, which is beyond the capacity of most of the boards... grrr...

-tg

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## RobDog888

The driver circuit only uses the low power to flip the relay switches which as dclamp stated are powered by other means which could drive as many switches as yu have rockets only limited by your external power source/battery

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## dclamp

> Hmmm... makes sense. Especially since I'm hoping that I can use a single channel for simultaneous launches... even if the ignitors take a single volt, to set off 6, I'd need 6v, which is beyond the capacity of most of the boards... grrr...
> 
> -tg


Just get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/SainSmart-8-CH...eywords=relays

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## dclamp

> Hmmm... makes sense. Especially since I'm hoping that I can use a single channel for simultaneous launches... even if the ignitors take a single volt, to set off 6, I'd need 6v, which is beyond the capacity of most of the boards... grrr...
> 
> -tg


Just get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/SainSmart-8-CH...eywords=relays

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## Maven

> Ok... I've been seeing many of the Pi, RB, Arduino posts over the last.... hmmmm what ever ... and never really thought too much about them. I've read about some of them, seen some of the things people have done with them, but it never seemed my cup of tea (or mug of coffee, or pint of beer). Mostly because I couldn't come up with any kind of project or idea that really interested me. Sure, there's thermostats and garage openers... but they're just not my thing.  Then I got to thinking about it the other night, and thought I might be able to use a board or two to control the switches on a model train layout. OK, that's something I can get behind. First I need a layout. Still a few years off from that. 
> 
> Then I found myself on the 4th of July researching firework launching boards. Seems like a lot of soldering involved and other work that my eyes and shaky hands (one of the reasons I'm looking at a board) might make some of it difficult. Next step was to read and learn about breadboards... ok, closer to a solderless setup, but still potentially a mess. That's when it hit me... is it possible to use an Arduino (or Pi or and RB) to send signals down a line that would trip/activate a rocket engine ingnitor? 
> 
> Is this something that's doable? or am I on a fool's errand? What kind of board would be best for something like that and what other kinds of components do I need to look for? My thought would be to have a board that I could then hook up to some kind of monitor and run a program of some kind that would then activate channels on command (if I want to run it manually, or if I choose, run a pre-configured launching sequence) which would then send the electrical charge down the line to activate the motor and launching things skyward. 
> 
> I am software oriented, I only have a basic understanding about electronics, so talk to me like I'm in kindergarten. I'm sure the programming side I can handle once I get to that point, but it's the understanding of what the boards can/cannot do and the electronic understanding that is a bit beyond me at the moment.
> 
> 
> ...


You can do a part of this with a raspberry pi. You would also need a breadboard and some external stuff, but it's doable.

ugh.. you just reminded me of my first project in Computer Arch.. making the led blink on the pi board.

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