SSR or something else?

[ishboo]

I read the TOS and I think this question is allowed if not please delete it.

I'm starting plans for a New Year's Eve Party at my friends house at the end of this year. There will be some special effect, nothing amazing just for our friends. One of these is a confetti cannon I built powered by a shop vac. I want everything to be pre programmed and run off my computer. I have the software a simple board and some dimmers that can also operate as switched. I want the shop vac to be controlled by the dimmer (on off, not fading). The problem is these are DJ dimmers with a max of 5a per channel and the shop vac is 7.3a. I was looking into using a Solid State Relay so a low power is used to turn it on then it draws power from another source. Would an SSR be the best way to approach this or is there another option I could use?

 

[dannyn]

Chauvet makes 10a dimmers if you want to go that route. Chauvet

 

[Footer]

Do not put it on a dimmer, period. You must go with a relay of some type. By putting it on a dimmer, any dimmer, even in "switch" mode, you run the risk of blowing your dimmer and/or your motor. More likely your motor. Go with this, and learn something in the process.

DMX-CONTROLLED RELAY SWITCH KIT, model #K8072 - All Spectrum Electronics

 

[philhaney]

Do not put it on a dimmer, period. You must go with a relay of some type. By putting it on a dimmer, any dimmer, even in "switch" mode, you run the risk of blowing your dimmer and/or your motor. More likely your motor. Go with this, and learn something in the process.

DMX-CONTROLLED RELAY SWITCH KIT, model #K8072 - All Spectrum Electronics

Footer4321 is correct. Most dimmers, your standard theatrical lighting dimmer included, won't work with an inductive load (any load with a coil of wire in it, like a motor). If you try, even in non-dim mode, you'll burn out the dimmer.

If you can be sure of safe operation, the kit listed above will do you quite nicely. Me personally, I like to fire all of my "cannon" effects by hand. If I have to program an effect, I still install a "kill" switch in series with the control circuit.