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Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 8:47 am
by D_Hall
For what it's worth....
I've made my own glow plugs out of automotive spark plugs and a piece of nichrome wire (use the wire to short out the gap). I used 'em to ignite a cannon that was powered by [against forum rules].
It worked every time and response time was surprisingly quick (<0.5 sec).
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:22 am
by jmeyer1022
I picked mine up at Lowe's for 18$ I believe also if you rewire it as shown here.
http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/mod-an- ... 14589.html
You can take another AA battery and run it across the 2 leads coming out and it will fire sparks off insanely fast. You could even wire the battery into another circuit for a switch with it.
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2009 11:47 am
by jimmy101
Deterrent
Check your wiring for the Piezo. The spark will jump across the shortest gap in the circuit. That isn't necessarily the same as your spark gap. An intermittent spark through the wiring insulation will make a piezo setup unreliable.
Piezos also work better if they are rigidly mounted so that they don't bounce about when triggered. IIRC, the generic BBQ piezo fits snuggly into 1/2" or 3/4" PVC pipe and/or fittings. Easy enough to make a handle to hold everything securely to the gun.
