Thread: Nerve Center help needed

Tweet

OK a newbie needs help. I'm new to the electronics side of Halloween and I'm having a tough time with the Nerve Center from Monster Guts. Dean has been real patient with all my questions but I still am having problems. I have the sound and animation down but I'm having problems with the trigger part of it. I bought a 12V remote which Dean thought would work. It has 5 wires Red 12V IN, White 12V OUT, Blue antenna and 2 grounds. I ran a 12V wall wart to red and ground and then the white to the IN and black to ground on the NC. It didn't work. Dean said the NC has 12V and I shouldn't need the wall wart. I've tried various ways to wire it without any luck. Any ideas out there? I also have another NC which I want to use with a motion detector. If anyone else has done this can you please give me a step by step description on how to wire it to the NC. I just received an SSR from DC Props. I thought I new how to wire it but after Dean said you don't need to run 12V to the trigger I'm not so sure.

I also have one other question. When I run the preview it plays the sound and animation perfectly once but when I set the NC to SC1 and trigger it with a push button trigger it plays repeatedly until I turn off the power. Is it supposed to do this? Sorry for the long winded post and thanks in advance.

The nervecenter should have a 12v trigger input so you shouldn't need a power supply/adapter. Sounds like you have a car starter wireless remote. Which is similar to a beam sensor(5 wires).

Is the remote wired for you already? If need be hook a 12v power supply to the red and blue and plug it into the wall. Hit the trigger and see if you hear the relay tripping. If not then you can try a different wire. A multimeter will work quicker if you know how to use one.

My wireless triggers are a bit easier. Works the same as PIR sensor. This is if you have 4 wires off of your trigger. If you have 3 then the yellow one will be absent.

RED (IN)

GREEN (12v)

BLACK/Yellow (Ground)

The nervecenter should shut of once you press the button. Does it shut the routine down when you press it again? If it does this chances are you have it wired wrong. Some PIR sensors have to be set to either NC or NO. Remember you have to let is run it's routine for it to stop so it doesn't stop on a dime. Although you say it is a pushbutton and should be wired to NC.

Nothing against these controllers, but they are harder to use then most keybangers.

The remote is wired already. The blue wire is the antenna and as I understand it shouldn't be connected to anything. I ran the red and black to a wall wart and and white to IN and the ground. The relay clicked and the meter showed power. I also tried red to 12V white to IN and ground and the relay clicked but still didn't trigger. I also tried reversing the red and white wire and the relay did not click. I'm out of ideas. I sure hope a I didn't waste my money on a trigger that wont work.

I did figure out that the NC needed to be set at NOI. I thought I had read it should be NCI. At least that's one problem solved.

Most relays have a polarity issue so it is common for it to "work one way."

Normally the NO/NC of the wireless triggers is yellow. This plugs into the Ground along with the black wire. This could be your blue wire. I think it is the switch that powers the start of the routine.

Black would be (-) on the trigger and inputed into GROUND on the unit

Green would be (+) on the trigger and inputed into 12V on the unit

Red would be (COMMON) on the trigger and inputed into IN on the unit

Yellow would be (NO/NC) on the trigger and inputed into NC/NO on the unit.

If you can figure out you wire colors and work off of this, it should work fine. Try wiring the blue to NC/NO? This could be the "start the routine" wire that is similar to a car amp turning on/off when you start a car, or shut off.

Yellow would be (NO/NC) on the trigger and inputed into NC/NO on the unit.

If you can figure out you wire colors and work off of this, it should work fine. Try wiring the blue to NC/NO? This could be the "start the routine" wire that is similar to a car amp turning on/off when you start a car, or shut off.[/QUOTE]

I was following you up until the yellow wire. The Nerve Center trigger has 3 connections. Ground - 12V - IN. Which would be the NC/NO for the trigger? The blue antenna wire was not stripped back and soldered like the rest but in did try connecting it as suggested with no luck so far. The red wire is marked 12V IN (your green?)and the white wire is marked 12V OUT (your red?) I haven't given up yet. Thanks for the help so far.

Sorry I meant the yellow goes to Ground Also. I forgot the extenstion controls the NO/NC.

Here watch this video I made. It isn't a NerveCenter but the wiring is the same. You can make out the inputs on both the controller and remote unit.

Well I've given up for now. I've tried every combination I can think of. The only thing that triggers it is when I have 1 black in ground and then I touch the other black to IN. If I leave it connected it just plays over and over. Looks like I wasted my money on this one. That's what I get for trying to save a few bucks and not buying one through one of the prop shops. Thanks for the help.