Thread: 3-Stage Prop Timer

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I lead a group build of a 3-stage timer last year at the Rocky Mountain Haunters group and finally got around to updating the build docs. This timer has three stages, a Delay, a Run, and an Off. The Delay is the amount of time (1-60 seconds) from when the timer is triggered before the prop turns on. The On stage is the amount of time (1-60 seconds) that the prop runs. And the Off stage is the amount of time (1-60 seconds) the the prop is off (before the timer can be re-triggered). It can be controlled via a test button on the timer or a remote contact/trigger/mat switch, etc. The circuit board is based on the little Radio Shack prototyping boards (see the Bill of Materials in the Document) for ease of building and reproducibility.

For anyone that is intersted, they can be found here:
Build Doc
Circuit Board Layout

Enjoy!

Excellent, thanks for sharing that! Never tried any electronics myself, but do SO want a few timers, so I may just have to give that a try.

EEEK!...just looked at the pdf's....that's WAY outta my league. LOL

Ded,

I just ordered one of these timers. I am going to use it to turn lights on when someone passes the sensor.

Jumanji, that looks very similar to the 2-stage timer on Haunter's Hangout but has a much greater timing range for the On and Delay stages was well as having two separate relays for the On stage. It looks like a good product....You'll have to let us know how it works out.

IC, if you've done some soldering, it's actually easy. With the overlay, you just place the parts down on the board where it shows and solder. If you don't have/want the case, you can mount it in anything you want (tupperware container)... I originally built this out of spare parts I had on my bench and then went back and ordered parts to verify it for the Group build. Granted, it took a bit longer for everyone to build than the 2hours they had allotted me, but everyone eventually got them finished and working.

jumanji, thanks for the link...my budget's already blown for this year, but I bookmarked it for future reference.

.id., I guess maybe I just need ta grow a pair and give it a try. How much does it cost for all the needed parts?...this may have to wait until next year too. (seriously, what with MAJOR house repairs, I'm literally on a shoestring budget right now. *sigh*)

IC, it kinds of depends.... If you have any of the parts or can buy them locally, it's about $30 or less. If you have to order all of them, the shipping kills you... I think the test build I did cost about $70 (because I only ordered parts for one timer). If you can order parts for 3-4, it drops the cost to about $35 each. Also, if you make/have your own case (wood, plastic, etc) that's another $7+S/H that you can take off.

Ok, man, thanks for the info.

I finished my 3-stage prop timer, thanks guys for the schematics
and add it to the board extra 12v relay and 5v regulator for parallax pir motion sensor connectors, the power input is 12v.
this project is home Etching with the help of ExpressPCB
sorry for my poor English.
thanks guys again.

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