Thread: What is a RELAY?!?

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Originally Posted by spinman1949

A light switch in your home could be considered a finger actuated relay. Generally a relay is not involved externally with mechanical movement as in the case of a switch.

So TBQH, I am a bit confused by the finger comment.

well im sort of confused about how it trips. or turns on? i think im going to go to radio shack and buy one to mess around with it.

Originally Posted by gravedigger greg

i guess you could say a prop 1 has something that switches things on and off, but in most cases, (unless youre only turning on and off leds or very low watt/volt lights you will need to add a relay for each item you want to control with it. (up to 8)

below is my firefly prop driven by a Prop1 which is NOT using relays (for those reading the other thread about using Cat5 cable, this is what I was building)

YouTube - firefly

Ok i see thats why the picoboo boxs are so much because they have the relays built in.

Originally Posted by bradbaum

A PROP-1 does not have relays, it has a current sink chip that is able to drive relays, small lamps, LEDs and solenoids directly.

ok then how to program it? with a PC or something

Originally Posted by Meyers Madness

Backyardhaunter, I posted that video for you to help you with the understanding and the principle of a relay.
That is just, simple to take in.
Hope it helps.
MM

yeah it did like i said above im gonig to RS to buy a relay and mess around with it.


thank you for everyones help!

-BYH

wait do to hook it up the a trigger. because the switch cant handle it? so when u trigger it turns on the magnet. to let it flow? then whats a solid state relay

Solid state relays use transistors and SCRs and TRIACs to accomplish the same thing as the electromechanical relays.

Until recently they could only be used to switch AC powered equipment.

thanks i still want some more input from people

Originally Posted by BackYardHaunter

thanks i still want some more input from people

If you had a switch like the one in your house and you tied a string to the lever. Now on the end of the string you attached to the lever you attach a big steel washer. Now you get a ferrous magnet. A good strong one. You put the ferrous magnet closer and closer to the big steel washer and at some point the magnet will pull the washer to it and the string will be pulled to turn on the switch. Now replace the ferrous magnet with a electromagnet and you now have a basic concept of a relay. You are just using magnetism to move the switch.

Does this help to clarify how a relay works and what activates it?

here we go i found this
BASIC ELECTRICITY TUTORIAL - RELAYS
this was my favorite website of info.

Originally Posted by BackYardHaunter

here we go i found this
BASIC ELECTRICITY TUTORIAL - RELAYS
this was my favorite website of info.

Well good. You found a source of information that provides answers understandable to you.

a solenoid is also a relay right?

solenoids don't have a switch - they are used to mechanically activate something.

the most common use for them in haunting is air valves.

Originally Posted by BackYardHaunter

a solenoid is also a relay right?

No. They are different animals.
As Bradbaum pointed out, a solenoid converts (also by means of a coil)electrical energy to mechanical movement. A relay has no external moving parts. A solenoid will have some kind of actuator that will move when the solenoid is energised.We can use solenoids to open and close valves, for example. They are extensively used for this purpose in pneumatics and hydraulics.
We can use a relay to operate a solenoid