[Lawnzombies]

I'm getting my ducks in a row before making my first buys for pneumatic props. Could use some advice from the collective wisdom of the haunters around here.

What's the best/preferred hose size (OD and ID)?

What are the pros and cons regarding 24V DC or 110 AC solenoids and prop controllers?

Thanks a million for the info.

 

[Gym Whourlfeld]

Nobody gets electrocuted with 24 volts if it gets to be used in a wet environment, this could be a huge deciding factor in itself.

 

[Abunai]

Based on my fairly recent research, 1/4 inch outer diameter seems to be the hose/airline size of choice, and the polyethelyne is cheaper than nylon or polyurethane and you can get it at Lowes or Home Depot on a moment's notice.

I haven't found a good discussion as the benefits of 12vdc, 24vdc, or 110vac yet. I think it's a matter of personal choice and what you use throughout your haunt. I guess that one benefit of 110vac is that you can pull a powercord off of any failed appliance around the house for free and hook it up to the solenoid, whereas 12vdc and 24vdc require the purchase of a power supply or a wall-wart.

At first, I thought that some of the prop controllers would output 12vdc to the solenoid, so you wouldn't need an extra power supply, but the more closely I look, that doesn't seem to be the case; just relay controllers.

Best of luck with your excursion into pneumatics. I'm already a few hundred dollars into it (several cylinders, several controllers, several solenoids, several fittings) without a proper pneumatic prop to show for it yet, but I'm on my way.

 

[horrorman]

Here is a link to a Fright Props page that shows some different set ups for pneumatic systems.
http://www.frightprops.com/faq/cont...intaining-haunted-attraction-air-systems.html

The ideal situation is to size your air supplies and compressors to the demands of your air usage. As for the electric, Jim is right. The low voltage keeps the risk of electrocution down!! The Fright Props controllers will power 12VDC solenoids. They also have a ton of info on their website about pneumatics. Best of luck and have fun!

 

[Abunai]

Here is a link to a Fright Props page that shows some different set ups for pneumatic systems.
http://www.frightprops.com/faq/cont...intaining-haunted-attraction-air-systems.html

The ideal situation is to size your air supplies and compressors to the demands of your air usage. As for the electric, Jim is right. The low voltage keeps the risk of electrocution down!! The Fright Props controllers will power 12VDC solenoids. They also have a ton of info on their website about pneumatics. Best of luck and have fun!

I stand corrected.

Looking at the Fright Props site, I see that you can, indeed, power 12vdc solenoids by running power from the trigger connector of their PicoBoo controllers. You just need to make sure the 12vdc transformer you use is a high enough wattage/amperage to power the controller and the solenoid(s).

 

[slanks]

Prop 1 controllers from EFX-TEK will also power 12V solenoids.

Our display includes 50+ solenoids, which are all 12 volt. There is no particular reason why we started with 12 volt, other than we use almost exclusively Prop 1 controllers. However, if we were to start over, I would still stick with the lower voltage solenoids. Why run at 110, when there is no performance gains?

 

[bfjou812]

As stated before the most important thing to do is plan,plan,plan. I've always tried to keep everything "standard" meaning use the same type of solenoid ,fitting, hose diameter,etc. One thing to look for when buying solenoids is to look for the flow rating ,bigger number is usually better, is usually expressed as CV, and the minimum and maximum pressures . Some solenoids need a small amount of pressure to operate.