P_Monty wrote:The data sheet suggests the mosfet can handle 60V and 30A so no problem there. If the PCI tracks can't handle what you're doing you may need to bridge them with wire...

Fantastic idea. I will get everything ordered today and will report back with my progress. Thanks.

Thank you, I will experiment with the Mosfet kit https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12959.

My only concern is will the circuit board safely handle it. I am powering the solenoid off a 12v 2.0A power brick at this time.

I don't see a problem with using a mechanical relay and solenoid. The relay board says it needs 15-20 mA to drive it - I think that's borderline for what a pi can supply... Edit : a solid state relay as suggested above would probably not need as much drive current... I am willing to try whatever wo...

I've not checked all the links supplied, but I'm not convinced that the rate of the relays is the problem - when was the last time you saw a drummer hitting his drum more than 100 times a second... Is it because the pi isn't supplying enough current to reliably trigger the relay? I have been readin...

Thank you mikronauts for the quick reply. I had a suspicion that was the case and I am very glad there are other options for the relay considering everything else has been simple and working flawlessly. I may need some assistance in choosing an option to replace the relay. The solid state options I ...

Hello, I need some assistance in troubleshooting or redesigning a robotic puppet drummer I have been working on. The project is using lightshowpi to control a 5v sainsmart relay which in turn is controlling 12v linear solenoids to move the drummer's arms. If you are unfamiliar with lightshowpi (http...

One thing I am noticing and still researching is, even though the Pi is able to switch the LEDs on the board ON/OFF, it doesn't seem to always trip all of the relays. I am assuming this is because the Pi's GPIO is only 3.3v vs. the relays 5v input. Forgive the rookie question again, but I am wonderi...

OK, I have the Sainsmart relay wired how I "think" it should be wired. I just want to ensure I have everything correct. The relay board has a 10 pin connector for GPIO and VCC and Ground. It also has a 2nd set of 3 pins to switch the relays. On the 10 pin connector I am wired like this (I will leave...

I got the toy drum and some parts in today. I am hoping to get a couple solenoids moving to the beat of the drum track within the next day or so.

I think I figured out an accurate way of controlling each limb and make the puppet more believable. I currently play along with a prerecorded mono drum track. At the show, I just start the audio track on my tablet and run it in to my PA. I played this track through my spectrum analyzer and it looks ...

Rotary servos are most common, but linear servos are no easier or more difficult to use. Rotary with an arm attached to the horn is probably a good way to pull a puppet string. Thank you for the advice. I will grab one linear and one rotary for now to experiment with. Ah, solenoids could be a bit t...

You could connect some model servos (usually used for radio controlled models). These can be commanded to move to specific positions (usually angles in a range of 180 degrees). One GPIO output can control one servo using a PWM library such as pigpio, wiringpi or servoblaster. Thank you guys for the...

OK, I must be using too rookie of a vocabulary or asking a question that has been answered 1000 times. I think I am on the right track though. I ran across this thread and the following diagram that looks like it will accomplish what I need as far as triggering the relay I was looking at. http://www...

OK, I did some research and I believe this will be possible using lightshowpi controlling a 8 channel relay like http://www.sainsmart.com/8-channel-dc-5v-relay-module-for-arduino-pic-arm-dsp-avr-msp430-ttl-logic.html The relay would then trigger a solenoid like http://www.amazon.com/10mm-Stroke-Fram...

Hello, I play actousic guitar in small venues and am going to start playing with a pre-recorded accompiament drum track. I would like to build a 3ft tall robotic puppet drummer to play beside me as a gimmick. I wouldn't need the robot to actually play drums, I would just need it to make some simple ...