# Remote Detonator



## JamesTrain (Apr 20, 2010)

Me and a few friends are trying to build a remote detonator for fireworks so that we can be a safe distance away when they go boom 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




I know how to build an electronic detonator the only problem is I have no idea how to do the "Wireless" part of this. So how should I go about doing this?


----------



## askseb (Apr 20, 2010)

One way of doing it would be to take the vibrate motor out of an old phone, and then just ring it to set off the electric fuses 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Edit: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-firework...l-phone-271439/


----------



## JamesTrain (Apr 20, 2010)

askseb said:
			
		

> One way of doing it would be to take the vibrate motor out of an old phone, and then just ring it to set off the electric fuses
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The problem is I don't have a disposable cellphone :l


----------



## DeMoN (Apr 20, 2010)

Does your school have a Recycle Old Cell Phones program?  If not, then start one and keep one of the cell phones for yourself.


----------



## Njrg (Apr 20, 2010)

GBATempt is now home to terrorists? O.o;


----------



## JamesTrain (Apr 20, 2010)

DeMoN said:
			
		

> Does your school have a Recycle Old Cell Phones program?  If not, then start one and keep one of the cell phones for yourself.


What about the service? That's the only problem


----------



## creep01 (Apr 20, 2010)

don't wreck a cellphone for fireworks, just run like hell when you fire up ur fireworks


----------



## Law (Apr 20, 2010)

a piece of string and some gasoline


----------



## JamesTrain (Apr 20, 2010)

No ones really answering my question. I'm fully capable of just lighting a fuse or making an electronic detonator, I just need to make one WIRELESS


----------



## FAST6191 (Apr 20, 2010)

Wonder how many lists this thread will make.

First wireless can mean a few things in this world and I would like some more info on what you aim to accomplish with regards to a properly timed display or something approximating it or just a "so I can be behind this blast wall" approach. It will come up again but are you truly asking for wireless or just asking for remote ignition as the latter is considerably easier.

You also have to consider if in the case of a timed display do you mind having the timing equipment trashed (or with the potential) essentially just making a remote switch or do you want the bulk of the work done on the switch end and only the bare essentials at the business end.

I can not say I have ever purchased fireworks in Illinois and if memory serves US firework laws are somewhat odd and can vary by county/time of year- do pay attention to what you are doing here. Still I would opt for the electrically triggered fuses rather than trying to fiddle with flame based fuses.

Remote can just mean someone gets a $15 reel of doorbell wire (pretty much any wire than can stand enough current to light the fuse will work) and uses that to trigger remotely. Here you can use anything from shorting two wires to a full on computed timed event.

From here you have many options- the first is radio waves traditionally by way of 2 way radios (the toy ones they give to kids being more than suitable for these purposes) but these days replaced with mobile/cell phones. Any number of trigger mechanisms can be made using them but usually people will tap the high current circuits so as not to mess up the digital side of things (motors being the big one, speakers fairly soon after that). You need not use a phone signal either as a good chunk of phones have other things like IR and bluetooth.
Remote control cars which go for lunch money in cheap toy shops are also a good source of such things and owing to the way they work they come with several options (left, right, forward, backward, horn) if you want to go for a manual trigger on multiple devices.

Laser pointers and LDRs work fairly well assuming you are accurate enough- a simple light sensor is easy enough to make and tune so that the ambient and even more unexpected light does not set it off (better ones can only be triggered by a given wavelength range).

As a halfway house between the two examples http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/se...roductId=177092

In the end though make sure you test your solution here prior to the events.


----------



## VashTS (Apr 20, 2010)

All you need is something that sends a current from a wireless device.  Then wire the device to charge the fuse when the "button" is pressed (I quote button because it can really be any type of trigger).  

Best idea is to use something that powers on when remote is triggered.  Like a doorbell.  

Ding Dong Boom.


----------



## JamesTrain (Apr 20, 2010)

FAST6191 said:
			
		

> First wireless can mean a few things in this world and I would like some more info on what you aim to accomplish with regards to a properly timed display or something approximating it or just a "so I can be behind this blast wall" approach. It will come up again but are you truly asking for wireless or just asking for remote ignition as the latter is considerably easier.
> 
> I can not say I have ever purchased fireworks in Illinois and if memory serves US firework laws are somewhat odd and can vary by county/time of year- do pay attention to what you are doing here. Still I would opt for the electrically triggered fuses rather than trying to fiddle with flame based fuses.



Wireless as in I want to press a button, and then i want something to ignite with no wires attached to the receiver. 
Yes the toy radios did come to mind and it would work great, the only problem is that if someone is using the same frequency there could be a huge problem.
And yes Fireworks are illegal in Illinois but I am very close to Wisconsin where fireworks are fully legal year round.


----------



## alukadoo (Apr 20, 2010)

If you run faster ,there would be no problem.


----------



## FAST6191 (Apr 20, 2010)

I sense you are over thinking it- those toys do not tend to have much more than 100m range with line of sight. They do however usually have a morse code button or you can hack something together like it- attach a decade counter or some logic to your detonator or if you really want go for two radios on two different frequencies.


----------



## DCG (Apr 20, 2010)

and if you want to reuse the toy/reciver  you could make a blast case out of metal or a big pice of wood.


----------



## UltraMagnus (Apr 20, 2010)

short answer: don't

Long answer: 
You may think I am being paranoid, but even professional pyro's will shy away from wireless ignitions.  You just don't know what RF and electrical noise could set it off.  A "long wire" remote detonator is far safer.

Now, if you still want to do this, the are plenty of things you could hack, a simple wireless doorbell, a cheap RC car, etc



			
				Njrg said:
			
		

> GBATempt is now home to terrorists? O.o;


terrorists don't seem to care about the "remote" part


----------



## 67birdman (Apr 21, 2010)

askseb said:
			
		

> One way of doing it would be to take the vibrate motor out of an old phone, and then just ring it to set off the electric fuses
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sweet!


----------



## ZAFDeltaForce (Apr 24, 2010)

alukadoo said:
			
		

> If you run faster ,there would be no problem.


Now there's an idea


----------

