# Air cannon cost?



## HauntCast

What is the rough cost for building a mini air cannon? I'm debating on buying one, but if I can save enough money building it myself I will.


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## dynoflyer

I built mine for about $40. That doesn't include stuff I had laying around already, like teflon tape, wire, paint, pipe insulation (for the ribs), foam for the carriage and scrap wood for a frame.


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## DarkShadows

you can make one for about 75 bucks. Ebay for the valve and menards for the rest (fittings and tank)


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## Lotus

Chris did you see the air blaster I made cost me about 25.00


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## The Watcher

Chris if you have a olie's near you they have those 7 gallon air tanks for less then 20.00. That and a air valve a couple of fittings and you are good to go. This is a link to get a good working Idea. I am using the one with the washer valve in a prop this year. I'll send you some pics when I get it finished. I got the valve free from a place that throws away old appliances. They let me get the power cords, relays and valves off them. Don't waste your time with a sprinkler valve.

http://www.deathlord.net/AirCannon/ConcussionCannon/concan2.htm


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## hawkchucker

Chris Dont buy the tank. I have an extra and will give it to ya at the next meetup.


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## HauntCast

Hawkchucker, To late, but I'll take a take off your hands. Can always use some extra air storage. 
I bought all the parts from Lowes except the tank and that was $37 and the 7 gallon tank was $30. I don't see how this is made for $25 and I still need a 24v adapter.


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## Lotus

hawkchucker said:


> Chris Dont buy the tank. I have an extra and will give it to ya at the next meetup.


lol hawk is holding out on us


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## OpenTrackRacer

I built one last year. I believe it ended up costing well under $50.










It was hidden in a bush and activated by a motion sensor and timer relay. Scared the heck out of everyone!


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## 5artist5

OpenTrackRacer said:


> I built one last year. I believe it ended up costing well under $50.
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> It was hidden in a bush and activated by a motion sensor and timer relay. Scared the heck out of everyone!


I like the design of this! Is there a benefit to using a sprinkler valve instead of a regular industrial air solenoid? Like is there more volume or anything like that?
Or is it just cheaper?


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## OpenTrackRacer

The sprinkler valve is definitely inexpensive, especially for such a large bore (1"). Since you're simply dumping the air it seems to be a good solution. It worked well for my cannon and I know many others have used them as well. I originally tried to use an in-line valve but could not get rid of the honking sound. This anti-siphon version was quiet and also made it easier to position the barrel.


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## HauntCast

I bought a sprinkler valve and am having a honking problem. I thought it was the air pressure, so I lowered the valve to 20 psi' but it kept doing it. How to I get rid of the honk?


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## OpenTrackRacer

What kind of valve did you get? The first one I tried (a Toro in-line 1" valve) honked like crazy. The one I ended up using is a Lawn Genie 1" jar top anti-siphon valve. The part is L7010. It works great with no unwanted noise and handles the pressure no problem.


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## HauntCast

It's an Orbit 1" sprinkler valve that I picked up at Lowes. I'm using a 7 Gallon air stream tank.
Do you think it is the Valve or is the tank to big?


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## OpenTrackRacer

A few things... is it an in-line valve or an anti-siphon style? Also, how long is the valve open for? I use a time delay relay on mine to keep the valve open for just 1/10th of a second. Any longer increases the likelihood of honking and also creates an unwanted hissing sound.

How is your tank connected? The key is to deliver the maximum amount of air in the shortest period of time. A tank connected via a hose won't do that. You pretty much need a large direct connection (which is why I used a 1" valve) to the chamber.


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## HauntCast

It looks like an in line valve. How do you make a time delay relay?


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## OpenTrackRacer

I would try the Lawn Genie valve I used. It's a proven quantity and will eliminate the valve as a source or noise. If there are still problems you can work them from there.

A time delay relay is a relay that turns on (on-delay or interval) for a set or adjustable period of time once power is applied. There are also versions that turn on instantly and then off after a set or adjustable period (off-delay). Most of these relays are DPDT so for a single action you can use either type. eBay is an excellent source.


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## HauntCast

What brand time delay relay are you using and how much did it cost?


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## OpenTrackRacer

I'm using a Dayton interval time delay relay. I found one on eBay last year that's good down to 1/10th of a second. The relays with very short minimum times can be a bit harder to find but they're out there. I think I paid less than $20. I also bought sockets from another seller for a few bucks each. There seem to be more relays out there for less money this year though.

Here's an auction for on-delay timer relays...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Magnecraft-time-delay-relay-W211ACPSOX-5-New_W0QQitemZ360182671374QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53dc8f680e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

This won't work for an air cannon due to the minimum time but if gives a good idea. These are on-delay type so you can use them for a single action by connecting your prop to the normally closed side of the relay and having your motion sensor switch voltage to the coil as well as the relay contacts. I have a few controllers I've built for this year that work the same way.


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## OpenTrackRacer

Here's one that should work perfectly for an air cannon...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Dayton-Solid-State-Time-Delay-Relay-Model-No-5X828F_W0QQitemZ370240283725QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item56340a644d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

It's an on-delay model so you can use the normally-closed contact to trigger the air cannon power supply. The price is high but you can always make an offer and see what happens.


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## 5artist5

How many PSI do you run in at OpenTrackRacer?


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## OpenTrackRacer

Hmmmm... I can't remember exactly off the top of my head but I believe somewhere around 80 psi. It may be a bit more. Basically, I set it for 5 psi less than the valve's maximum pressure.


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## txatty

you got a how to or parts list for that bad boy?


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## OpenTrackRacer

Weeeeeeeeeell... I don't have a specific parts list but I can come up with most of it from memory...

The chamber is 2" galvanized pipe. Each end has a 2" to 1" reducer. One side has a short 1" pipe and a 1" cap. The other has a short 1" pipe to a 1" T fitting. One side of that goes to another 1" pipe and then directly into the 1" anti-siphon sprinkler valve. The other side of the T goes to yet another short 1" pipe and then a 1" to 1/4" bushing into which the air quick connect is threaded. The barrel of the canon is 1" PVC. All the pipe was pre-theaded and came from the local hardware store. The sprinkler valve is designed for a 24vac power supply but you can use DC as well and I believe some people were able to use a little as 12v to trigger it.

It's still packed away so I can be 100% on all of this but looking at the picture it all seems about right.


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## Voices in my Head

Great thread.. thanks for the info


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## tonguesandwich

Rain Bird sprinkler valve ...look for "DV" imprinted on the top next to the relief valve. You can get them at lowes. If you can weld you can just cut out a hole in the front of the tank and weld the pipe fitting in there. The good thing doing it this way will that you will dump the whole tank (Big blast) The bad thing is that you will dump the whole tank (Strain your air compressor),...


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## randomr8

Make Magazine generously digitally published schematics for one.

boom stick


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## charlie

randomr8 said:


> Make Magazine generously digitally published schematics for one.
> 
> boom stick


Fantastic link - thank you. Has anyone tried making the boom stick variant from the link that uses the sprinkler valve as a trigger for a much larger release?


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