Non-DMX Fogger in a Light Show

[jem5136]

Hi,
I am going to do a light show this year for my Halloween party, and I wanted to include a fog machine in the light show. I have a simple fog machine I got from Wal-Mart a few years back. It does not have any kind of DMX capabilities, but I want it in my show.
What I was thinking was, some how hack the fog machine so that I can just use a normal channel to make the fogger think the button was pressed. So when the channel is on, the fog machine is spitting out fog, but when it is off, the fog machine does nothing.

Any ideas on how to do this without setting the house on fire, and doing it without having to go buy a DMX Fog machine for a couple hundred dollars??

Thanks,
Jesse

[Dr. Jones]

The fogger will need to remain on to heat up, but there should be a button or switch to activate the pump to produce the fog. Replace the switch with a 120v relay and use a lor channel to control the pump

[Dr. Jones]

The fogger will need to remain on to heat up, but there should be a button or switch to activate the pump to produce the fog. Replace the switch with a 120v relay and use a lor channel to control the pump

[struair]

I did exactly this last year. You need to use a relay which would be switched by a LOR channel and then hook the "output" of the relay to the fog button wires. I'm at work at the moment so I wouldnt be able to tell you exact details.

[rjnitto]

I also would like to do this for Halloween and maybe do it with a snow machine in my Christmas display. Can anyone point us to a specific, relatively inexpensive relay on a one or two commercial sites or Ebay auctions? I'm sure this would be very helpful to us electronically challenged readers.

Richard

[rgardner518]

Is the basic's of the fog machine the same as a snow machine? I have a fog machine, and I want to know if I put snow fluid in it, will it work?

[jem5136]

ny_yankee_25 wrote:

Is the basic's of the fog machine the same as a snow machine? I have a fog machine, and I want to know if I put snow fluid in it, will it work?

I don't know much about snow machines, but my guess is that it will not work. Fog machines get hot, that is how it makes the fog. If your snow machine has to get hot to make the snow, then it might work, but like I said, I have never used a snow machine(partly because we have enough snow as it is around here) so idk how it makes the snow.

Jesse

[Dr. Jones]

snow fluid in a fog machine will not work. you will get smoke but will more than likely clog the unit. Heat cores are not cheap and usually the replacement cost is almost the same as a new unit.

Snow machines work like a bubble machine, they blow small bubbles that aproximate snow

[toddmoon]

Do you actually need a relay? Can you just wire the wires across one of the channels and have it work?

[Dr. Jones]

some machines use a low voltage to switch on the pump. you do not want to use 120v, hence the use of a relay

if you were thinking of turning it on with a lor channel, that will work, but you are going to want to factor in the warm-up time of your machine - which will vary minute by minute

[Dr. Jones]

some machines use a low voltage to switch on the pump. you do not want to use 120v, hence the use of a relay

if you were thinking of turning it on with a lor channel, that will work, but you are going to want to factor in the warm-up time of your machine - which will vary minute by minute

[Dr. Jones]

some machines use a low voltage to switch on the pump. you do not want to use 120v, hence the use of a relay

if you were thinking of turning it on with a lor channel, that will work, but you are going to want to factor in the warm-up time of your machine - which will vary minute by minute

[rgardner518]

So you can use one channel to power it on, and leave the channel on all of the time. And the second channel, have a relay or something to reduce the power and use the second channel to control the output. Right? Channel one will give it power and keep it warm, and ready. where the second will be used for triggering. How about this?

[Dr. Jones]

That is probably the best solution. it keeps the fogger from baking all the time and allows for control of when you want output

[toddmoon]

My son purchased one of the Walmart specials that after a couple of puffs it has to take a moment to reset. I am wondering if I should maybe upgrade to a model that is better suited to control by a LOR unit and does not have to cool off after a little bit of use.

[jem5136]

I am using a fogger from Wal-Mart, and it works okay. I think I am going to get new ones this year, but I am going to clean the one I have now, and hopefully it will work a little bit better.


By the way, I got my relay earlier this week, but I am not sure which wire goes where. There are 15 leads on it total, but I don't remember how to hook it up, does anyone know how to??

Thanks,
Jesse

[thebaronn]

jem5136 wrote:

Hi,
I am going to do a light show this year for my Halloween party, and I wanted to include a fog machine in the light show. I have a simple fog machine I got from Wal-Mart a few years back. It does not have any kind of DMX capabilities, but I want it in my show.
What I was thinking was, some how hack the fog machine so that I can just use a normal channel to make the fogger think the button was pressed. So when the channel is on, the fog machine is spitting out fog, but when it is off, the fog machine does nothing.

Any ideas on how to do this without setting the house on fire, and doing it without having to go buy a DMX Fog machine for a couple hundred dollars??

Thanks,
Jesse

Hello!

Here is my post from another thread:





Hello!

I controlled 8 foggers for Halloween using Relays. Here is the LOR post:

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum72/19730.html

After all was said and done, I hat the LOR channel plugged into a relay and a C7 bulb at the same time(The C7 bulb controlled the "fire" in the smoke of the cannon) and I still had a problem with the the COMM locking up on my computer, not all the time, but once was enough to know I had a problems. Some sequences would work just fine. Then you play the same sequence again and the COMM would lock up.

So I added "snubbers" that were purchased from Radio shack and I still had the same problem, the COMM locked up (always possible I connected them incorrectly). The COMM could be reset easily by removing the USB cord and plugging it back in, but who wants that?

I did notice that LOR sells a USB cord with dual filters:

http://store.lightorama.com/usbcausewius.html

But I haven't tried that. I eventually put the controllers on their own network using ELLs and nothing went wrong. I was told there was a strong possibilty of destroying the controllers, because the feedback could detroy the triacs......but I chanced it anyway. They with no problems for the week before Halloween and worked just fine during the Halloween show:

The cannons fire at 3:56. And the same 1602W controllers have been working just fine for the christmas season.

Hope this helps.

Eric


Here is the actual thread: http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum83/21571.html

And here are the relays i used: http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/4PRLY-120N/4PDT-120VAC-ICE-CUBE-RELAY/1.html

And finally here is another thread that has a lot of info and good discussions:

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum72/19730.html



Good luck!

Eric

[Guest guest]

toddmoon wrote:

My son purchased one of the Walmart specials that after a couple of puffs it has to take a moment to reset. I am wondering if I should maybe upgrade to a model that is better suited to control by a LOR unit and does not have to cool off after a little bit of use.

Actually it is NOT resetting per se, what all foggers do, is after spewing their fog out, they then have to REHEAT UP to get ready for the next blast or blasts of fog. I have 3 foggers from Wal-Mart and I have used them every year with the optional "automatic timer" instead of the default it came with. This way I can allow the fogger to run on its own and not use up any channels to operate it. I have two standard and one low lying fogger I usually use in my display, the low lying one that uses basic ice cubes to keep the fog chilled and low to the ground is utilized in my cemetery area, although I usually buy dry ice and use that in this fogger for better results. I actually need to build a few chillers for all my foggers to keep the fog low and not just bow out and upward.



Now if I were going to use a LOR Controller for spewing forth fog, I'd only use one channel for the relay wiring setup and just plug the fogger directly to a live outlet for its power, as opposed to eating a channel for just keeping the fogger on and warmed up. I can see no need to "waste a channel" for powering a fogger when that channel could be better utilized for some other lighting or prop in a display. But that's me.

[Dr. Jones]

Orville wrote:

Now if I were going to use a LOR Controller for spewing forth fog, I'd only use one channel for the relay wiring setup and just plug the fogger directly to a live outlet for its power, as opposed to eating a channel for just keeping the fogger on and warmed up. I can see no need to "waste a channel" for powering a fogger when that channel could be better utilized for some other lighting or prop in a display. But that's me.

I am apt to agree with you on using an extra channel, but using smoke machines professionally for several years, I have seen cores die from being left on for several days with no fluid being pumped through them. An alternative would be an electric timer that would turn on the machine with plenty of warm up time.

Also most fog machines run at a considerable load, thus eating a large portion of the available amperage on the controller. For my snow machines, I use a DC controller that triggers a pair of contactors for the two units

The best of both worlds are the DMX units that have seperate channels for heat and fog intensity

[Guest guest]

Dr. Jones wrote:

Orville wrote:

Now if I were going to use a LOR Controller for spewing forth fog, I'd only use one channel for the relay wiring setup and just plug the fogger directly to a live outlet for its power, as opposed to eating a channel for just keeping the fogger on and warmed up. I can see no need to "waste a channel" for powering a fogger when that channel could be better utilized for some other lighting or prop in a display. But that's me.

I am apt to agree with you on using an extra channel, but using smoke machines professionally for several years, I have seen cores die from being left on for several days with no fluid being pumped through them. An alternative would be an electric timer that would turn on the machine with plenty of warm up time.

Also most fog machines run at a considerable load, thus eating a large portion of the available amperage on the controller. For my snow machines, I use a DC controller that triggers a pair of contactors for the two units

The best of both worlds are the DMX units that have seperate channels for heat and fog intensity

I agree with ya Dr. Jones. When I use my foggers I watch the fluid levels, but for the most part I must say, I fill my foggers up and they usually outlast the time the show runs! I always end up just running the foggers until the fluid gets used up as I keep an eye on them, then put them away for the next year. I've been using two for over 6 years now and my low lyer fogger for close to 4 (that is if my feeble memory serves), just know I've been using them for many years and they are still operating at their peak efficiency!