SkullTroniX (tm) Support

Phoenix · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 248 Location: Chester, UK

The original design requirement of Exorcist was to enable the automatic triggering of VSA routines using switches and inputs.

At its simplest a switch is... well a switch, you flick it one way and its on, flick it the other and its off, you could if you so wish use these types of switches, but what we had envisaged were switches and sensors that would be triggered automatically as visitors explored your show.

As time goes on we envisage developing and selling a range of switches that can be bought ready to plug-n-play, however, making your own switches or adapting commercially available industrial or domestic security switches is quite easy.

Switches connect to the Exorcist IO unit via a 3.5mm mono audio connector which should be cheaply available at just about any electrical supplier.

A switch is said to be on when the two pins of the connector are 'shorted' together, this could be done simply by just touching the two wires from the connector together, or by using a device like a security PIR which has a simple integral contact relay.

Its important that when connecting home made switches to the IO box you check that you are not connecting potentially live wires to it, doing this could overload the IO unit.

The best way to check for potential live connection is to first try your switch with a volt meter, just connect the volt meter across the two switch wires and try turning your switch on and off, if you see no voltage reading then you should be OK.

You can further test your switch using the continuity setting or resistance measurement mode of the volt meter, only this time you will be looking for a change in continuity when you turn your switch on and off.

This doesn't mean that switches that pass a voltage cant be used, in fact they can, but you need to connect a relay, transistor or optoisolator between the switch and the IO unit, and as time goes on we will provide help and instructions for doing this
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Bryan Davis
Phoenix Animatronix

bravoechotango · Joined: 24 Oct 2008 Posts: 6

Question:

So at one end of the audio cable there is a male fitting which plugs into the audio jack of the exhorsist. How is this audio cable adapted to connect to, let's say a mat switch at the mat end?

Bravo (Brian)