Fire Pong
Fire Pong
For EMF 2016, a small group of us are working on a series of fire effects to be incorporated into an interactive game of some sort (provisionally "pong").
Puffers (a.k.a. "Poofers")
Puffers consist of an "accumulator" tank (usually an empty gas bottle), which is filled from a "feed" tank (a full propane bottle). The supply is regulated to somewhere up to 60 PSI. The accumulator tank is connected to a long "barrel" through a large-bore value which can open and close quickly. This may be a manual ball value or an electronic solenoid value. The accumulator tank is also connected to a pilot flame at the end of the barrel, through a low-pressure regulator.
When the ball/solenoid value is opened, the medium pressure propane in the accumulator tank shoots up the barrel, and is ignited at the end by the pilot flame. This creates a brief "puff" of fire.
Puffers come in many sizes from hand-held to truck-mounted, and can create a puff from a few tens of centimeters tall to anything up to and exceeding 10 meters!
Component Prices
For the prototype, we need the following parts:
| Component description | Price | Link | Bought by | Qty | Cost inc shipping |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustable 60 PSI regulator | £14 | ebay | Ian | 1 | £14 |
| Adjustable 60 PSI regulator (alternative, cheaper) Inlet Male UK Pol 5/8 BSP LH Outlet 1/4" BSP female | £11 | ebay | |||
| Adjustable 60 PSI regulator (alternative, even cheaper) PROPANE BUTANE BURNER TORCH ADJUSTABLE GAS REGULATOR 0.5-4 Bar | £9.35 | ebay | |||
| Propane hose 2 m with connectors (3/8 inch female left-hand thread) | £9.45 | ebay | Ian | 1 | £9.45 |
| Four way splitters, OR... | £10 + £12 P&P | ebay / US import | 2 | ||
| ...Equal-T joints | £~ | Gas Products | Mouse | 3 | £11.48 |
| Propane Tee Brass RV Fitting 3/8 Male Flare x 3/8 Male Flare x 1/4 Male Pipe | £10 + £4 P&P | ebay | |||
| Medium pressure gauge | £ | ||||
| Manual ball / cutoff valve | £4.63 + £4.74 p&p | [1] | Mouse | 1 | £9.03 |
| Small / portable propane tank 3.9 kg | £20.49 (gas, exc. deposit) | Beeston Marina | Ian | 1 | £20.49 |
| PTFE Gas Thread Sealing Tape | £0.60 | Gas Products | Mouse | 2 | £3.45 |
| Compressed gas GHS labels (x24) | £6.95 | ebay | Mouse | 1 | £6.95 |
| Flammable GHS labels (x24) | £6.95 | ebay | Mouse | 1 | £6.95 |
| 22mm pipe cutter | £6.50 | fix it all | Mouse | 1 | £6.50 |
| 22mm copper pipe (per metre) | £4.65 | fix it all | Mouse | 2 | £9.30 |
| plumbers spanner (for 22/15 mm compression fitting nuts | £1.99 | fix it all | Mouse | 1 | £1.99 |
| 20mm pipe screen gauze (hopefully can solder it into the end of the barrel) | £2.15 | ebay | Mouse | 1 | £2.15 |
| 22mm compression end caps | £1.25 | fix it all | Mouse | 4 | £5.00 |
| Dry power fire extinguisher | £11.79 | ebay | 2 | ||
| 24" Pipe Wrench | £24.99 | amazon | Toby | 1 | £24.99 |
| 22 mm olives (pack of 20) | £3.87 | B&Q | Ian | 1 | £3.87 |
| 22 mm equal T | £4.37 | B&Q | Ian | 1 | £4.37 |
| 1/4" gas solenoid valve 12V | £8.99 | eBay | Ian | 2 | £17.98 |
| 1/4" to 15 mm solder ring adaptor (pack of 10) | £17.75 | eBay | Ian | 1 | £17.75 |
| Electric BBQ igniter (2 electrodes) | £18.99 | eBay | Mouse | 1 | £18.99 |
| Flash back arrestor | £12.00 | eBay | Ian | 1 | £12.00 |
Contributers
Links
- Chat about the project happens periodically on the EMF channel on Nottinghack slack
- Video of some nice puffers on El Pulpo Mechanico
- Compressed Gas Safety Manual - good background reading for handling compressed gas, and setting up equipment.
- facebook group devoted to fire effects DIY
- Burning Man Flame Effects Guidelines