Arduino Air Pump

Hello all,
I’m currently working on a project where I need to use Ardwino to inflate a balloon; the degree to which the balloon is inflated is dependant upon a score calculated by a word filter applied over an rss feed via java.

Does Ardwino have an air pump available [and if so where would I purchases one/four in the UK] or will I have to have a needlessly complex system of arms and bellows?

I’m new to Ardwino as a whole so I apologize if this is a silly question

I would imagine gutting a cheap 12v portable tire inflater (for roadside repairs) and connecting it via mostfet or relay would solve your problem quite simply.

Possibly an aquarium pump???

That could be a better solution for the relatively low pressures involved. Might have to double check that it's got the oomph to get the balloon started however.

I should have mentioned, the balloons are actually custom made inflatables and do need a fair oomph; in regards to either the Aquarium Pump or the 12v Compressor however are there any tutorials available that would help me on my way?
As said, I’m relatively new to Arduino and the simplest method would honestly be the best.

Leaper:
I should have mentioned, the balloons are actually custom made inflatables and do need a fair oomph; in regards to either the Aquarium Pump or the 12v Compressor however are there any tutorials available that would help me on my way?
As said, I’m relatively new to Arduino and the simplest method would honestly be the best.

Really you first need to select the air compressor/blower that has the pressure and air flow capacity you will require to blow up your inflatables in the time frame you expect. Once you have selected the proper pump it is a pretty simple task to control it with an Arduino. And it doesn't matter what voltage or even if it's a 120vac device, there are simple ways to interface such things with an arduion, either a transistor for DC or a solid state relay for AC.

Again selecting the proper compressor/motor is the hardest (and most expensive) task. Those ultra cheap +12vdc tire pumps really suck as far as air flow capacity, they may be able to pump up a car tire but odds are they will drain the car battery before it's done. :wink:

If you don't want to get involved in soldering then buy a relay shield with screw terminals and have that turn a compressor on for a pre-set period of time.

I am sure the compressor would easily generate enough pressure, but it would probably be very slow. You may also have problems with the air leaking back out when the compressor is off. I suspect they usually rely on the fact that car tyres have built-in non-return valves.

But hey - just try it, the relay shield will probably be part of the answer whatever eventually works.

Si.

Si:
If you don't want to get involved in soldering then buy a relay shield with screw terminals and have that turn a compressor on for a pre-set period of time.
...

Some examples here:=relay&s[title]=Y&s[short_desc]=Y&s[full_desc]=Y&s[sku]=Y&s[match]=all&s[cid]=0] http://arduino-direct.com/sunshop/index.php?l=search_list&s[search]=relay&s[title]=Y&s[short_desc]=Y&s[full_desc]=Y&s[sku]=Y&s[match]=all&s[cid]=0

You could use this:

Since it holds a vac, I would assume it will hold pressure too. And you could reverse it to deflate the balloon if you wanted.

I've got a really cheap 12V tyre inflator that, as far as I'm aware, is capable of > 2.7 bar (40 psi).
I use it for topping-up tyres.
A big battery and a relay works for me.