Help needed w/ 9v Cannon ignitor

[Boomer]

Hey folks, I'm new to the forum and in need of a little help. I've built a multi-barrelled black powder cannon and I'm trying to build an ignitor panel. I have 6 spst toggle switches with leads running to each barrel with a Christmas light filament as ignitor. I am using a 9v battery as a power source and trying to hook up the toggle switches in series.

I'm missing something basic here. I've tried running the individual leads back to the battery - yet the 6 switches all want to act as one - ie they all must be on and vice versa. I also tried hooking them up with a bypass/jumper thinking that the current would bypass the closed switch and travel to the open one - no dice.

I apologize for my ignorance - any help would be appreciated. I am trying to keep this as simple as possible! Thanks in advance.

 

[RaleTheBlade]

Couldn't you connect them all in parallel? One common source and one common ground? That way any of the switches can work without needing any of the other ones on. I wish we had a draw tool but this will have to do I guess, lol.

------------------------ > Ground
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
------------------------ < Vin

Ugh... that looks like crud. It'd be really cool if this forum had something of a "drawing" board where you could sketch circuit schematics. But... I hope you get my jist

 

[Boomer]

Using a 9v battery can I use a ground? All the diagrams I've found idicates that the path needs to be circular. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[RaleTheBlade]

Well the current has to go somewhere, and if its coming from a higher potential source (the + on the battery) then its going to want to go to a lower potential source (the - ground) to equalize the current. Im pretty new at this whole electronics thing myself so Im trying to use logic to deduce an answer, haha.

 

[Resqueline]

Current can't travel to an open switch, only voltage can go to an open switch (but won't pass through of course). Current (& voltage) can only travel through a closed switch.
You're right in that the circuit needs to be circular as you call it, but that only applies to each individual switch-lamp circuit. Do one ignitor first and then add the others in parallell to the first (do not break into the first circuit) in turn, like Rale suggests. Did you understand the diagram? It's correct.
The term ground has no real meaning in a floating, battery powered circuit like this - only positive and negative battery rail applies.

 

[Boomer]

Thanks for the help guys. I got it figured out last night!