pyromill Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 It's been a few years since I really was into a complete diy solution, recently making a traffic light controller for a friend using a Microchip pic chip and other components, I got to thinking... is anyone out there using a pic chip with their own code and hardware maybe triggered or controlled by L.O.R. hardware on one channel instead of needing many? ? Maybe something as simple as arches or something pretty complex? Just curious as I would like to see if and what others might be doing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I know zilch about it, but sounds interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmomkr Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Funny - a traffic light controller was one mf my first micro controller projects. I had a "push to cross button", that triggered green, red, yellow - then turned on the walk sign.Any how, there were some pic chips that someone made and sold on ebay as an arch controller. I think they just triggered with a relay or contact closure - but they used the name "LOR / Light O Rama" in the add, and the product was pulled.I think its a nice someone made the pic for people that dont want all the trouble of programing and controllers, but you have to remember that the verry reason most people get onboard with lor is they WANT to take the time and the trouble to custom sequence everything.If your using a pic, your loosing all that custom function - your pic is going to just do what you prorammed over and over. you want custom, you could add some trigger and timing inputs to the pic - but by hte time you did all that, you probably would have done better just using a controller to beign with.Unless you had some incredibly elobrate sequence of items (maybe something you DID in fact just want to repeat over and over ) I dont see much point in the pic - I'd just do the controller.Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromill Posted September 24, 2011 Author Share Posted September 24, 2011 gizmomkr wrote: Funny - a traffic light controller was one mf my first micro controller projects. I had a "push to cross button", that triggered green, red, yellow - then turned on the walk sign.Any how, there were some pic chips that someone made and sold on ebay as an arch controller. I think they just triggered with a relay or contact closure - but they used the name "LOR / Light O Rama" in the add, and the product was pulled.I think its a nice someone made the pic for people that dont want all the trouble of programing and controllers, but you have to remember that the verry reason most people get onboard with lor is they WANT to take the time and the trouble to custom sequence everything.If your using a pic, your loosing all that custom function - your pic is going to just do what you prorammed over and over. you want custom, you could add some trigger and timing inputs to the pic - but by hte time you did all that, you probably would have done better just using a controller to beign with.Unless you had some incredibly elobrate sequence of items (maybe something you DID in fact just want to repeat over and over ) I dont see much point in the pic - I'd just do the controller.Just my .02That's funny... it was this first code I put to one of those little chips in ages. I remember seeing those arch controllers they made me laugh for exactly what you talk of.. wanting full control.. (do we all have some issues there or what? we need the control.. lol) anyways .. I just am curious as I remember seeing pictures or gif's of stuff made by Peter Olson .. like his santa's workshop and many other things a number of years ago.. i know now we all want total control.. but heck something as simple as a tune to sign maybe sort of scrolling it to get folks attention and only using 1 trigger/on channel instead of tune to freq taking up to ten channels maybe even like a arch control that would use 32 channels normally.. using like 5? for such as speed,direction, color.. etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cenote Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 Way, way, WAY on the back burner, myself along with a few other DYI'ers around here and there have a project on paper (and a few pcb boards), that involves a "light feature" being triggered by dmx depending on what data values are sent. Such as slow, fast, chase, fade, color, etc...all by a few dmx codes sent. Not sure what value just a trigger from a voltage source could produce, but being able to send DMX codes..now that's cool Nothing going to happen now this year, but 2012 has some great possibilities :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I could see using for bursts, similar to the Dan Burst or a star burst. Instead of multiple channels, just have one to trigger or DMX control(not very familiar with DMX). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted September 24, 2011 Share Posted September 24, 2011 I'm planning on some big rgb starbursts and ring trees that can be self-running using the LOR mini-director as a Macro function; I setup three shows (normal, blue only and blackout) that can be triggered by a DMX relay ($65) from http://northlightdmx.com/DMXtoRelay.htm so that way I have total control over the 48 channels in each starburst and can treat them as a subsequence or macro using just 3 dmx channels. Ought to be fun.This is like a LOR network driving another LOR network through DMX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromill Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 I love seeing I am not alone in this... any links with the dmx stuff?? far as this year's show.. heck I still have almost 48 channels of lor control to work out a use for.. 16 might just be arches but would love to see more on the ideas with dmx/lor/pic mix.. those pesky arches are awesome but they eat more than my baby daughter does.. cost per feeding so to speak I will say I do not remember who came up with it but, the mini arches for walkways and such.. they are great.. stick a lighted candy cane between each one and on the ends... looks great note to Dan and l.o.r. Thank you for a reliable system we can count on to run the "Frankenstein creations" we all might think up ... i do wonder what happened to chime-o-matic though!!!!!!! been thinking we need a diy version using a dio32 thought up.. sorry but I don't have 5.5k to outlay for one as I last saw pricing ...anyone curious... http://www.lightorama.com/chimeomatic.html <-- wonder if anyone knew that was still there in case that doesn't work..http://web.archive.org/web/20081014053246/http://www.lightorama.com/chimeomatic.html gotta love archive.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gizmomkr Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 There was a software company across from LOR's area the expo this year - basically the same concept, but with software.They used 1 lor channel coming out iDMX and read that into there software. there software sent most of the complex sequences via dmx to controllers or dmx fixtuers, and the lor software just did some basic color washes. I think the audio came from lor also. The remaining track was just a "trigger" for the other software.The other software did have SOME cool features ( I think it did sound to light out of the box, so you didnt HAVE to program if you didnt want to)But to get it all going you needed LOR S2, iDMX, there software, and an Enttec Open DMX dongle (I tihnk)I agree - I probably would use a microcontroller for starburst... But I dont have any Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonB256 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 cenote wrote:... that involves a "light feature" being triggered by dmx depending on what data values are sent. Such as slow, fast, chase, fade, color, etc...all by a few dmx codes sent. ...Cenote, that is exactly the way many DMX devices for DJs work. They listen on two or more channels for specific values, then run pre-programmed routines based on that input. If they are assigned a start channel of 24, then it may listen for values on 24, 25, 26 and 27.Because many DMX DJ things are controlled by panels with sliders, they accept a "range" of values as their trigger rather than an exact number. The slider can be set to channel 25 and if it has 8 functions, then you divide 256 by 8 and those set your ranges. The DJ just has to get close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cenote Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Remember, when you send a DMX signal, you could actually get 255 different macros using only one Channel of LOR. Use two channels and get 65,025 macros.....or at least that's the way I understand it That is how the other software works. You set up "features" or "scenes" and than trigger it using one channel of lor by setting the intensity range to a certain value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cenote Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Jeff Millard wrote: Is anyone else excited?JeffE.A.G.L.E.S :D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Before I knew the Chimeomatic existed, I designed and built my own from a LOR DC controller card, 16 solenoids and one inch electrical conduit. Way cheaper but had to struggle cutting them to the exact note. Mounted it into a "church" enclosure and used it for musical accents only, since it had just 16 channels. Lots cheaper than Dan's version, but a little "pitchy". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromill Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 Ken Benedict wrote: Before I knew the Chimeomatic existed, I designed and built my own from a LOR DC controller card, 16 solenoids and one inch electrical conduit. Way cheaper but had to struggle cutting them to the exact note. Mounted it into a "church" enclosure and used it for musical accents only, since it had just 16 channels. Lots cheaper than Dan's version, but a little "pitchy".Plain old conduit? what size did you use? not necessarily used for Christmas but I've been looking at making a "no wind" wind chime.. long story but as a gift for my mom... semi random so to speak tones... and how did you tune your's ? I have a guitar tuner .. but somehow those notes just wouldn't be fitting on their own..Been thinking about checking out the metal supply house my father in-law works at for some alum tube.. that's I think the metal most chimes are made of isn't it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromill Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 curious too... anyone use lor hardware inside for their Christmas tree? I've wanted to but it sort of scares me having the boards inside... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyromill Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 curious too... anyone use lor hardware inside for their Christmas tree? I've wanted to but it sort of scares me having the boards inside... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Benedict Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Chimes made of aluminum are the best sounding. I used one inch electrical conduit because I had lots of it laying around. Hitting specific notes was a challenge, but making wind chimes is pretty easy. There are internet links for the calculations. Use Google.com or Dogpile.com to find them. I'll have to look in my link history for the ones I used, but search for Wind Chime Calculations.Hung them from fishing line to keep a long ring time. But had to put in a couple of long screws on each side to keep the tube from getting too far off course when a second note for that same chime was coming. Found some surplus 24vdc solenoids and used a LOR DC controller for them. No snubbers or inductive kickback circuits were used but found the best tone was a 1/10 second downramp from full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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