Suggestions on how to control outdoor lighting during the off season

[Timon]

When I remodeled I ran conduit to each of the outdoor fixtures so I could run multiple wires to each one. This will allow me to control each light in the fixture.

I'd like to setup a controller, using the built in or the standalone show director to run my outdoor house and landscape lights but with a twist as follows.


During off the off season all the lamps will be white and run the sequence below using a local show director.

1. Monitor ambient light so the lights are always off during the day but turn on at dusk.
   
   Monitor a motion detector and turn the lights full on when motion is detected and stay on until no motion is detected for some period of time.
   
   When there is no motion run a sequence that will flicker some of the lights, so they look like gas lights, at a lower light level to save power.
   

During show season I plan to have a red, green, white and maybe blue lamps in each fixture. These will be controlled by my show computer which will perform the following.

1. 
   Monitor ambient light so all the lights are always off during the day but start the show at dusk.
   
   Based on the schedule start time run the show ignoring the motion detector.
   
   When the show is not running Montior the Motion detector and turn on the white lights at full brightness otherwise flicker the white lights.
   

I'd like the both the show computer and the local show director to be able to monitor the same Motion and ambient light detectors so when so no duplication would be required. I don't mind if I need to turn off the local show director during the off season but if it could monitor the network and detect when the show computer was running and shutdown that would be great.

I'll be running one of the commercial light controllers as they are better suited to be hard wired.

Ideas any one?

[JBullard]

Yes, it can be done, by using trigger inputs.

However, in my opinion, it will be a "kludged" together solution, as "home automation control" is not what the LOR controllers were designed for.

In my opinion, I would suggest using home automation designed software and hardware, which for your application would be one of simplest tasks for it to perform, plus open up many more applications around your home.

I use software by Homeseer with the Ocelot controller and can do what you require as well as many, many more things, including video and whole house control from my smart phone.

http://www.homeseer.com/

[Timon]

That's true and in fact I'm using Z-Wave for the rest of the house.

In this case I want to use the outside lighting as part of the show. I really don't want to "rewire" the lights or use a big cut over switch when setting up a show so it seemed that this would be a good solution.

Even if LOR or X-Lights could talk to Z-Wave it's not fast enough to control the lights in a show environment. If there was an interface from the home automation programs to DMX I could control the lights off season with that way but none of them have DMX ability. BTW, I think adding DMX to home automation systems is a good idea.

If there are enough triggers I guess you could control the lights from the automation system using them.

So I really don't see another way around this but I'm open for suggestions.

One other question. What trigger inputs would the show computer get it's inputs from? The Show Director or some other source?
I would hope the show computer could get them from the Show Director when it was not running a show.
If the Show Director has to be removed then the show computer has to get them from someplace and could the Show Director get them from the same place and not use the built in trigger inputs?

[scubado]

Why not have a show computer full time? My show computer is on 24/7/365. Most of my ladscaping I designed and built with RGBW. I can change my lighting easily and program when I want the lights on. The only thing I need to fit your discription is a motion detector.

[Timon]

That is a possibly, it's just an issue of having yet one more full computer system running 24x7, I have 4 as it stands, as I was planing on running the show from my Mac either with LOR running under Parallels or XLights.

So I guess I'll have to look into building a system has enough horse power but not draw a lot of power.

[TJ Hvasta]

It can be run from a $50 laptop.. no "horsepower" req'd... if you even gave an old -386 computer or $20 laptop, use that.. all you need is a USB or working serial port..

[Timon]

My plan is for most of my display to be RGB lighting elements controlled using DMX. I may even toss in some video as well. I really only expect to have a few standard lighting controllers one of which is to control the house lights.

I plan to use either S3 or xlights to run the show using E1.31 for the DMX side and a single LOR dongle for the LOR controllers. I expect the DMX will require more horse power so I would think at least core2duo would be needed since either program will have to generate much more continuos data than using only LOR protocol would.

I'll just have to see how it goes once I get through the planing stage.

Again any suggestion are welcome.

John

[JBullard]

E1.31 cool

I've met Ed from Joshua Systems and played with his E1.31 controller designs. Good stuff. I really like the ECG-DR4 and the ECG-PIXAD8 controllers

[khawes]

I had the same idea. My plan is to use the mini director and a DC controller and 5 rainbow spots. Off season motion will turn on the lights on 100% white for 10 minutes. I'll also have a button in the house to turn them on for a few hours when guests are expected. Then during the season I can make them part of the show.

I plan on replacing the romex currently in the conduit with cat5 for the low voltage rainbow spots.

That is the plan, I've only executed it as far as purchasing the mini director.

[gizmomkr]

What is this "off season" you speak of ?

[Timon]

gizmomkr wrote:

What is this "off season" you speak of ?

Any time you don't have a light show running.

[gizmomkr]

I call that "planning / design / Preperation" for the next show.
There is no down time in this addiction.