Scheduling - Always On Sequence

[TitanBry77]

Hmm, ok so thats why I saw the flicker, I'd imagine there has to be a better way to have a static show for a couple hours, then shut off. The flicker was pretty crazy looking.

[Swoop]

Could you just create a longer animation sequence having all lights on. Then just loop it however many times it takes to get to the time you need it to be on for. It won't eliminate the flicker but you wouldn't have it happen every 5 seconds. Like a 10 min sequence, looped 30 times, that would give you 5 hours of constant on and only 30 flickers per night. Does an animation sequence have a length limit? If everything is always on, I imagine it wouldn't take that much time to make a 5 hour sequence then using copy and paste turn on the channels you need on for the static display. I don't know though, I'm new to this as well.

[cmoore60]

The problem with a long animation sequence and if you never change intensity for the entire sequence. There could be a drop out and the lights will be off until the next start of the sequence.

Dan explained this a couple of years ago. Basically when a command is sent out...that command is maintained until a next command is sent for that channel. The solution at the time was to vary the intensity by even 1 percent to cause a new command to be sent. I have a one minute animation sequence and it loops all night long.

If you make the animation long, even like 5 minutes...then it could take up to the 5 minutes to refresh if you have constant intensities throughout the sequence.

Chuck

[TitanBry77]

Ok, good info here. So Chuck do you see the flicker then every 1 minute?

[TitanBry77]

It works to shut them off, just got home and tried it, but definitely it flickers every 1 minute, there has to be a way to avoid that.

I've only got 3 songs sequenced so far so I don't want to run them non-stop either too repetituous until I get more sequences completed.

[Steven]

TitanBry77 wrote:

Do most of you guys just run the shows non-stop? and then once the shows are done for the night, lights totally off?

When the show is done for the night, I run a "night" show that's similar to your "all on" show. It turns off the outdoor speakers, but leaves the FM transmitter on, playing soft Christmas music with announcements that tell the show hours.

My "night" show runs most lights at reduced brightness using a sequence in the "Background" tab. "Background" sequences do not flicker the lights when they loop, but they do shut them off when the show is over. Albeit, you need at least a "Standard" license to use the "Background" tab.

I was thinking that I may have to fill the schedule with a show or animation that is like from say 11pm-5pm(the following day) with a 1 second show that has no lights on, but there's got to be a better way than that.

The "off" show only needs to be run for 1 minute. After that everything's off. But you're right - there is a better way: Upgrade to at least a "Standard" license.

[TitanBry77]

Ok thanks, yes I have basic plus, I just logged in to their website and purchased the upgrade to Advanced. Should have listened to everyone from the get go and got that version.

I just need to wait for my activation key to be emailed and then I am going to try your "Background" method.

[Steven]

TitanBry77 wrote:

I just need to wait for my activation key to be emailed

You don't need to wait. You won't get a new activation key.

Just bring up the Sequence Editor, select "Help" -> "Upgrade Light-O-Rama", click "Ok", then "Register". Then exit and restart and you should be "Advanced".

[TitanBry77]

Got it, I'm advanced, tried making the background and it works, no flicker! Yay! Thanks!

Now, do you know if it's possible to delete the entire schedule all at once and start over or do you need to click each event, delete, yes, etc?

Thanks!

[Steven]

TitanBry77 wrote:

Now, do you know if it's possible to delete the entire schedule all at once and start over or do you need to click each event, delete, yes, etc?

In your Light-O-Rama folder (typically the one that holds the Sequences folder), you will find files named yearsched.lsc and weeksched.lsc. If you delete those files, then there will be no scheduled shows. Then if you start the schedule editor, it will start with a blank schedule.

[cmoore60]

Steven,

Thanks for the information for the non-flicker overnight type thing.

For what I do with using a sequence for padding for the 1/2 hour I do not think that will work. The first 1/2 I play the sequences thru one time...mainly for my sanity that all is good and then pad with static lights for the rest of the 1/2 hour. Then the show starts and runs continously till the shutdown time.

Chuck

[TitanBry77]

Thanks for all the great info. What I've done so far is I used the Simple Builder to build a show that runs every half hour with the 4 songs I've done so far, and at the end of every show it just leaves all lights to "On" which I would like to try to modify somehow so all aren't on, just some.

So it plays each song one time on the half hour, and then it's right to all lights On once those songs are done.

I have that go from 6pm-10pm and then after 10pm, I manually added to the schedule a "Low lights" background that is selected channels on until 1am.

[TJ Hvasta]

I have that, a silent sequence that every channel varies just a small amount up and down, to give a small flickering effect.. looks nicer than just leaving the yard at one intensity setting all night (they sorta double as security lights).. it's 2 minutes long and yeah, it flicks as it loops, but then, it would flick as it changes from song to song too..

How did the computer speaker work out for you audio? You can plug the power into one of the controller channels, so the speaker power goes off when the channel does..

[TitanBry77]

Computer speaker works great! I made the long extension cable for the input, then I made another cable so I could separate the 2 speakers further than what they came with.

I like the idea of of varying the lights some for a small effect when the lights are "On" after the show or when it goes in to my night sequence with no shows. I use them sort of as security lights too. What do you do, just vary the light intensity over the course of the 2 minute sequence? Also I found that using it as a static animation, but doing it on the "Background" tab, I don't get any flick with the loop :-)

I am confused about the computer speaker plugging the power in to a controller channel? Do I need an empty channel for that?

[TJ Hvasta]

Here's what I use.. its from Red Sovine's "A Soldiers Silent Night", varies the intensity nicely.. originally, it went pretty fast, but I ran it at 1/4 speed, copied/pasted into a new animation (.las), saved it and it runs at a nice slower speed now.. has a few flickers in it as it loops, but it's not bad..

As for the speaker power thing.. if you plug the speakers (amplified) power cord into a channel that would normally be on all the time for a radio sign light, or show sign, then turns off after the show/song.. if the speaker power goes into that channel too, when the channel turns off at the end, the speaker's power goes off too.


Attached files 2011_DEC_02_SHOW_FINAL_Front_Yard_Varying_Intensity.las

[TitanBry77]

Thanks for sharing that. I am going to check it out.

I understand what you mean now about the speakers. My thing is I don't have a channel that is always on during any of the shows so the speaker would be going on and off like crazy haha.

I guess what I could do is take the one controller that I do have 1 empty channel on and make an "Always On" action during each sequence I've created. But I was also thinking of using that empty channel for more LIGHTS! :)

[JBullard]

Get more controllers

[Steven]

TitanBry77 wrote:

My thing is I don't have a channel that is always on during any of the shows so the speaker would be going on and off like crazy haha.

There are other options.

My first 3 years I used X-10 to control the power to the transmitter and speakers (and porch lights and garden lights).

Now I use a relay board on the parallel port. This switches power from the batteries in my UPS, so the music continues to play during a power failure (although that's not been a problem here).

[TitanBry77]

More controllers are definitely in the plans haha! Thats pretty cool Steven, very nice idea!