Setting a Timer

[KHenry1319]

Hi Guys,

A few questions...

Is there a way to set up the system to turn on and off at a designated time? If so, how?

Once I have my sequences built, how can I set them to all play one after the other?

I also noticed my fuse tripping when I run the Hardware utility and put it all to 100%. Would buying a higher amp fuse solve this problem?

Thanks!

[beeiilll]

KHenry1319 wrote:

Hi Guys,

A few questions...

Is there a way to set up the system to turn on and off at a designated time? If so, how?

Yes but are you talking about using your computer to do this or a seperate timer outside? Are you using the MP3 director to run a show or a computer? Do you want to turn everything on and off or just portions of things?

Once I have my sequences built, how can I set them to all play one after the other?

Set up a show in the show builder and add the sequences in under the musical tab. They will play one after the other unless you check the box to play them random.

I also noticed my fuse tripping when I run the Hardware utility and put it all to 100%. Would buying a higher amp fuse solve this problem?

This seems like an overload problem (too many lights per channel and/or controller). You really need to look at this NOW!
Why would you even consider using a bigger fuse? That is dangerous. The reason the fuses blow is to tell you that something is wrong. You can figure out the load by what type of lights (incand or LED) and how many you are using on each channel. Also a Kill-O-Watt meter is a small expense (approx. $20) to tell you how much power you are drawing.

Thanks!

All the things you asked here (well other than the fuse blowing issue) is covered in the help files for the software and Bob has some great videos on the forum here about doing things as well.

Read up on some of it and you will answer a lot of your own questions about this.

Your questions are pretty vague and tough to give you an exact answer without better details on what you are looking to do.
Try to be more specific so that we can give you a more detailed answer.

Most of all spend some time with the help files and researching on here.

Best of luck and Merry Christmas.

Bill

[KHenry1319]

I am playing the sequences through my computer. Is it even possible to just connect the controller directly to a timer? I understand doing this will not allow me to play to music. I just don't want to be dark all the times I am not 'sequencing'

[Surfing4Dough]

beeiilll wrote:

KHenry1319 wrote:

Hi Guys,

A few questions...

Is there a way to set up the system to turn on and off at a designated time? If so, how?

Yes but are you talking about using your computer to do this or a seperate timer outside? Are you using the MP3 director to run a show or a computer? Do you want to turn everything on and off or just portions of things?

Once I have my sequences built, how can I set them to all play one after the other?

Set up a show in the show builder and add the sequences in under the musical tab. They will play one after the other unless you check the box to play them random.

I also noticed my fuse tripping when I run the Hardware utility and put it all to 100%. Would buying a higher amp fuse solve this problem?

This seems like an overload problem (too many lights per channel and/or controller). You really need to look at this NOW!
Why would you even consider using a bigger fuse? That is dangerous. The reason the fuses blow is to tell you that something is wrong. You can figure out the load by what type of lights (incand or LED) and how many you are using on each channel. Also a Kill-O-Watt meter is a small expense (approx. $20) to tell you how much power you are drawing.

Thanks!

All the things you asked here (well other than the fuse blowing issue) is covered in the help files for the software and Bob has some great videos on the forum here about doing things as well.

Read up on some of it and you will answer a lot of your own questions about this.

Your questions are pretty vague and tough to give you an exact answer without better details on what you are looking to do.
Try to be more specific so that we can give you a more detailed answer.

Most of all spend some time with the help files and researching on here.

Best of luck and Merry Christmas.

Bill

[bill's responses are also in red above--have a feeling you are going to miss them if not standing out more, so I edited the color in my reply]


You are dangerously ahead of yourself on many different aspects of using your controller. There are several very important basics that you clearly are missing, and a few of them with regards to electrical loads could be very damaging to your equipment, your home (fire), or to you. In your haste to try to run, you have skipped some important steps in trying to learn to walk. There is no other way to gain that knowledge but just spending some time reading and learning.

Viewing all of these documents and videos is probably a must when starting this hobby (Quick Start Guides, training presentations, and Using Showtime Software):
http://www.lightorama.com/Documentation.html#Quick_Start_Guides

Also here is the user manual for the entire software suite:
http://www.lightorama.com/downloads/3.0.2/LORHelp.pdf

Plus you can search for answers in the help file:
http://www.lightorama.com/downloads/3.0.2/LORHelp.chm

PLEASE don't skip these steps. It typically takes months of reading to get the basics of LOR. You will be missing key knowledge if you just rely on asking questions in the forums. Once you have these basics, I think you will find the forums much more helpful.

[Surfing4Dough]

KHenry1319 wrote:

I am playing the sequences through my computer. Is it even possible to just connect the controller directly to a timer? I understand doing this will not allow me to play to music. I just don't want to be dark all the times I am not 'sequencing'

More evidence of what I discuss in my above post. You are missing 50% of the software--you are just using the sequence editor. There are other parts that help you control shows, startup times, end times, etc. If using a controller with the computer, there should be no need to use a timer. The fact that right now you can't see why not shows my point.

You might want to read here to see how to play sequences on your controller when you aren't sequencing. It is called a show.

http://www.lightorama.com/PDF/QuickStartGuideShowSchedule.pdf

[KHenry1319]

Geeee thanks for your response. I ask a few questions and get a schooling instead. What's the purpose of the Newbie forum if you can't ask questions? Don't even bother answering.

[beeiilll]

KHenry1319 wrote:

Geeee thanks for your response. I ask a few questions and get a schooling instead. What's the purpose of the Newbie forum if you can't ask questions? Don't even bother answering.

Well schooling is a form of teaching so that you can learn.

I don't believe that either of our answers were bad, just needed a bit more info on what you need to do to be able to steer/explain/teach/inform you on an appropriate course of action for you to take.
Sorry if I came off that way, although your fuses blowing is a serious issue and I certainly wanted to make that very clear.
I don't know your level of experience with electricity so I tend to be blunt to start.
I know you are just starting to get used to the LOR software and hardware so there is a vast amount of things to learn with it to make it do what you want.
Sequencing is important but the other things in it will make your show work.

You should not have to use a timer as the software in LOR can be set up to turn lights on and off as well as run a sequence or show.

Believe it or not, we really do want to help on here. But we also have shows running now that we are tending too as well as making changes so we get very busy this time of year.
This hobby takes time to work on and get used too.

Hope that helps some.
Bill

PS - Thank You Surfing4Dough for doing the red highlight on my response. I can't get the response box on here to make any changes to font/color/ or much else other than a straight typed note?

[Surfing4Dough]

KHenry1319 wrote:

Geeee thanks for your response. I ask a few questions and get a schooling instead. What's the purpose of the Newbie forum if you can't ask questions? Don't even bother answering.

I think if you re-read my replies (without the attitude that you are being attacked), you may realize that there was nothing in there that was meant to be derogatory. I don't understand why you wouldn't want to learn how to do this the right way. I took time to point to several of the good places that will show you how to do what you are wanting to do. It will even show you with pictures and videos which is much better than what I could do for you. But it is obvious to me (and I suspect to Bill too) that you are missing some important basics that you just need to learn (or you are going to get hurt). You don't have to like it, but it is the truth. Never did I say you couldn't ask questions, nor did I avoid giving you answers. Without the basic newbie knowledge of what you are doing with your controller you will run into one frustration after another (both with your display and with these forums). Again, you only know what you know you don't know, but I and Bill are both trying to tell you there are several important steps that you clearly don't know you are missing. I don't think you will be disappointed if you follow the advise given so far in this thread.

I am sorry that you misinterpreted trying to educate you about some of the basics you are missing as a "schooling."

[stonecutter2]

KHenry1319 wrote:

Geeee thanks for your response. I ask a few questions and get a schooling instead. What's the purpose of the Newbie forum if you can't ask questions? Don't even bother answering.

Just wanted to chime in here and say that using a LOR controller wrong can burn down your house. These folks are just trying to help. They enjoy their LOR fun and want you to enjoy it, too - but there is a safety factor with this. Especially when you're suggesting replacing fuses with higher capacity.

Have fun and stick with it, read a lot more in the links they posted. Heck I just learned a couple new things!

Season's Greetings to you and yours

[Max-Paul]

The above gentlemen have given you good advice. They are trying to help you and protect you from yourself. Do Not replace the fuse with a higher value. The only thing that will do is damage your controller and or set something on fire. Go to the hardware store and get a Kill a watt tester. This will tell you how many amps or watts you are pulling. You might need to either get another controller and move some of the lights to it. Or shift things around between two controllers so that you are not pulling more than 15A per controller. Read and realize that none of us old guys put up a display in less than a month. I started at the first of the year the first year that I put up a display.
And actually your last post was RUDE. Dont be surprised that you have alienated yourself from the forum.

[Don]

KHenry,

Keep asking questions. Don't worry, someone will answer.

[Guest guest]

These guys ARE giving you the best advice to get the most out of your display, how to operate a controller the correct way, and how to be safe and not sorry by skipping over some very important steps.

This is only my second year and I have asked many questions too when I started, but I READ the links or the threads these folks sent me too. If I had not, I may have done something really bad and caused not only harm to myself, but my neighbors homes/vehicles that are next door too me.

And by your attitude on your reply of being schooled, WE ALL GET SCHOOLED HERE in some way, shape or form, if we didn't, we wouldn't learn anything. Life is always being taught something new and the LOR controllers and software are no different, to get the most from the controller and software, you *do need to read the manuals* or at least the help files. I had to be "schooled" on where to locate the help files myself originally, as I wasn't sure where they were when I started and I missed them completely!

You need to learn about electricity, fuses, amps, watts and loads on your controllers to get the most out of them, but *safely* and that is all these folks were trying to do, HELP YOU, not hinder or alienate you by giving you the best and most sound advice you can find.

But if you start giving an attitude of entitlement or being rude and condescending to these folks, you'll get on their ignore list so fast it isn't funny, that's NOT really something you want to do here, these folks are full of great advice, but it also requires YOU to learn many things along the way yourself.

My first years sequencing looked like crap, afraid some of my current 2nd year didn't fare out as well either, but slightly better than the first.

This IS a learning experience and IS NOT something you can learn in just a matter of minutes or a few hours. it takes a good while to get a handle on all the software used in creating a show, running the show and even sequencing the show, which sequencing, alongside of set up are the two biggest time consuming issues doing LOR shows.

Again, this is not to be condescending or rude, it's the plain and simple facts. If you can't listen and read these forums with an open mind, as much as I don't like to say it, you're in the wrong hobby. This, again, is one of the biggest and most time consuming hobbies when it comes to proper setup and operation.

Good Luck.



P.S. And for the record I AM STILL LEARNING! With each new update comes a new learning experience. This is a NEVER ENDING LEARNING EXPERIENCE hobby that you have gotten yourself into.

[dstevens]

Very well said, Orville.