Switches

[dkoehler42]

I'm thinking about adding push buttons or pressure switches this year for Halloween, but I have no idea how to go about doing it. Would anyone be nice enough to explain how to do it and where components can be found?

[Shubb]

You can use any small switch, pressure pad or a motion switch. Just make sure it is set up for either N.O. or N.C.

The manual has detailed instructions about how to set it up nad wire to the controller.

LOR has the connector that plugs into the controller and you wire the switch wires to for about $8 (last time I bought them)

Then you program your sequences and assign them to the inputs.

Either one musical sequence or you can run multiple animation.

Start early and expreriment.

Scott

[Aaron Maue]

And here's a link to

Here's a link to some big pushbuttons...

Jeff

I have a couple of those in my show. They're really cool. Very big. And can be lighted as well.

[Greg Young]

I use the game switch that Jeff posted in his link. I have 6 of them, one for each input I employ in the display(2 red, 2 green and 2 blue). I don't illuminate them, but easily could. They hold up well in an enclosure I designed that has a partial cover to keep out the snow and ice we sometimes get!

[dkoehler42]

Thank you for getting me started! What does N.O. and N.C. mean, and how do I look up pressure switches? Everything I'm finding is either pneumatic or liquid based, not a step on pad to hide under a mat.

[MikeyRo]

Thank you for getting me started! What does N.O. and N.C. mean, and how do I look up pressure switches? Everything I'm finding is either pneumatic or liquid based, not a step on pad to hide under a mat.

NO is Normally Open, where the circuit is broken (open) until the button is pushed, closing the circuit. This can be used for something that needs power to operate and when you push the button, the circuit is completed and the power goes to the object.

NC is Normally Closed, where the circuit is closed until the button is pushed, opening the circuit. Us this when you are running something and want it to stop when the button is pushed and the circuit is broken.

Found this using Google for pressure pad switches..

http://supersoda.com/detail.php?id=00000000036

Edited July 10, 2012 by MikeyRo

[dkoehler42]

Something that just occurred to me, will this work if I have a scheduled show from a computer? I've never done anything with stand alone before.

[spomalley]

Yes you connect the trigger to unit 1 to start the show using the external input header available from LightORama and the set it up in scheduler. I haven't done this so hopefully someone more knowledgable will jump in with more details.

[Shubb]

The answer is, maybe...

It all depends on how you are setting up your show. Is it set to start with a push button and run once? Continue running through a pre-set number of sequences? Until it is powered off or until the end of time?

There are a number of ways to use the interactive switches. Either to start a musical sequence or an animation sequence.

You can also start an anmation while a musical sequence is running.

You can set a time to start/stop a series of sequences in the show editor and use the interactive switches to start different ones when they are triggered.

So yes, it will work. You just have to figure out how you want it to work and go from there.

Scott

P.S. IE8 no spell check so if there is an error, live with it.

[Aaron Maue]

If you take a look at posts #2 and #10 from Jeff Millard's Checklist Thread, I've provided the step-by-step process to set up the interactive triggers to use in starting a show (post #2) and having the guest interact with the show while it's running (post #10). Hope that helps.

[dkoehler42]

Thanks guys. I'm looking to have either an animation/music sequence tripped by a sensor pad, but while a larger music sequence is going. I'm trying to hide a baddie on the side of my house to pop out when they step on the mat, and then quickly retract; all while the remainder of the show is running.

[dkoehler42]

My apologies, I neglected to mention I have a 1602w controller. Will that make a difference?

[Aaron Maue]

That controller will work just fine to receive the trigger from your sensor pad, assuming it has a Normally Open (NO) or Normally Closed (NC) switch output. Check out post #10 in the thread I linked to above. Should put you on the right path. It'll show you how to set up the trigger. What it won't tell you, though, is how to create the actual prop movement.

For that, you'll need to develop the sequence that makes your baddie pop out and then retract. And that's a totally different question. What sort of hardware do you have to make it move? Are you using pneumatics? Servos? Someone else will need to chime in on those. I have never used any mechanical props in my display.

[dkoehler42]

That controller will work just fine to receive the trigger from your sensor pad, assuming it has a Normally Open (NO) or Normally Closed (NC) switch output. Check out post #10 in the thread I linked to above. Should put you on the right path. It'll show you how to set up the trigger. What it won't tell you, though, is how to create the actual prop movement.

For that, you'll need to develop the sequence that makes your baddie pop out and then retract. And that's a totally different question. What sort of hardware do you have to make it move? Are you using pneumatics? Servos? Someone else will need to chime in on those. I have never used any mechanical props in my display.

I'm doing the research on that, sounds like a mechanical engine, not linear induction will be the way to go. I have a pneumatic tank, but it's prone to tripping the circuit and on the wrong side of the house. How do you actually connect the switch to the J0 Header Board? It looks like a pin setup similar to a computer and the switches I've seen show something similar to a 2 prong at the end.

[Aaron Maue]

I'm doing the research on that, sounds like a mechanical engine, not linear induction will be the way to go. I have a pneumatic tank, but it's prone to tripping the circuit and on the wrong side of the house. How do you actually connect the switch to the J0 Header Board? It looks like a pin setup similar to a computer and the switches I've seen show something similar to a 2 prong at the end.

The easiest way (IMHO) is to buy this little board to connect to the board header: http://store.lightorama.com/ctinco3in.html

That item is good for the Gen2 hardware, which is what I have. It's for the boards that have the 18-pin header. I don't have any Gen3 hardware, but I understand they have a 20-pin header. Hopefully someone will chime in to correct me if I'm wrong and will also let you know if there is an equivalent for the Gen3 boards.

[dkoehler42]

The easiest way (IMHO) is to buy this little board to connect to the board header: http://store.lightor.../ctinco3in.html

That item is good for the Gen2 hardware, which is what I have. It's for the boards that have the 18-pin header. I don't have any Gen3 hardware, but I understand they have a 20-pin header. Hopefully someone will chime in to correct me if I'm wrong and will also let you know if there is an equivalent for the Gen3 boards.

I understand that's to make it easier, but how do I physically make the connection? Am I wrapping wire around each of the "poles" that come out of these switches and plugging it into the connector? How would I do it w/o the board?

[Aaron Maue]

To connect to the header without the little board, you'll connect the switch to the two pins on the top of the left column of the header. They're marked "GND" and "INPUT". You can see this in the user manual that i linked to in my "how-to" thread. Making the connection to those pins on the board is tricky without the little add-on board. You can solder a lead wire to each of the pins, but that wouldn't be a path I'd take. One other method I've used temporarily is to use one of the connectors you used to find inside a PC that connected the audio from your CD drive to the motherboard. (Maybe they're still used today; i just haven't looked inside a modern PC). The sockets on those connectors are sometimes compatible with the pins on the J0 header.

As for making the actual connection to the switch, you just connect one terminal of the switch to the "GND" pin and the other switch terminal to the "INPUT" pin.

[dkoehler42]

To connect to the header without the little board, you'll connect the switch to the two pins on the top of the left column of the header. They're marked "GND" and "INPUT". You can see this in the user manual that i linked to in my "how-to" thread. Making the connection to those pins on the board is tricky without the little add-on board. You can solder a lead wire to each of the pins, but that wouldn't be a path I'd take. One other method I've used temporarily is to use one of the connectors you used to find inside a PC that connected the audio from your CD drive to the motherboard. (Maybe they're still used today; i just haven't looked inside a modern PC). The sockets on those connectors are sometimes compatible with the pins on the J0 header.

As for making the actual connection to the switch, you just connect one terminal of the switch to the "GND" pin and the other switch terminal to the "INPUT" pin.

Thank you! I've been looking at this for awhile trying to figure out what I was missing! It'd be nice if the manual went a little more in depth on this subject.

[Shubb]

In my Halloween show I use a trigger similar to what you are describing. I have a motion switch that triggers a sequence that will fire a pneumatic cylinder and a prop jumps out of the bushes. If you want it to pop out quickly, then pneumatic is probably your best bet.

Even a small portable compressor/tank set-up can be used. Just give it time to build up pressure before you fire the cylinder again.

Scott

[Vic Fortenbach]

There is a book available called “A Guide to Animated Holiday Displays”

Ebay does not have it but Amazon does, here is the link

http://www.amazon.com/Animatronics-Holiday-Displays-Edwin-Wise/dp/0790612194/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343157299&sr=8-1&keywords=a+guide+to+animated+holiday+displays

it’s a bit pricey, but it does have some good ideas.