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My shopping list. Is it complete?


Sweeney Family Horror

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Hi Guys.

I haven't bought my LOR stuff yet. But I will the minute I am sure my list is complete. I've tried outline my situation below. See if what I want to do and what I plan to buy match.

Situation:

Halloween Display in our front yard. Display is static and pneumatic props. We have a 10 minute looped radio play (tells a ghost story illustrated by the yard props) which we are currently broadcasting via an FM transmitter. Lighting we have now is not dynamic and is not tied to radio show.

Desire:

Tie show broadcast over the FM transmitter and lighting together. Transmitter is high and dry inside on our second floor. Display is in front yard approximately 30 feet away from FM Transmitter.Less than 16 lights that need to be controlled.

What I think I need:

1. One Residential Controller (yard) 2. One mini-director with optional external power (audio out of this unit will go to the FM transmitter. Both transmitter and mini-director will be inside the house) 3. 1 pair of wireless links. One for inside the house with mini-director. One outside the house with controller. 4. Software package.

Is that it? Do I need anything else (outside of a PC to program?) Any cabling? Any problems with what I have described? I'm sure this is bonehead simple for you. But it's all pretty new to me so your input is greatly appreciated.

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Provided you want to only control the lights, it appears fine .. other than enough extension cords to connect lights to controller and to power controller. I don't remember, but doesn't each wireless link come with a short Cat5 cable? If so, you're good to go on that.

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Thanks mmaness. Pardon my absolute inability to be anything but maddeningly literal. You say connect lights to controller and to power controller? That loses me. I think I only need one residential controller for outside. Right? I run power to that. And connect one of the wireless links. And yes. I got the extension cords :)

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What's the reason to use the wireless links? Wired link would save you some money or another controller. What type of lights do you plan on using?

BTW, Welcome to the madness! :)

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Hi Jim:

The best place for my FM Trasmitter is inside my home on our second floor (better reception for viewers). So I was going to save myself running a wire from my second floor into the yard. Only incandesent spots. Maybe a few leds. What are you thoughts on my shopping list? Complete?

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I don't see why you need the MiniDirector? To be honest you can run the show on a cheap computer that you get from a yard sale.

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Looks like you have everything to me.

  • A way to run the show. (Mini-Director w/ power.)
  • A way to get the show outside. (Easy Light Linkers)
  • A controller outside.

If you haven't already, go through the Installation Considerations and Troubleshooting section of the ELL documentation. It has some good information there that may come in handy in the future.

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Hi Jim:

The best place for my FM Trasmitter is inside my home on our second floor (better reception for viewers). So I was going to save myself running a wire from my second floor into the yard. Only incandesent spots. Maybe a few leds. What are you thoughts on my shopping list? Complete?

One thing not confirmed with your setup, If you use the lite linkers, you need this adapter with the starter package: http://store.lightorama.com/uscoadwivobo.html

I also agree with spomalley, a cheap garage sale computer is great for a show computer. Bad idea for a sequence computer, need some guts for the software.

The CTB PC controller will be great for the incadescent spots/floods, but what leds do you plan to use?

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One thing not confirmed with your setup, If you use the lite linkers, you need this adapter with the starter package: http://store.lightor...coadwivobo.html

The CTB PC controller will be great for the incadescent spots/floods, but what leds do you plan to use?

Thank you. Yes, I was missing that. Oddly, I don't see that indicated in the typical set-up infographics LOR puts on the site. But no, matter. Thank you. I am a Mac person, so I'll be programming with a spare PC from work. Our display runs all of October. I just thought the mini-director would keep my set up, along with FM Transmitter and LiteLink faily compact. On second thought, no LEDs. Just good old fashioned spots and floods.

So, okay...I'll add that adapter. Just one?

Looks like you have everything to me.

  • A way to run the show. (Mini-Director w/ power.)
  • A way to get the show outside. (Easy Light Linkers)
  • A controller outside.

If you haven't already, go through the Installation Considerations and Troubleshooting section of the ELL documentation. It has some good information there that may come in handy in the future.

Thank you, Don. I will indeed do that.

Are you guys telling me the light linkers are a bad idea? Just curious.

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I have four light linkers and they work great. Prior to that I used cat5 out the window to the first controller then daisy chained to the rest of them. There are many more elegant ways to connect a cat5 from inside to outside but you don't absolutely need the light linkers you could use a cable. Just a thought. Then you could buy more controllers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I think I need to make a correction. The adaptor is for when you use the lite linkers with a computer connecting to the controller. Someone also needs to clarify this: It sounds like you want the director up on second floor with transmitter using the lite linker to link the director to controller, is this correct? If so, I believe this won't work.

My suggestion would be to have the controller, director and transmitter together in an outdoor box and run a signal to your speakers.

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Jim,

From page 10 of the Mini-Director documentation:

Normally, power is supplied by the attached

controller through the RJ45 jack. There are a

number of reasons why you may want to use an

external power supply with the miniDirector:

...

the miniDirector is to be used with an RF-V4

wireless unit, so it is not connected to a

controller which would power it.

Thus he can use the mini-director to power the ELL. (At least that is how I'm reading it.)

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Thanks for the clarification Don. I was thinking in a wrong direction, for some reason I was thinking he was wanting to send different info through the ELL. But also needed to mention the correct adaptor if he abandons the director idea.

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Jim, you are right about what I want to do. For clarity: Think of our yard haunt as a drive in theater. But the only speakers are in people's cars. This keeps my neighbors tolerant.

So, yeah. I want my FM transmitter inside up on the second floor. I want to load my "show" on an SD card into the mini-director (with external power suppy). Audio out from the mini-director goes to the transmitter. Since all of this is on the second floor I really don't want to run a cable. I could. But I just thought the lite linkers would be a simple (albeit pricey) way to link up to the controller outside. This is where I was getting the idea. http://www.lightorama.com/Wireless.html I just wanted to make sure I was ordering everthing I'd need to get to work.

Guys, the is all fantastic input and really helpful. I REALLY appreciate you helping out this newb.

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Do you plan to have speakers outside in addition to the transmitter? TOTs are out walking from house to house and very unlikely to be carrying a radio.

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Jim, we've been doing this for nearly a decade. The yard haunt is a nightly "experience" people take in during the month of October from our front walk and their own cars. But, on Halloween night, all TOTs come to our "haunted garage" which is an utterly separate display, and believe me, no radios are required for that :) Thanks again, for the great advice.

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These are a little old but they give you and idea of yard and garage :) Be warned, however, that Halloween displays, prop building and pneumatic technology is every bit as addictive as Christmas stuff. So look carefully. Cheers. And thanks again for the help!:

http://on.fb.me/S0dBow

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