Mini Director - lights off at end of night

[JD123]

I'm planning to use the Gen3 Mini Director to play my show.  I plan to turn it on and off with a timer at the beginning and end of the night.  Since I can't predict if it will be in the middle of a sequence when it turns off, I'm wondering if it will leave lights (Just using CCB's) on (I don't have timers on the lights themselves).  Any way to guarantee that all lights will be off, so I don't have to put timers on all the CCB strings?

 

Thanks!

Edited October 8, 2015 by JD123

[Vince4xmas]

I have a manual timer plugged into main electrical outlet (set to come on at 5:00pm and off at 10:00pm). I then feed my power to all LOR controllers out of this timer. Have used it successfully for the last 3 years with no issues. Lights simply shutoff when power is killed by timer.

[JD123]

Thanks, I was hoping to avoid powering all the lights, since I have them connected in multiple places around the house.  I suppose I could schedule a trigger on one of the inputs that simply ran a sequence that turned all the lights off, then switch the power off.

[LOR Staff]

When controllers no longer hear a data signal, they will turn all the channels OFF.  

 

You may need a 'special' CAT5 cable to break the power connection between the Controllers and the MP3 director (we supply acc power on the CAT5).

[JD123]

When controllers no longer hear a data signal, they will turn all the channels OFF.  

 

You may need a 'special' CAT5 cable to break the power connection between the Controllers and the MP3 director (we supply acc power on the CAT5).

 

Thanks DevMike.  My plan was to put the Gen3 Mini Director on a timer.  It would play all shows continuously and turn off after a certain time.  Since the controller would be supplying the data signal, I'm guessing that this would turn the lights off - or does the power need to be cut as well? 

 

Another option would be to use the timer as a switch for one of the inputs on the Mini Controller.  The timer would cause a number of sequences to be looped through over & over.  When the timer turned off late at night, the non-triggered sequence would play - that sequence would turn all lights off.

 

Once I get the director I plan to experiment.  Just scheming with the online instructions now.

[LOR Staff]

Here is the easy way:

 

We send ACC power across the Cat5 which will power the MP3 director.  Most of our controllers will supply that power.

 

Put the first CONTROLLER on a timer.  Do not use an external power supply for the MP3 director.  If you are using more than 1 controller, the CAT5 from the first to the second controller is a 'special' cable -- It has the ACC power line cut.  The reason for the special cable is that the second (or further down the line) controllers are also putting ACC power on the line.  By cutting the power line between 1 and 2, only #1 supplies the MP3 director.  When the controller powers off, there is no ACC power to the MP3 director and it powers off.  A few seconds later all other controllers will see that there is no data on the wire and will shut off the lights.

 

This talks about the Showtime Central, but the exact same thing applies to you:

 

With a typical network cable we use the center pair of wires (the blue pair, pins 4 & 5) to transmit/receive data. We then use pins 3 & 6 (the green pair) to transmit power to accessories. The other wires we don't currently use. 

The ShowTime Central components (the miniDirector and FM transmitter) get their power from the first controller over the network cable. If the first controller is turned off then power can sneak across the network cable from any other controller along the controller daisy chain. 

We use a "special cable" to break the power path so power can't sneak across from other controllers other than the first. Now you can turn off the first controller and ShowTime Central will also shut down. 

Where do you get one of these "special cables"? We can certainly provide one from Light-O-Rama but it's faster and much less expensive to modify and existing network cable. 

With a network cable you want to make special, peel back the cable jacket about an inch at some point (an Xacto knife comes in quite handy) and cut one of the green wires. Since power flows over the green pair, you've broken the path. Seal up your splice and you're done. I'd suggest putting a piece of colored tape at each end of this cable so you know it's a "special cable" in the future. 

Now you can put a timer on the first controller and use it to turn on/off your entire display, including the ShowTime Central, no matter how many controllers you have. The controllers are smart enough to know that if they don't get any data signals to turn off all the electrical circuits. 

[JD123]

Great idea.  I wish the mini director had two LOR connectors like most of the other directors. My topology feeds two legs on opposite sides of my house from where I have the director located.  One leg goes to the controller with CCB's daisy chained (this leg would supply power to the director), the other to a ELL and CCB daisy chain (This leg needs power for the ELL). The repeater would work, but I see a new Gen3 will be out next year.  Suggestions? 

[LOR Staff]

The new Gen3 director has been out for a year or two already.  Both the uMP3 and the MP3G3 are generation 3.

 

None of our stuff, with the exception of the repeater, allows for a Y connection. Even the MP3G3 that has 2 sets of network connectors isn't a Y.  One is NET 1 and the other is NET 2 - as in Regular and Aux A, etc.

[JD123]

Thanks Mike.