Ugh...I need a different external trigger to turn on my show. Help!

[Jaynee]

Okay, so we started our program tonight (finally!) and came across an issue.  My intention is to run everything off a timer in my garage.  I plugged in the controller, the mini director, and the FM transmitter.  When the timer is set to "off," obviously everything is off.  When it is set to "on," obviously everything is on.

 

But when I set it to "auto," which is the setting for running the program (i.e., turn everything on from 5:30 - 11:30 p.m.), everything stays on and runs.  So it turns out I can't use the set up I wanted to automatically run the program using that particular timer.

 

For the most part, it won't matter - we'll be home and can always just turn it on and off manually.   But on nights we may get stuck in traffic coming home from work, or want to go to bed early, it'll be a hassle to manually turn them on and off.

 

The only other setting on the timer is auto dusk setting - which means it comes on in the dark.  But...it's our GARAGE.  It's ALWAYS dark unless we go in there (it has no windows).

 

I'll admit, I'm brain dead right now - so I cannot think of how to get this configuration to work.  My stuff is all based in the garage, self-standing and not connected to a PC.  Does anyone else use an external trigger to get their program to turn on, including the controller, the miniDirector and FM transmitter?  

[Jaynee]

Just had a thought that I'll have to test tonight (don't want to do it now since people are stopping by to watch the show and I don't want to interrupt it).  I did not check to see if the CONTROLLER was off when the timer was in Auto mode - if it is, I wonder if I can plug the miniDirector into the spare channel that I'm not using.  Then it would power on when the controller is turned on at 5:30 p.m.  I could even run a splitter into that channel so that both the FM transmitter and the miniDirector box power up at the same time.  

 

The only thing is I'd have to go back and double check my sequences to make sure I don't have any programming in that channel - I mostly ignored that channel, but I didn't build all my sequences from scratch.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Jaynee

[LOR Staff]

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. 

[Jaynee]

Wait - looking through the instructions for the miniDirector, it looks like it is powered EITHER through the cat5 cable into the controller OR the DC12 power cord?  So theoretically if it is plugged in via the Cat5, then I don't need it plugged into the timer, correct?

[Jaynee]

We cross-posted, DevMike.  I do not have the Showtime Central package - I bought a controller, then a standalone miniDirector, then my own FM transmitter.  

[Jaynee]

Okay, I unplugged the DC power from the miniDirector and it's now running on the Cat5 cable only.   My hope is that at that point I'll only need to figure out a solution for triggering the lights if I see tonight that the controller remains ON even when the timer is set to "auto."  My hope is that it does NOT.

[DieselMech]

Jaynee do you have more then one controller in your display?

[Jaynee]

Nope.  Just one controller. 

[DieselMech]

Let us know if that works tonight

[Jaynee]

It worked!  I just shut off the lights and tested turning it to the "Auto" program now that the miniDirector was only plugged in via the Cat5 - and sure enough, the FM transmitter and miniDirector remained off this time.  So I confirmed that the program is still set for 5:30-11:30 p.m. and we should be a go for tomorrow.

[Jaynee]

Just wanted to post a final post saying that all went well yesterday with the timer.  Everything came on at 5:30 p.m. and ran until 11:30 before shutting off.  Perfectly seamless and no issues.

 

The problem was definitely caused by inadvertently having the miniDirector plugged into two things simultaneously.