Probably No Display for us 2022

[TheDucks]

32 minutes ago, Orville said:

Zoom would do me no good anyway, no camera or microphone on this computer, none of the computers in my house have a camera or microphone on or in them.

That's why I don't take part in those things.

Ah well, I'll just leave things as they are for the time being.

The computer is running my ramp lights for now, but that's the only show it will be running, due to the issues of multiple users and even slight power hiccups shutting the lights off and require a person to log in and restart the show.   It never restarts anything on its own without human intervention.

Thought if that StandAlone option had worked, I'd have just plugged the controller with the StandAlone sequence in the old CdS Cell controlled Time Clock 6 outlet box I bought many years ago to control the time lights would be on for evening and early morning hours.

Does the Computer have Bluetooth? Any phone headset should be able to be used to talk. Camera not required to watch or talk. There is an option to share your screen (useful to show what YOU are doing that needs a second eye upon) (BTW I am far from proficient on Zoom)

[Dr_Aplet]

My suggestion would be a cheap used laptop off ebay for 1-2 hundred.  put a laundry basket over it with a brick on it.  you can use a powered USB hub.  But in the end what lengths do we go through.  Perhaps someone here has an old laptop they would send for the season if you pay shipping?  

[Orville]

15 hours ago, TheDucks said:

Does the Computer have Bluetooth? Any phone headset should be able to be used to talk. Camera not required to watch or talk. There is an option to share your screen (useful to show what YOU are doing that needs a second eye upon) (BTW I am far from proficient on Zoom)

Nope, none have bluetooth.  They are all older systems.  They have a sound card, so I can hear things, but any actual conversation from me would have to be in typed text.   I have it installed on my computer when Don gave some classes some time back.    But I have never had a camera or microphone on this computer.   I had a microphone I tried to see if it would work, but for whatever reason it works fine on the cassette recorder it came with, but it wouldn't function for any type of audio input on my computers.   You'd think, if it would work on an audio device that used a microphone, that it'd work with the computer sound card.  But it would never pick up or record anything on my system.   Tried using it with a variety of software that would allow me to record too, but never worked with anything.   Found that strange, even tried a variety of microphones I had, couldn't get none to work on any of my current computers.  Very weird.

Guess I need to look at trying to find a USB based webcam with audio features and hope something like that works.

Any recommendations for one that is good, but fairly inexpensive? {less than around $50?}

[Orville]

7 hours ago, Dr_Aplet said:

My suggestion would be a cheap used laptop off ebay for 1-2 hundred.  put a laundry basket over it with a brick on it.  you can use a powered USB hub.  But in the end what lengths do we go through.  Perhaps someone here has an old laptop they would send for the season if you pay shipping?  

Wouldn't want to be responsible for something like that being outside, don't have a garage, and if it didn't belong to me and something happened to it, as in theft, I wouldn't, at least not at this time, be able to compensate someone for it.  Don't have any "covered areas" or any type of area where it could be hidden or not easily accessed and taken.  So I definitely would not want to put someone else's property outside where some vile person could just be able to walk away with it, and that would most definitely happen in my neighborhood where I live.

It's why everything I put out for my display is tied, screwed, bolted and clamped down, power cords bundled, zip tied and screwed down.  I make it extremely difficult for anyone to just be able to cut and remove anything in my display without having to make a lot of noise, and do an excessive amount of work in doing so, plus to remove anything would take a lot more trouble and time than it would be worth.   No fast and grabs in my display.   Lot of extra work for and on me, but I've never had any of my stuff stolen, unlike a lot of my neighbors who have!  

But too secure a laptop would take a lot more work to do that and keep it weatherproof.  

Now, if it was the size of an LOR Director and would fit in the weatherproof lockbox/enclosure I keep my Director in{when I get it back from repair}, that'd be a different story.   Too bad old Smartphones can't run the LOR software and have USB ports on them {aside from that micro-USB charging port}, as I actually have a non-service {works with Wi-Fi, but no actual cell service} smartphone that would have worked out for that, if it did, and could run the LOR software {especially the version I use 4.4.16 Pro} I'd have installed it in the Director enclosure and used the smartphone to run the show.

[Dr_Aplet]

I am not a wiz at it but I believe a raspberry pi can run it too it’s about the size of a couple packs of cigarettes.   But all in all it’s a bummer you will be down. I hope you find a solution. 

[Orville]

10 hours ago, Dr_Aplet said:

I am not a wiz at it but I believe a raspberry pi can run it too it’s about the size of a couple packs of cigarettes.   But all in all it’s a bummer you will be down. I hope you find a solution. 

Me too.  I'm working on it!  IF stupid Social Security had been truthful with what they had told my wife, I'd have had the funds already to order the 2nd Director, a 2nd CCCII {Pixie2D}, an unassembled Pixie16D board and even possibly one of the new Candy Cane or Snowflake RGB CPC packages LOR has come up with as well.    But as usual, and par for the course, the truth is never in our government.  Wife called to check on it and has been given 3 different variations of why she didn't get the payment that started in July {Augusts payment, 1 month behind}, and won't get her first payment until September, which should be a double payment, but they gave excuses as to why that isn't happening.  So they are putting her initial payment for August at September.   Always leave it to the government to screw you over.

Hadn't of been for that, probably could have at least gotten the "spare units {Director and CCCII}", although I'm not sure if they'd have gotten here in time before show time would start up.  Since when I looked it stated could be 4-6 weeks delivery time.  And some things are also out of stock as I browsed through the LOR website.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Orville

[XmasGal]

9 hours ago, Orville said:

Since when I looked it stated could be 4-6 weeks delivery time

Don't lose hope. I've ordered the Pixie4 yesterday expecting it to arrive end of September. It's on track to be delivered to my home by the end of the week if not next week. 

[Orville]

2 hours ago, XmasGal said:

Don't lose hope. I've ordered the Pixie4 yesterday expecting it to arrive end of September. It's on track to be delivered to my home by the end of the week if not next week. 

Yep, but waiting on some fund$ to arrive before I can order anything at the moment.   Earliest I may be able to order anything may be closer to or near end of September, and we're basically6 into the LOR busy time of year, be even busier by the time I may have fund$ available.

So not sure where I'm going yet, I do have my sequences, need to still update a few more of them, where I can use the computer to run the show.  Working on transferring my wifes side of things to her laptop, so I can remove the log in options on this one I'm using to sequence on {usually for the Director}.  Trying to get all this done is difficult for me, but I am trying to get it done, if at all possible.   Than I'll set the computer up for a temporary fix to run the show for this year.   But I'm not guaranteeing I will get it done.

I can't spend hours upon hours on the computer like I used too, now it's about 30-45 minutes and got to get off for a couple of hours.  Sure kills my working on sequences and other things that need doing.   On occasion, I can't work for more than 15 minutes before I have to get off it.   Very frustrating.

Even more frustrating is my mouse isn't functioning correctly and apparently needs to be replaced again.  And this is the 3rd mouse I've had on this system in less than 8 months!   Won't be buying any more cheap mice from Walmart, they just haven't held up, used to get a cheapo mice for under $10 at Walmart and would last me 3 to 5 years before I'd need to replace it, but the latest ones, around $15 a mouse just don't last at all now.

[hasslerk]

@Orville I have an extra N2-G4-MP3 that I could loan you if needed.  Maybe between many of us you could scrap together enough loaner equipment to get through this year's show season.

[~DOC~]

I have my main PC that is usually used for creating and testing. I can switch between the show PC and the Laptop if needed. I use a powered USB with all the ports marked so I can take the adapters from the show to the laptop. Not that hard. All your setting on the pc can be turned off and set in a way the PC runs with the lid down. USB can be taped up to help with the kittens

[Orville]

On 8/22/2022 at 4:19 PM, hasslerk said:

@Orville I have an extra N2-G4-MP3 that I could loan you if needed.  Maybe between many of us you could scrap together enough loaner equipment to get through this year's show season.

Thank you, it is very appreciated.  But I'm going to try and wing it from this ancient beast of a computer if possible. LOL

Ran shows from it in the past, but that was before I had all this RGB stuff.  So not sure how well it's going to handle it all on one red adapter for the RGB items.  But we'll see how it goes.  I had a shed in the past, long gone, and that's where this system was at and no kittens or cats could climb all over it.   So that's making for a challenge in itself to keep a show going. 

So far this week they unplugged the power cord from my USB hub and killed the exterior lighting and came home to a pitch black ramp.  Tried using double-sided tape to hold it in place and put on top and around it, but these guys seem to be much smarter than the average cat or kitten.  They don't seem to mind the sticky tape at all, and will pull it up and play with it.   I've got some insane cats and kittens! ROFL