Using inputs

[toymakr000]

I am thinking of making a favorite song button. So the visitors to my display can come up to it and press the button triggering an input. This in turn stops the Current show schedule, plays the song. Then returns to the current show schedule.
Is this how the inputs work I've read this
http://lightorama.com/downloads/LORHelp-2.1.6.pdf but I'm unsure if this is how it works. Help please!?

Also during my non show times I was thinking of setting up a LOR security system. I have access to long range photo sensors, cables and relays. I think all I have to do is set up my show editor/interactive group to run a show based on an input right?

Do the inputs have to remain on for the song/animation or will it play to the end on a pulsed input?

[tomskillman]

I believe you are correct. I plan to allow for the viewer to select a song next year. I was trying to decide how to do that and I think I've settled on text messaging. textmarks.com has a service that will hit a web site and return text via a reply message. By hitting a web site, I should be able to then fire off a command to trigger an output from the parallel port to hit the input of the LOR board.

Anyway, I believe you are correct that a pulsed input is all that is necessary.

[displaysinmotion_will]

toymakr000 wrote:

I am thinking of making a favorite song button. So the visitors to my display can come up to it and press the button triggering an input. This in turn stops the Current show schedule, plays the song. Then returns to the current show schedule.
Is this how the inputs work I've read this
http://lightorama.com/downloads/LORHelp-2.1.6.pdf but I'm unsure if this is how it works. Help please!?

Also during my non show times I was thinking of setting up a LOR security system. I have access to long range photo sensors, cables and relays. I think all I have to do is set up my show editor/interactive group to run a show based on an input right?

Do the inputs have to remain on for the song/animation or will it play to the end on a pulsed input?

once the show is interupted by an input, the current show is stopped and the new show plays, when the new show ends your existing sequence will start over not resume

[toymakr000]

Thanks for the input:P

[Dale]

hi toymaker that sounds like a fun idea

Dale

[toymakr000]

I've been thinking some more on this whole inputs thing. every CTB16D i have has 3 inputs...So i was wondering if these could be treated as binary so I could control 7 different shows with the three inputs. Does this mean I could make an interface to the LOR inputs to create a jukebox setup? You press this button on the screen and this show will be played... If I have 15 songs I'd need another controller with at least 1 more input.
Can the inputs work this way?

[dougd]

I am so looking forward to using inputs for this coming season. Right now what I am thinking the first hour of the show will be kids hour. I plan on having a walking path around the display. As an example there would be 2 switchs near the mega tree, if one switch is pressed it would turn on all the lights on the mega tree, if the other button is pressed it would make it spin. I would put these switchs at various places with in the display. I think kids would get a kick out of turning on different things with in the display.

Another hour would be juke box hour where they could pick the song to play. If that could be done via a text message that would be awsome, who ever gets that to work I love that idea.

I would love to hear ideas on what plans anyone has for using inputs.

[displaysinmotion_will]

toymakr000 wrote:

I've been thinking some more on this whole inputs thing. every CTB16D i have has 3 inputs...So i was wondering if these could be treated as binary so I could control 7 different shows with the three inputs. Does this mean I could make an interface to the LOR inputs to create a jukebox setup? You press this button on the screen and this show will be played... If I have 15 songs I'd need another controller with at least 1 more input.
Can the inputs work this way?

you can do what they call magic toy where the same button can control several sequences, however they can only be animation not musical

dan has said he will be introducing a 8 input header sometime this year

[displaysinmotion_will]

dougd wrote:

I am so looking forward to using inputs for this coming season. Right now what I am thinking the first hour of the show will be kids hour. I plan on having a walking path around the display. As an example there would be 2 switchs near the mega tree, if one switch is pressed it would turn on all the lights on the mega tree, if the other button is pressed it would make it spin. I would put these switchs at various places with in the display. I think kids would get a kick out of turning on different things with in the display.

Another hour would be juke box hour where they could pick the song to play. If that could be done via a text message that would be awsome, who ever gets that to work I love that idea.

I would love to hear ideas on what plans anyone has for using inputs.

next year i will be doing 2 parks in two different states one of them being nw of you in sumner county TN, one of the parks will be a drivethrough layout, so what we experimented with this year was to use ultrasonic sensors in our driveway to trigger additional sequences other than the main show, so as people drove through there were "scenes" of additional animation as people drove through



another thing you can do is use pressure mats so when people walk through your display they will trigger shows they werent expecting to happen, kind of like a surprise

[garyfunk]

I'm working on a project that will involve a touch screen and a web page. This will intruct the web server to send commands to control Insteon devices which will control the LORs. Depending on the number of inputes on each LOR, will depend on what I am able to do.

Of course, one will also be able to work these controls via the Internet. Now I just need some really good web cameras.

[johnny christmas]

there needs to be a tut on this input thing so no one fries their boards...im liking this whole idea...just dont want to screw things up

[garyfunk]

johnny christmas wrote:

there needs to be a tut on this input thing so no one fries their boards...im liking this whole idea...just dont want to screw things up

There really isn't anything to 'tut' (unless you are the king). There is a PDF that pretty much tells it all. Order any adapters you need from LOR and you are done.

[displaysinmotion_will]

garyfunk wrote:

I'm working on a project that will involve a touch screen and a web page. This will intruct the web server to send commands to control Insteon devices which will control the LORs. Depending on the number of inputes on each LOR, will depend on what I am able to do.

Of course, one will also be able to work these controls via the Internet. Now I just need some really good web cameras.

another good option for this is a roku hd2000, i as well used a elo touch screen attached to a roku hd2000 to create an interactive kiosk for the little ones to select shows from, i created graphical touch buttons to select different videos to songs that sent a que to lor to start that particular sequence

[displaysinmotion_will]

johnny christmas wrote:

there needs to be a tut on this input thing so no one fries their boards...im liking this whole idea...just dont want to screw things up

just to touch a little more on garyfunks reply, when using interactive inputs there is only 5 volts being applied to just a simple normal open switch, nobody will "fry" their boards, refer to this link

[Haydenp]

I've been pondering a few ideas with the inputs, but I agree a tutorial would be helpful. Also, I hope that each unit in the network can have 8 switches not 8 switches for the entire network.

[displaysinmotion_will]

Haydenp wrote:

I've been pondering a few ideas with the inputs, but I agree a tutorial would be helpful. Also, I hope that each unit in the network can have 8 switches not 8 switches for the entire network.

yes you will be able to have more than 8 total, that will be the limit per board, but right now depending on the board you have you are limited to either 2 or 3 inputs per board

and as far as a tutorial dan has pretty much taken care of that, here is a diagram to wire up your inputs

and here is a link for setting up your show, pretty much straight forward look at page 83-88

[garyfunk]

Maybe even more. If you look at the Triggered Sequence Editor, it shows inputs 1 to 16 for each Unit ID.

[displaysinmotion_will]

i noticed that as well, i got that number from a previous post of dans that mentioned they would be selling a 8 input header in the future

[Haydenp]

something tells me there will probably be some mysterious electronic magic to make that work with 8 or 16. I would tend to think that if 8 or 16 were possible without special hardware or firmware, the pinout would indicate that. I'm curious now.

[garyfunk]

Haydenp wrote:

something tells me there will probably be some mysterious electronic magic to make that work with 8 or 16. I would tend to think that if 8 or 16 were possible without special hardware or firmware, the pinout would indicate that. I'm curious now.

Here, your keyword is without. It has already been stated that new firmware will allow 8 inputs, so there may be new firmware/hardware in the works thyat will allow 16 on some units.