Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Im brand new to animated lighting and the city I work for is letting me do theres this year. There really is no place close where I can put the controllers in a building and was just going to build some stands for them..would they be ok in the elements? Also going to have a laptop that will probably be in a old signal light cabinet with the fm transmitter..anyone know how laptops do in the cold?Thank you in advance for any help you can give a newbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Many of us have our controllers outside, the weather is generally the lesser of two evils-theft is the real culprit. I have "successfully run a controller in 3/4" of water and is survived-not a recommenced practice but it does indicate the endurance of the boards.Your second problem of the PC would be easier if you used a MP3 unit ( LOR1602W with MP3 ) and a timer to start and end the show.http://store.lightorama.com/lowishdiandm.htmlI used this last year in a remote show so that I did not have t o be concerned about the PC being up and running every night. Simply build your show, down load it to an SD card, insert in the MP3 player and you are ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Well that makes me feel alot better I really thought it would be a big deal to get the controllers in something that would keep them safe from the elements now all I need to worry about is the laptop Thanks for your quick reply Bill, I may have to look into getting one of the mp3 director units...keep your fingers crossed for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I personally wouldn't have the controllers anywhere BUT outside. Truth be told -- people don't know what they are, so they're likely going to be left alone. Now as our displays become more common, this might change, but I"m guessing you're much more likely to have vandals trash your display or steal objects than lose a controller, which is likely just going to be assumed to be a boring electrical junction box.I've often wondered if I should remove the info on my website detailing the LOR products, etc, since that could definitely tip off someone to their value... But for now, it stays.-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I personally have my controllers outside. I would love to have them indoors for safety reasons (theft, not rain), but I would end up spending more on extension cords than on the controllers themselves.It's really nice to be able distribute the power near the display itself...J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 If you are in Oklahoma the laptop may be fine if it is in a cabinet out of the weather. You probably should hook up a light or small IR heater to protect it during cold nights. I looked up in the manual for my laptop and it say that operating should be 41F-95F but can be stored -4F-122F. You could probably set up a heater on a thermostat so it would only be on if needed. Some of these small space heaters have that feature build in.If you are going to be there during operating hours then you could take the laptop home or use some type of manual heater.If you are just going to let it run via the computer anyway then setting it up to run in standalone with the MP3 player would be a better option. Then you could just plug in the laptop to change the program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 cvyvial wrote: If you are in Oklahoma the laptop may be fine if it is in a cabinet out of the weather. You probably should hook up a light or small IR heater to protect it during cold nights. I looked up in the manual for my laptop and it say that operating should be 41F-95F but can be stored -4F-122F. You could probably set up a heater on a thermostat so it would only be on if needed. Some of these small space heaters have that feature build in.If you are going to be there during operating hours then you could take the laptop home or use some type of manual heater.If you are just going to let it run via the computer anyway then setting it up to run in standalone with the MP3 player would be a better option. Then you could just plug in the laptop to change the program.Heating pads work well for this -- you could just set the laptop on the heating pad. I'd be a little leary of this though, unless it's an old, cheap laptop. I'd want it on a thermostat as it could easilly overheat.We have our slide projector on a heating pad so it doesn't freeze up when it's off. But the projector itself gets very hot when running, so when on the pad shuts off and a blower kicks on to ventillate the weatherproof box it's in...-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Looks like I may luck out on the deal...my boss has been very concerned about the cold and the laptop so I'm probably going to be able to get the mp3 director unit Thank you all for posting about how you do your set-up and your great suggestions! Now I can go back to lurking back into the shadows of PC Chat..hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 tfischer wrote: Heating pads work well for this -- you could just set the laptop on the heating pad. I'd be a little leary of this though, unless it's an old, cheap laptop. I'd want it on a thermostat as it could easilly overheat.We have our slide projector on a heating pad so it doesn't freeze up when it's off. But the projector itself gets very hot when running, so when on the pad shuts off and a blower kicks on to ventillate the weatherproof box it's in...-TimHeating pad is a good idea. I would be more worried about the screen at low temperatures. A laptop is fairly hot when it runs, but the screen does not have any heat produced. I have heard of LCD displays freezing or cracking in cold climates. But these are typically where they see below 0 temps.Did I see something that with the current LOR software you can not use the mp3 director in standalone? It was something that LORII was going to fix later this year in time for the holidays. I don't have one so I don't know.Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 I am wondering about the FM transmitter in a metal box unless you use an external antenna, just a thought.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 gremler wrote: I am wondering about the FM transmitter in a metal box unless you use an external antenna, just a thought.BillBill, I used a Ramsey FM100 in a metal box last year (hooked to the MP3 Show Director) with a rubber "donut" protecting the antenna from the box. Sorry can't think of the name of those rubber wire protector generally use in the auto industry in the 50s and 60s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Bill Foley wrote: Bill, I used a Ramsey FM100 in a metal box last year (hooked to the MP3 Show Director) with a rubber "donut" protecting the antenna from the box. Sorry can't think of the name of those rubber wire protector generally use in the auto industry in the 50s and 60s.Really, I am surprised, I would have thought that a grounded metal box would have pretty much shielded most incomming and out going RF signal. It would be interesting to see how much signal loss there is between the two.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 The FM transmitter Im using will have a external antenna that goes up a pole about 30 feet...may be overkill but we need to broadcast to the whole parking lot in front of the display. The one I found is prebuilt and they are even putting all the cables together for me for $299.http://cgi.ebay.com/FM-stereo-transmitter-Military-tough-new-beats-Ramsey_W0QQitemZ230014940405QQihZ013QQcategoryZ296QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemThe guys feedback was really good about the unit and hes really good about answering my questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Bill, since you have one or at least used the FM100B, I was wondering how well it worked, I bought the FM25B this spring and it has worked flawlessly, but I have been considering upgrading to the FM100B, I like the extra options and wish I had spent the extra $130 at first and bought the FM100B, but at that time I was really concerned with how much money I was spending on these other projects (like LOR) but now that all the big money stuff is done (and got most of it without alerting she who must be obeyed), I may want to upgrade.For anyone who might be interested, If I do buy the FM100B I would consider selling a fully functional FM25B that has only been used a couple times, and the kit was assembled by a previous NASA certified solderer and Master Certified Electronics Technician, That would be Me.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 NASA certified soldererSo I'm guessing your solder costs are lower than most. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 tsmith35 wrote: NASA certified soldererSo I'm guessing your solder costs are lower than most. TomNo, but I was trained by NASA and then for the solder test it was inspected with a 50X microscope, I was the first one to complete the project and graduate with no defects found (I had been soldering since I was a kid, but this school just taught me really how it should be done) and the next guy to finish was the next day, the last guy to finish was a week and a half later, so the point is, I can solder better than most and you will not have to worry about a cold solder joint or sloppy solder.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 So what you are saying is that we can go ahead and have Dan ship our DIY kits to you, and you'll assemble them for us, right? (I'm kidding, of course! ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Don wrote: So what you are saying is that we can go ahead and have Dan ship our DIY kits to you, and you'll assemble them for us, right? (I'm kidding, of course! )Not exactly, having back surgery on Tuesday (some of you may be tired of hearing that) will make that impossible. I am trying to get as much done on my own display before then as possible and then after wards will be dedicated to getting it ready (I hope), but I really would like to put together one of Dan's kit's just to see how long it takes and so I can say I did it.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 gremler wrote: Bill, since you have one or at least used the FM100B, I was wondering how well it worked, I have 2 Ramsey FM100Bs and one FM100. They all preform well and I am able to transmit a strong, clear signal, with no drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 Bill Foley wrote: gremler wrote: Bill, since you have one or at least used the FM100B, I was wondering how well it worked, I have 2 Ramsey FM100Bs and one FM100. They all preform well and I am able to transmit a strong, clear signal, with no drift.Have you had a chance to compare it to the FM25B? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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