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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Don't think you're the first person in the world to have a question
about how to use a Light-O-Rama product. We've heard quite a few of
them and already thought of the best way to offer some quick help.
Answers to the most common questions can be found here. If you're still
stuck check the Light-O-Rama User Forums or the
Light-O-Rama Wiki for
help. If you do not find your answer contact
your Light-O-Rama partner, submit a
help desk ticket or give
us a call at our main number and ask for support.
Do
I need to read this entire FAQ to get started?.
1
What is Light-O-Rama?.
1
What does it means to
“animate” a display?. 1
How does Light-O-Rama software control lights?.
1
What hardware does
Light-O-Rama manufacture?. 2
Lighting
Controllers: Showtime vs. Hobbyist
2
ShowTime Control (PC
or MP3 Player) 2
Wireless.
3
What software does
Light-O-Rama provide?. 3
Windows
Sequence Editor 3
Windows
Show Editor 3
Windows
Show Scheduler 3
Windows
Hardware Utility. 3
What are the minimum PC requirements?.
3
What LOR products do I
need to get started?. 3
How do I connect and use Light-O-Rama?.
4
Installing the
Light-O-Rama software. 4
Locating
the PC serial port 4
Setting
the controller’s Unit ID.. 4
Testing
the controller 5
Creating
an animation sequence. 5
Putting
together a show.. 6
Testing
your show.. 6
What are the basic lighting controller specifications?.
8
How many
controllers can I have in a Light-O-Rama network?.
8
What is the
power handling capacity of a controller?.
8
How many lights
can I put on a controller?. 9
What
effects can a lighting controller perform?.
10
What is the
maximum distance allowed between controllers?.
10
Does cold affect
controllers?. 10
Do
LED lights work with LOR controllers?.
10
Do rope lights
work with LOR controllers ?.
10
How do you make
a controller operate standalone?.
10
How do I turn
off standalone mode in a controller?.
10
Do LOR
controllers work in the United Kingdom (240V, 50 Hz)?.
11
Does it matter
how I connect the boards to one another?.
11
Which port do I
hook up the network/phone cables to?.
11
How does a
Light-O-Rama controller work?.
11
Miscellaneous.
12
How do I control
X10 with LOR software?. 12
I
lost my RC485 converter. Can I just go buy one of those $3.00 kits from the
electronics store?. 12
I
blew a fuse, what should I do?.
12
How do I backup
my LOR files?. 12
Can
I start programming my sequences on the demo version, then use them on the
full version?. 13
My
sequence does not play in the Sequence Editor, what’s wrong?.
13
Is there an easy
way to setup my channels in future sequences?.
13
If my show is
shorter than my total display time, will it repeat?.
13
How do people
hear the show music?. 14
How
does Light-O-Rama lower my electric bill?.
14
Can Light-O-Rama
be used for signs?. 14
How
do I use a Hobbyist board?
.
14Cosmic
Color Ribbon
Definitions.
16
Companion Unit
16
Control Panel
16
Daisy Chain.
16
Data Cable.
16
Director Unit
16
Hardware Utility.
17
Phone Cable.
17
Schedule.
17
Schedule Editor
17
Sequence.
17
Sequence Editor
17
Show..
17
Show Editor
17
Standalone.
17
Unit
18
Unit Id.
18
We try to include
answers to many of the questions that people ask us. If you are a hobbyist
who plans on using our products to build a light show, it is in your best
interest to understand what you need to do to use our products. We recommend
that hobbyist read everything up to the [End of Introduction] marker.
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Light-O-Rama is a set of hardware and software products that allow you to
change a static holiday display or sign into a dynamic, animated one that
may even be choreographed to music.
Light-O-Rama (LOR) manufactures
the hardware that controls your lights, servos and motors. LOR also produces
the Light-O-Rama Windows® software that allows you to design, test and run
your shows with or without music.
You provide a Windows PC, the
lights, servo controlled figures and/or motorized devices that make up your
display. You also design how your display will be animated.
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Perhaps you have seen a set of lights that depict an
old fashioned steam train where some of the lights blink in a sequence that
makes the wheels appear to rotate or smoke appear to come out of the stack.
The lights create the illusion of movement. Such simple animations require 3
or 4 channels, meaning 3 or 4 light circuits that you can turn on and off to
simulate the movement.
People have used LOR products to create their
own animations that are much more complicated and unique, some with hundreds
of channels. They have created elaborate dancing light trees, building a
snowman that melts, a train with waving teddy bears, elves, rotating wheels
and steam coming out of the whistle…. Just about anything you can imagine
can be built.
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Using Light-O-Rama software, a file called a sequence is created. A
sequence is a series of steps that the lights will follow. For example, a
sequence could be as simple as a loop where a light is on for 1 second then
off for 1 second.
Once a sequence is created it can be sent to a
Light-O-Rama controller. As the sequence is executed, the lights connected
to the controller follow the series of steps in the sequence. A sequence may
contain a series of steps for many LOR controllers.
There are two
types of sequences: Animation Sequences and Musical Sequences. An animation
sequence is a series of steps to be executed by the lights connected to your
LOR controller(s). A musical sequence is also a series of steps to be
executed by the lights connected to your LOR controllers with the addition
of a linked audio file (MP3, WAV, WMA, MIDI.) The music file is played while
the lights change.
A musical sequence maintains timing with the
associated audio file, allowing lights to be illuminated in synchronization
with the music. Musical Sequences must be run on a PC or an LOR MP3 Player
because the PC’s or MP3 Player’s sound hardware is used to generate the
sound.
Animation Sequences do not have any associated sound. The PC
or MP3 Player can execute them or they can be downloaded into a Light-O-Rama
controller and executed by the controller.
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LOR computerized controllers come in 8
and 16 channel models. An 8 channel controller gives you independent control
of 8 lighting circuits, a 16 channel controller doubles that. Each of these
controllers is available as either a Hobbyist version or a Showtime version.
Hobbyist versions are built and tested circuit boards. You must supply the
enclosure and the electrical connectors. Showtime versions are ready to go,
fully assembled controllers in outdoor rated enclosures with power
connectors.
Controllers can operate stand-alone, meaning they have an
animation sequence downloaded into them. They can be configured to run this
sequence continuously when they power up or in response to an external
trigger switch. The sequence in a stand-alone controller can also contain
commands for other controllers. In this case, the controller is called a
Director and controllers it controls are called Companions.
Controllers are daisy chained together using either phone cables (RJ11
connectors) for shorter cable runs or CAT5E cables (RJ45 connectors) for
longer runs. Each controller has an “address” which is a number between 1
and 240. Currently, the largest possible LOR network would have 240 16
channel controllers. This would allow you to control 3,840 circuits.
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For sophisticated displays, and any display choreographed to music, the
show must be directed by either a Windows PC running the Light-O-Rama
software or the LOR MP3 Player. The LOR MP3 Player is a circuit board that
fits inside of a Showtime 16 channel controller. It has an SD
card memory that you load on your PC and then place in the MP3 Player. The
MP3 Player then directs all your controllers and supplies a stereo line
level output that you can feed into an amplifier or a low power FM
transmitter. (This second option is often used by people who want car
occupants to be able to hear the music without inconveniencing their
neighbors.)
Most LOR customers currently run their shows using PCs.
Connecting the PC to the first LOR controller requires a serial port on the
PC or a USB-to-serial adapter. An LOR SC485 adapter is required to convert
the RS232 serial port to RS485 which is the electrical standard used by LOR
devices. Normally, the SC485 adapter is provided with the Light-O-Rama
Windows software starter kit.
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The LOR RF02
wireless interconnect is available for users who don’t want to run data
cables between controllers and/or from their indoor PC to their outdoor
display. It is powered by the controller it is connected to, or by a power
brick when connected to a PC.
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The Light-O-Rama Windows software product consist of four modules: the
Sequence Editor, the Show Editor, the Show Scheduler and the Hardware
Utility.
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This program is used to design shows that are animation sequences (no music)
or musical sequences (lights are choreographed with the music.) It uses a
grid to represent your show. Rows in the grid are controller channels,
columns in the grid represent time.
Time can be fixed ticks, usually
one tenth of a second, or you can play a song and use the “Tapper Wizard” to
tap the beat of the song or significant events in the song as timing marks
where lighting events will be placed.
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This program allows you to arrange your
animation sequences and/or musical sequences into a complete show.
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This program allows you to schedule your
shows so that they can run unattended.
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This program is used to configure the
hardware, test it, download standalone sequences into controllers and load
new firmware.
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1GHz or faster CPU
Windows XP / Vista / 7 +
Windows Media Player 9 or higher
200 MB
free disk space + space for audio files and sequence files
Recommended
memory for your version of operating system
One serial port or a USB to serial
port adapter (adapter is available from LOR)
You will NOT need to
install any hardware in your PC.
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What LOR products do I need to get
started?
1. Your own
Windows PC (see previous section)
2.
LOR Starter Kit which contains:
· LOR Windows
software package
·
LOR SC485 adapter (converts serial port to RS485)
3.
One LOR light controller
4.
One 25ft CAT5E LAN cable
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How do I connect and use Light-O-Rama?
This section is the beginners guide to connecting up your first LOR
controller, creating your first animation sequence, creating your first show
and running your show.
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Using either the Light-O-Rama
software CD or the downloaded file, install the Light-O-Rama Windows
software on your PC.
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Locate your SC485 converter. This is a 3 inch
plastic adapter that has a 9 pin serial connector on one side and an RJ45
LAN connector on the other.
Insert the SC485 converter into the DB9
serial connector on your PC that you plan to use for the Light-O-Rama
network. If you are using a USB-to-RS232 converter, make sure that it is
properly installed and the SC485 converter is plugged into it. If you are
not sure what this is all about then simply find a connector on the back of
your PC that has 9 pins and will accept the SC485 adaptor, the Hardware
Utility will find controllers connected to it.
If you use a data
cable (CAT5E), connect the SC485 adapter to either large connector on the
LOR controller. If you use a phone cable, be sure to use the smaller
connector on the controller. Make sure that the LOR controller is powered
on. The LED in the controller should be blinking.
On the LOR Control
Panel start the Hardware Utility program. In the Hardware Utility go to the
Setup Comm Port section. If you click the Auto Configure button the
Hardware Utility will look for the attached controller and will select the
correct Comm Port.
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If your controller has Unit ID selection
switches, you can select the ID by adjusting the selectors to the correct
ID. (almost all units have selector switches) You should set your
first controller to Unit Id 01, your second to 02, etc.
If your unit
does not have selector switches (only the low priced CTB08 does not have
selector switches) then you will need to set the Unit ID using the
Hardware Utility. To set the Unit ID with the Hardware Utility, connect ONE
AND ONLY ONE controller to the PC using the SC485 adaptor and a cable. In
the Set Unit IDs section go to the Set New Unit ID. Select the
ID you wish to use for this Unit and click Set Unit Id.
This button will only work on new Units that have never been
assigned a Unit ID.
TIP: Set Maximum Units in the Hardware
Utility to as low a value as possible. This number is the maximum number of
controllers that you plan on using. You can always change it later if you
add more controllers. Setting the number to a low value causes the Hardware
Utility run faster because it will not search for a large number of
non-existent controllers.
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With the LOR controller connected to the PC, attach your lights and
power it up. In the Hardware Utility program make sure the Light-O-Rama
tab is selected. Under the “Maximum Units” section, click the
Change button and move the slider to set the maximum number of units to
10, click Save. This prevents the Hardware Utility from spending a
lot of time looking for non-existent units. If you have or acquire more than
ten controllers, remember to change this. Click the Refresh button in
the top center of the screen. After a short time your controller should
appear in the drop down box in the top center of the screen. With your
controller selected in this drop down box, you can test the lights using the
Test Unit’s Operation section.
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1.
Start the Sequence Editor.
2.
Click File => New => Animation Sequence
3.
In the New Animation Options box, input the number of channels
you actually have, the rest of the values can default
4.
An animation sequence grid will appear
5.
Click “Channel 1”
6. A
Channel Settings box will appear
7.
Go to “Device Type” and select “Light-O-Rama controller” from the
drop down menu
8. Go to
“Unit” and put in the Unit Id of your controller
9.
Leave “Circuit” as 1 and click “OK”
10.
You will see an Autopopulate channels? box, use the drop down
menu to select the number of channels on this Unit (controller) and click
“OK”
11. The animation sequence
grid now knows what controller and what channel on that controller is
represented by each row. You can go back and click each channel and change
the name to something more meaningful, but this is not required.
12.
If you have another controller, click the first unused channel row
and repeat from step 6 above.
If you have not changed the timescale
defaults, you should see a grid with time divided into one tenth of a second
intervals. Seconds will be numbered starting at 1.00.
Just above the
animation grid are a series of effect tools. If you position the mouse
pointer over a tool it will tell you what it does. The solid blue box in the
“On” tool. Click this tool. In the first tenth of a second, click in the
grid box next to channel 1, the box will turn solid blue. This means that
the light on channel 1 will go on for one tenth of a second when this
sequence starts. In the second tenth of a second, click the box in that
column in the second channel’s row, repeat this going down diagonally for
all your channels. You have created a simple sequence that turns each
channel on in succession for a tenth of a second.
On the top menu bar
of the Sequence Editor, click “Play” and make sure “Control Lights” is
checked. Then click the green play triangle, your lights should flash. Click
the red stop box.
To put a loop in that will perform this sequence a
number of times:
1. Click the
select tool. (This is the empty dashed lined box on the left.)
2.
Go to the loop row in the grid. Click in the first tenth of a second,
and while holding the mouse button, drag across the loop row to the 8th
or 16th tenth of a second (or however far out you have gone with
your test sequence) and release the mouse button.
3.
You will see a menu, select “Insert loop.”
4.
You will see a Select Loop Parameters box, type in the number
of times to repeat the loop and click “OK”
5.
You will see a Loop Speed box, click “OK”
You
have created a loop. When you click the green play triangle, the looped part
of the sequence will repeat.
Click File => Save as => pick a name and
save you sequence to disk.
The Sequence Editor is used to create your
sequences but it is not the program that actually will run your shows. The
green play triangle is used to test your sequence.
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A show is a collection of sequences
that have been created using the Sequence Editor. To create a show, start
the Show Editor program. There are 5 sections to a show:
·
Background (static parts of your display and/or
independent sequences)
·
Startup (first animation or musical sequence to run)
·
Animation (sequences to run during the show)
·
Musical (sequences to run during the show)
·
Shutdown (final sequence to run when show ends)
You can add sequences to each of the sections by using the big PLUS button.
A section need not have any sequences for the show to work.
When the
show is run, first any sequences in the Background Section are
executed. These sequences continue to loop while the show is active. This
allows you to do things like turn on static portions of the display and/or
run animations that run during the entire show. Then the sequences in the
Startup Section are executed. The Startup Section allows you to
start your show with a specific song. Then any sequences in the Animation
Section and Musical Section are executed. Sequences in these
sections will run concurrently and/or sequentially as specified when you add
the sequences. Sequences in these two sections will continue to run until
the time scheduled for the show has expired. Last any sequences in the
Shutdown Section are executed. This allows you to have a special
animation or song to end the show. Finally any sequences in the
Background Section stop and all Background lights are shut off.
When the setup of the Show is complete, click the Save As button and
assign the show a meaningful name. This is the file name that you will be
using in the next step.
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A show must be scheduled to run. You cannot run a show interactively. To
test a show, run the Schedule Editor Program. Click the Add
button and select the Show File with the name that you created in the
previous step. Select a Start and End time that will allow the show to start
at a convenient time for you to view it. Then Save your changes.
To view the show you must have Enable Shows selected on the
Light-O-Rama Control Panel.
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[End of Introduction]
Up to 240 LOR devices can be networked
together. Currently the maximum number of channels/circuits per controller
is 16. 240 controllers times 16 channels/controller allows you to control
3,840 independent channels.
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Controllers
come in 8 and 16 channel versions. The 16 channel version is two banks of 8
channels. In all cases, an individual channel can handle up to 8 amps. A
bank of 8 channels is limited to a maximum of 20 amps (subject to additional
restrictions below.) If you attempt to draw the maximum current of 8 amps
from all channels in a bank, you will exceed the bank maximum of 20 amps
because 8 channels times 8 amps would be 64 amps.
If an 8 channel
controller was wired to a 20 amp circuit, then you could draw the full 20
amps. This is not normally the case because a standard electrical plug is
rated for only 15 amps. Therefore, the total current draw through the
controller with a standard power cord on it must not exceed 15 amps.
A 16 channel controller is a little more complicated. If each of its 8
channel banks were wired to a separate 20 amp circuit, then you could draw
the full 40 amps through the controller. Meaning the total of channels 1-8
could be up to 20 amps and the total of channels 9-16 could also be up to 20
amps.
If, you have only one standard power cord on the 16 channel
controller, then the total current through that controller is limited to 15
amps. If you have two standard power cords on the controller plugged into
separate circuits, then channels 1-8 could draw up to 15 amps and channels
9-16 could also draw up to 15 amps.
Remember, you can and many people
do over-configure a controller because they can control which channels are
on. They simply don’t turn on everything in an 8 channel bank at the same
time. Never put more than 8 amps on a channel. Controllers also allow
you to set a “maximum burn.” This means you use the Hardware Utility program
to tell the controller that it cannot exceed xx% of full power, thus
limiting the power draw. You can experiment with this feature to see how low
you can go before it affects your display.
Synopsis:
Showtime 8 channel controller:
·
8 amps max on a channel
· 15 amps total
for controller
Showtime 16 channel controller:
1.
One power cord
·
8 amps max on a channel
· 15 amps max for
controller
2. Two power cords
·
8 amps max on a channel
· 15 amps max
total for the left bank (channels 1-8)
· 15 amps max
total for the right bank (channels 9-16)
Hobbyist 8 channel
controller:
·
8 amps max on a channel
· 15 amps total
for controller with standard power cord
·
20 amps total for controller with 20 amp feeder circuit
Hobbyist 16 channel controller:
3.
One power feed
·
8 amps max on a channel
· 15 amps total
for controller with standard power cord
·
20 amps total for controller with 20 amp feeder circuit
4.
Two power feeds
·
8 amps max on a channel
· 15 amps for the
left bank (channels 1-8) with standard power cord
·
20 amps for the left bank (channels 1-8) with 20 amp feeder
circuit
·
15 amps for the right bank (channels 9-16) with standard power
cord
·
20 amps for the right bank (channels 9-16) with 20 amp feeder
circuit
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The number of lights you can put on a controller depends upon the type
of lights and capacity of the controller. Controllers are rated in amps,
lights in watts. This section shows you how to convert back and forth.
First, here’s a table of values for common Christmas lights:
C9
(7 watt bulbs)
C7 (5 watt bulbs)
Standard mini-lights (0.41
watt bulbs)
Second here’re the formulas using 120 for household
voltage
watts = 120 * amps
amps =
watts / 120
A string of 25 C9s would be (25 bulbs * 7 watts/bulb) /
120 = 1.46 amps
A string of 50 C7s would be (50 bulbs * 5 watts/bulb)
/ 120 = 2.08 amps
A string of 100 mini-lights would be (100 bulbs *
0.41 watts/bulb) / 120 = 0.34 amps
If you had a Showtime 8 channel
controller (15 amps total capacity) then you could put (15 amps / 0.34
amps/mini-light string) = 44 strings on the controller. You could distribute
the strings over the 8 channels any way you like as long as you don’t exceed
the individual channel capacity of 8 amps (about 20 mini-light strings.)
Remember the rules from the previous section:
·
Never put more than 8 amps on a channel
·
Never exceed the total rating of the controller
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Fade up or down
(256 levels for smooth fading)
Shimmer (rapidly flickering)
Twinkle (blinking)
Set a brightness (0 to 100%)
Each
controller channel is independent of the other channels so all channels can
be doing different effects simultaneously.
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The
connection from the PC to the first controller must be under 100 feet. After
that the total distance (total of cable lengths between all controllers) can
be 2000 - 4000 feet, depending on the cable type. You can run standard phone
cable between controllers, however, CAT5E cable will give you much further
reach.
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LOR controllers are designed to work at temperatures down to -40º F.
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Yes, LED lights will work
with LOR controllers. Because of the way LED lights affect voltage, it may
be necessary to turn them on at an intensity below 100%, If the LEDs don’t
light, try 95%, 90% or 85% intensity. This will be fixed by a future
firmware release.
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Yes, rope light will work with LOR
controllers.
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To setup a standalone
controller you must first have an Animation Sequence to download to the
controller. Only Animation Sequences can be used for standalone controllers.
Once you have decided on the Animation Sequence you will be using, you use
the LOR Hardware Utility program to download that sequence into the
controller.
Once you have downloaded the sequence into the
controller it will operate as a standalone controller.
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Option 1: In the
Standalone section of the LOR Hardware Utility program there is a
Delete button. You can use this button to turn off standalone mode on
the controller. This does not actually erase the standalone sequence that
you downloaded but it does cause the controller to ignore it.
Option
2: If your controller has the two Unit Id selection switches you
can use them to reset the unit and delete the standalone sequence. You will
also remove any other persistent settings such as Maximum Intensity. To
reset the controller using the Unit Id switches perform the following steps:
1. Power off the controller
2. Set the Unit Id switches to
“00”
3. Power on the
controller wait 5 seconds
4.
When done, you must repeat the steps above setting the Unit Id back to the
original value
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Yes, LOR controllers will work with 240V 50HZ electrical systems.
(circuit board jumper)
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No.. If you have
five LOR controllers, you can connect them in any Unit Id order. As long as
the controllers are daisy chained together they will work. All LOR commands
are sent to all of the controllers, but controllers only act on commands to
their Unit Id.
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Make sure that you read the directions on how to hook up the cables.
CAT5E cables are straight though and therefore not a problem but with phone
cable you need to keep track of the concept of INTO a controller and OUT OF
a controller. INTO a controller means that the wire is coming from the PC
or a controller connected to the PC. OUT OF the controller means that the
wire is going from this box to the next box in the chain but it is going
away from the PC or Director controller. If you use phone cable INTO a
controller, plug it into the small jack. If you are running phone cable OUT
OF a controller then plug the cable into a LARGE jack. So the small jack is
used ONLY FOR PHONE CABLE GOING INTO A CONTROLLER. This is described in the
documentation for the units. Phone cable is sensitive to in and out, that is
why you would see markings like (WALL) and (PHONE) on the two jacks on a
modem. CAT5E does not care about IN and OUT so you can really just plug them
in anywhere they will fit
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In simple terms, a Light-O-Rama light
controller is an automated switch box. It is as if you have a large number
of dimmer switches and a person operating each switch. You can slowly slide
any dimmer switch up and down and push them on and off at any speed and any
intensity. Of course the Light-O-Rama controller does all of this
automatically and you really don’t see dimmer switches.
Light-O-Rama controllers plug into standard AC outlets and have 8 or 16
standard AC output circuits where you can plug in the lights. The
controllers also have a connection (like a telephone jack or LAN jack) for a
communications wire that is used to send and receive messages.
Each
controller must know its address so that it only responds to messages meant
for it. Usually there are two dial switches on the controller that are used
to set the address. We call the address the controller’s Unit ID. If you set
the Unit ID to “01” on a particular controller then that controller will
ignore all messages it sees except those that are addressed to unit “01”.
All controllers watch the communications wire for messages being
sent by a Director (usually a PC.) Each controller sees every message as it
passes by on the wire. When a controller sees a message with its own Unit
Id, it will execute the command contained in it. This happens very fast;
thousands of little commands may be sent out every second.
For those
with more technical backgrounds, the controller uses opto-isolated triacs;
the triacs are 16 to 25 amps depending on the model; communication is via
RS485 (RJ45 and RJ11 connectors); the controller is microprocessor
controlled with field upgradeable firmware; standalone sequences are stored
in non-volatile memory; the controller has a built in, regulated power
supply; only industrial grade components good to –40ºF are used.
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When using the Sequence Editor, click
the channel you want to control with an X10 device and select X10 in the
drop down “Device Type” box. Set the unit as appropriate.
Control of
X10 devices with LOR is done via a CM-11A controller. You will have to do
some looking around for this if you don't already own it. The newer CM-15A
will NOT WORK. Supporting it is on the "to do" list.
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No. The SC485 is
NOT a DB9-RJ45 serial adaptor! It has a circuit board in it that converts
the PC's RS232 electrical interface into a RS485 electrical interface.
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The first thing you need to do is
correct the problem that caused the fuse to blow. Go back over your
sequence, and see where you have everything on. You probably need to lower
the intensity of your lights to get back under the rating. Once you have
done that, you can search for 15 or 20 amp ceramic fast acting fuses. As of
this writing, (09/23/2005) you can get them at
RadioShack.com.
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When LOR installs, it does so in the default
directory of c:\program files\light-o-rama. If you have changed the default,
then you will need to adjust these to fit your installation.
Backup
your Audio and Sequences directories. Backup WEEKSCHED.LSC and
YEARSCHED.LSC in the base LOR directory.
WEEKSCHED.LSC contains the
schedule for a weekly basis. Example: Monday-Thursday run this show.
Friday-Sunday run that show.
YEARSCHED.LSC contains the entries where you
pick a particular day, and run a certain show. For example, on the 24th, run
"christmaseve.lss" show.
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Yes. The demo version will do everything except control the lights. You
can develop your sequences on the demo version and transfer those sequences
to the full version with no problem.
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1.
In the Sequence Editor, make sure “Control Lights” is checked in the
Play menu.
2. Make sure that
you have assigned the channels to their appropriate units and circuits. To
do this, click on the channel name in the grid, and select CHANGE CHANNEL
SETTINGS from the drop-down menu. Fill in the settings accordingly.
3.
Be sure that the unit(s) have the correct unit IDs on them. On the
older units you set this through the Hardware Utility program. On the newer
units, there are selector switches.
4.
Make sure that SHOWS are disabled. To do this, launch the
Light-O-Rama control panel. Right click on the LOR Light Bulb in your System
Tray. Select DISABLE SHOWS.
5.
Do not have the Hardware Utility program running while you are trying
to play the sequence.
6. Make
sure that the Sequence Editor has a COMM port assigned. To do this, click
Edit, then “Preferences,” then “Network Preferences.” Fill in the
settings. You can also do this from the Hardware Utility program. At the
right of the screen, select the “Auto Configure” button. Have the LOR
controller powered on and connected when you do this.
7.
Be sure that all of the connections are secure, and that the red LED
on the LOR controller(s) are steady red and NOT blinking.
8.
Get the latest version of the LOR Software.
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Once you define your channels in the
Sequence Editor, click Edit => “Export Channel Configuration” and
specify a file in which your channel definitions will be saved.
The
next time you use the Sequence Editor to create a new sequence, click
Edit -> “Import Channel Configuration” and sselect the file with your
definitions. If the sequence you saved the channel configuration had an
animation sequence you will be given the option to import it as well.
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Yes.
Let's say that you have a show consisting of three, 3 minute sequences. Your
display is set to run for four hours a night. These three sequences would
repeat all night. Sequences will continue to repeat until the stop time. If
there are even 5 seconds left in your display time, the next sequence will
start. Then, after that sequence, the show will end.
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Early in the night, outdoor speakers may be used – depends upon your
neighbors. Car occupants can use their FM radios and tune to a very low
power FM transmitter that is driven by the PC or MP3 Player running the
show.
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Transmitter possibilities:
·
ST-27 Digital FM Stereo Transmitter,
www.christmaslightshow.com
·
Ramsey FM25B, www.ramseyelectronics.com or check eBay
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Light-O-Rama
reduces the amount of electricity that you use for your display in a couple
ways. First the lights are not on all the time when you animate a display.
Depending on your style, (lights on most of the time or lights off most of
the time) your electric bill can be a small fraction of what it would be if
you ran the lights constantly.
In addition, you can run all your
lights at a slightly reduced voltage. A 10% voltage reduction does not
appreciably diminish the light output but it will reduce your bill by 10%.
This also extends lamp life considerably.
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Light-O-Rama is an
excellent choice for sign makers. The simple to use software makes it very
easy to setup your own controllers without the cost of having an outside
vendor doing it for you. If you can fill in a grid you can program LOR
controllers. All LOR controllers operate in standalone mode where the
program is stored in the controller and run whenever the controller is
powered up.
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You should have a solid understanding of electricity and you will need
the following:
1. An
enclosure
2. Power cord for
the board
3. Power cords for
the channels
The enclosure should be NEMA3 rated for outdoor use,
however many people put the circuit boards in Rubbermaid or Tupperware tubs.
If you do this and run a lot of power through the board, be sure the board
heat sinks are offset from the enclosure and that the enclosure is large
enough to tolerate the heat.
The power cord to the board should be
grounded (3 wires) and must be rated to handle the total current. 14 gauge
for 15 amps and 12 gauge for 20 amps. You could use an appliance replacement
power cord or just buy a heavy duty extension cord and cut off the socket.
For power cords to the lights, SPT2 extension cords are usually the way
to go. You cut off the plug. These have the advantages of being cheap and
coming in many lengths. The two wire cords usually have a smooth side and a
ribbed side. The smooth side is the “Hot.”
The following are VERY
important.
1. Be sure the
board is disconnected from AC power.
2.
Get a good wire stripping tool. You don’t want to cut some of the
copper strands when removing the insulation.
3.
Twist the strands together tightly after stripping the wires.
4.
Make sure that all the strands of wire go into the circuit board
connector.
5. Make sure less
than 1/8 inch of stripped wire extends from the connector. You don’t want
the possibility of adjacent channels touching.
6.
Tighten the screw firmly, go back later an retighten. If the
screw is not securely tightened, there will be resistance and therefore
heat. Loose connections can cause a fire.
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Companion Unit See Director Unit.
Control Panel A program that can be
used to manage the Light-O-Rama system on your PC. The Control Panel runs in
the system tray (where the clock runs). Its icon is the Light-O-Rama light
bulb. The software is made up of a number of programs. The Control Panel is
a convenient way of accessing those programs. The Control Panel must be
running to enable shows.
Daisy Chain
The manner in which Light-O-Rama light controllers are connected. A wire
goes from the show source (the PC, a Director Unit or an MP3 Player) to a
Companion Unit. Another wire goes from the Companion unit to the next
Companion Unit, etc. The units are “ chained” together. Do not put “Y”s or
forks in the data cable. Only connect the units in a Daisy Chain
configuration.
Data Cable
Light-O-Rama considers a cable a Data Cable if the wires are connected
straight through. Light-O-Rama can use both Data Cable and Phone Cable BUT
you must know which type of cable it is.
Most likely, the only cable
that you will see that is NOT Data Cable is a wire that is intended
specifically for phones. If you go to the local Hardware Store and purchase
a phone extension cable then that wire it is NOT a Data Cable The
distinction between Data Cable and Phone Cable is important because the
wires are swapped in a phone cable. There are selectors, jumpers or jacks on
most Light-O-Rama controllers that allow you to choose the correct wire
type.
Only the wire coming into a controller (from the previous
controller or show source) is used to determine the selector settings. The
wire leaving a controller (if there is one) can be of any type and has no
bearing on the cable selection. For example: If you have a Phone Cable in
and a Data Cable out then set the Unit for Phone Cable.
Director Unit A controller that controls
other controllers. When controllers are not connected to a PC or MP3 Player,
a Director Unit (controller) is required to run the display. Standalone
sequences may contain commands for a number of different controllers. A
controller running in standalone mode transmits commands that do not belong
to it. Controllers connected to this unit receive these commands and are
called Companion Units. There is no difference in the hardware of a
Director Unit and a Companion Unit. The difference is the mode
that they are in. The PC is in reality a Director Unit. There can be
ONE AND ONLY ONE Director Unit on a Daisy Chained group of
controllers.
Hardware Utility
This is a program that is used to setup and test the hardware used to
control lights.
Phone Cable See
Data Cable.
Schedule The
schedule is a list of shows and times when those shows should be played. The
Schedule Editor program is used to create and update Schedules. If Enable
Shows is set on the Light-O-Rama Control Panel then the schedule will be
monitored and shows started and stopped at the proper time.
Schedule Editor The program that is used to
schedule when your Shows should run.
Sequence A file that contains a sequence of
instructions that will be sent to lighting controllers. The sequence is
created and updated using the Sequence Editor program. There are two types
of Sequences, Animation Sequences and Musical Sequences. An
Animation Sequence is used to animate a holiday display or sign. A Musical
Sequence has a music file associated with it that is played with the
sequence as it runs.
Sequence Editor
The program that is used to create and modify the Sequence files that
define how the lights should be controlled.
Show A show is a file that contains a number
of Sequences and the order in which they should be played. Shows are
created using the Show Editor program.
Show Editor The program that is used to arrange your Sequences
into Shows.
Standalone A
Light-O-Rama unit can be passive and therefore controlled by another entity
or it can be active and control itself and/or other controller(s). An
Animation Sequence created using the Sequence Editor can be
downloaded into a controller using the Hardware Utility
program. The controller can be setup to run this sequence whenever it has
power or if the controller is a model with an internal clock, it can be
instructed to run the sequence during a particular time.
Unit A Light-O-Rama light controller. Each
Unit (controller) has a number of channels or controllable circuits.
Unit Id Each controller has a unique
identifier assigned to it. When a message is sent by a Director
Unit, all the controllers daisy chained together see the message. A Unit
Id is specifies the controller that a message is intended for. Controllers
only act on messages that contain their Unit Id. The Unit Id is a
two-character field. Each character can have the values
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,B,C,D,E and F. The Ids can therefore have the values
of “00” to “FF” however some values are not allowed. “00” and “F1” thru “FF”
are not allowed.
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I'm having trouble with the Cosmic Color Ribbon
We call it the CCR.
Some on a natural high just call it cosmic. Those that want to
incorporate it into their shows sometimes scratch their heads. Don't
worry. We created a
special document to help. Print it out, read it carefully and
you'll be amazed at what you can do.
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Still don't know how to start? We do!
Contact us or one of our
partners.
We're here to make sure you're successful. Imagine it,
then do it.
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