Typical Setup for Light-O-Rama Installations

Synchronizing lights, motion and sound isn't complicated if you understand the fundamentals of a typical Light-O-Rama data communications network.  One ShowTime Director (or your PC) communicates to the various controllers and the magic happens.

If you understand the fundamentals, you can build almost any size Light-O-Rama data network.  Each of our controllers have a unique address and can be daisy chained together, similar to houses down a street in a neighborhood.  Working like the postal service, mail is delivered from a central facility to the correct addresses on the street.  Light-O-Rama is a good bit faster than the postoffice and doesn't charge you for each letter delivered.

For the technical geeks in the world, we communicate over a customized low speed RS-485 network.  We limit you to 200 addresses in your entire network and no physical data run of wire can exceed 4,000 feet.  In large venues we recommend using our Easy Light Linker wireless data transceivers.

We've designed all of the Light-O-Rama controllers to be mixed and matched as needed on our Light-O-Rama data network to handle almost anything mix you need of lights, music and motion.  How do we know?  Check out our ShowTime Solutions or keep reading for some typical setups.

How does it all fit together?

How do ShowTime controllers fit in the BIG picture?  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Let give it a try!

• Simple Controller Configuration using a Personal Computer
• Simple Controller Configuration using Standalone Showtime Director
• Simple Controller Configuration using Easy Light Linker Wireless Data Nodes
• Simple Controller Configuration using Digital Input/Output and/or Servos
• Simple Controller Configuration connected to DMX--512 Universe
• Simple Controller Configuration with Cosmic Color Ribbon

Simple Controller Configuration using a Personal Computer

Having trouble understanding how your computer will control the rest of the world using Light-O-Rama products?  It's not the hard to understand once you master the basics. Here's an example of controlling your outdoor Christmas lights.

1. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Software Suite works on your personal computer running Microsoft Windows and allows you to design your own shows.  ShowTime Software Suite then runs your shows and sends the right commands at the right time to the various control channels.  ShowTime Software Suite can even keep music synchronized to the controller commands.
2. Speakers to play the music accompanying your show are attached to the computer sound card.
3. Your personal computer communicates to the controllers using a device plugged into your computer's serial or USB communications port.  The blue line shows the standard serial output of your computer (RS-232 or USB) out of your PC where it enters our converter that transforms the signal to the native Light-O-Rama network protocol (the green line) that connects to our various types of controllers over standard computer network wire.  We recommend Cat 5 LAN cables available from us and off-the-shelf from your local big box store in the computer section.
4. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Pro or ShowTime PC controllers include special effects such as simple on/off, intensities, smooth fading, twinkling, shimmering.  Up to 200 controllers (each handling 16 unique electrical circuits) can be daisy chained on the LOR network giving you the ability to control over 3,200 channels
5. Electrical power is supplied to the controller placed close to your lights so you don't need to run long extension cords.  Commands from the ShowTime Software Suite are performed on each controller.  Power to each of the attached lighting circuits is controlled independently.  Think of having many dimmer switches that the computer can change very quickly and independently.

Simple Controller Configuration using Standalone ShowTime Director

1. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Software works on your personal computer running Microsoft Windows and allows you to design your own shows.  When your show is ready, the show commands and audio are transferred to a standard SD memory card.
2. The standard SD memory card with all the show commands and audio is plugged into your ShowTime Director.  The computer running your ShowTime Software Suite is no longer needed.
3. The ShowTime Director (ShowTime MiniDirector or LOR1602MP3) runs your show and is typically powered from a nearby controller.
4. The ShowTime Director can run your show continuously, automatically start/shows shows from it's built-in clock (LOR1602MP3) or use an external triggering device such as a pushbutton or motion sensor.
5. The ShowTime Director has a standard stereo 1/8" mini-jack for connecting the audio to your sound system.
6. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Pro or ShowTime PC controllers include special effects such as simple on/off, intensities, smooth fading, twinkling, shimmering.  Up to 200 controllers (each handling 16 unique electrical circuits) can be daisy chained on the LOR network giving you the ability to control over 3,200 channels
7. Electrical power is supplied to the controller placed close to your lights so you don't need to run long extension cords.  Commands from the ShowTime Software Suite are performed on each controller.  Power to each of the attached lighting circuits is controlled independently.  Think of having many dimmer switches that the computer can change very quickly and independently.

Simple Controller Configuration using Easy Light Linker Wireless Data Nodes

1. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Software Suite works on your personal computer running Microsoft Windows and allows you to design your own shows.  ShowTime Software Suite then runs your shows and sends the right commands at the right time to the various control channels.  ShowTime Software Suite can even keep music synchronized to the controller commands.
2. Speakers to play the music accompanying your show are attached to the computer sound card.
3. Your personal computer communicates to the controllers using a device plugged into your computer's serial or USB communications port.  The blue line shows the standard serial output of your computer (RS-232 or USB) out of your PC where it enters our converter that transforms the signal to the native Light-O-Rama network protocol (the green line) that connects to our various types of controllers over standard computer network wire.  We recommend Cat 5 LAN cables available from us and off-the-shelf from your local big box store in the computer section.  In this layout we also connect to the wireless data network
4. The Light-O-Rama Easy Light Linker creates a wireless version of the Light-O-Rama data network.  With a range of 500 feet depending on the environment, one Easy Light Linker transmitter can send command to multiple Easy Light Linker receivers.
5. The Easy Light Linker receiver receives the network commands and transmits the data to the controllers connected to it.  This ability to connect wirelessly is valuable when it's not practical to run a data cable across lanes of traffic, bodies of water or anywhere people might trip over wire.
6. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Pro or ShowTime PC controllers include special effects such as simple on/off, intensities, smooth fading, twinkling, shimmering.  Up to 200 controllers (each handling 16 unique electrical circuits) can be daisy chained on the LOR network giving you the ability to control over 3,200 channels
7. Electrical power is supplied to the controller placed close to your lights so you don't need to run long extension cords.  Commands from the ShowTime Software Suite are performed on each controller.  Power to each of the attached lighting circuits is controlled independently.  Think of having many dimmer switches that the computer can change very quickly and independently.

Simple Controller Configuration Using Digital I/O and/or Servos

1. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Software Suite works on your personal computer running Microsoft Windows and allows you to design your own shows.  ShowTime Software Suite then runs your shows and sends the right commands at the right time to the various control channels.  ShowTime Software Suite can even keep music synchronized to the controller commands.
2. Speakers to play the music accompanying your show are attached to the computer sound card.
3. Your personal computer communicates to the controllers using a device plugged into your computer's serial or USB communications port.  The blue line shows the standard serial output of your computer (RS-232 or USB) out of your PC where it enters our converter that transforms the signal to the native Light-O-Rama network protocol (the green line) that connects to our various types of controllers over standard computer network wire.  We recommend Cat 5 LAN cables available from us and off-the-shelf from your local big box store in the computer section.
4. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Pro or ShowTime PC controllers include special effects such as simple on/off, intensities, smooth fading, twinkling, shimmering.  Up to 200 controllers (each handling 16 unique electrical circuits) can be daisy chained on the LOR network giving you the ability to control over 3,200 channels
5. Electrical power is supplied to the controller placed close to your lights so you don't need to run long extension cords.  Commands from the ShowTime Software Suite are performed on each controller.  Power to each of the attached lighting circuits is controlled independently.  Think of having many dimmer switches that the computer can change very quickly and independently.
6. Connection to the Light-O-Rama Digital I/O boards (great for connecting to the outside world, including fountains, alarm systems and/or existing automated devices) or our ServoDog  servo controllers used in apparatus requiring motion such as robotics.
7. The Light-O-Rama network can control robots
8. The Light-O-Rama network can control fountains

 

Simple Controller Configuration Connected to DMX-512 Universe

 

1. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Software Suite works on your personal computer running Microsoft Windows and allows you to design your own shows.  ShowTime Software Suite then runs your shows and sends the right commands at the right time to the various control channels.  ShowTime Software Suite can even keep music synchronized to the controller commands.
2. Speakers to play the music accompanying your show are attached to the computer sound card.
3. Your personal computer communicates to the controllers using a device plugged into your computer's serial or USB communications port.  The blue line shows the standard serial output of your computer (RS-232 or USB) out of your PC where it enters our converter that transforms the signal to the native Light-O-Rama network protocol (the green line) that connects to our various types of controllers over standard computer network wire.  We recommend Cat 5 LAN cables available from us and off-the-shelf from your local big box store in the computer section.
4. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Pro or ShowTime PC controllers include special effects such as simple on/off, intensities, smooth fading, twinkling, shimmering.  Up to 200 controllers (each handling 16 unique electrical circuits) can be daisy chained on the LOR network giving you the ability to control over 3,200 channels
5. Electrical power is supplied to the controller placed close to your lights so you don't need to run long extension cords.  Commands from the ShowTime Software Suite are performed on each controller.  Power to each of the attached lighting circuits is controlled independently.  Think of having many dimmer switches that the computer can change very quickly and independently.
6. Connection to a DMX-512 universe using the iDMX1000 converter.
7. DMX-512 controlled lights and fixtures in the same universe

 

Simple Controller Configuration with Cosmic Color Ribbon

 

1. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Software works on your personal computer running Microsoft Windows and allows you to design your own shows.  ShowTime Software then runs your shows and sends the right commands at the right time to the various control channels.  ShowTime Software can even keep music synchronized to the controller commands.
2. Speakers to play the music accompanying your show are attached to the computer sound card.
3. Your personal computer communicates to the controllers using a device plugged into your computer's serial or USB communications port.  The blue line shows the standard serial output of your computer (RS-232 or USB) out of your PC where it enters our converter that transforms the signal to the native Light-O-Rama network protocol (the green line) that connects to our various types of controllers over standard computer network wire.  We recommend Cat 5 LAN cables available from us and off-the-shelf from your local big box store in the computer section.
4. The Light-O-Rama ShowTime Pro or ShowTime PC controllers include special effects such as simple on/off, intensities, smooth fading, twinkling, shimmering.  Up to 200 controllers (each handling 16 unique electrical circuits) can be daisy chained on the LOR network giving you the ability to control over 3,200 channels
5. Electrical power is supplied to the controller placed close to your lights so you don't need to run long extension cords.  Commands from the ShowTime Software Suite are performed on each controller.  Power to each of the attached lighting circuits is controlled independently.  Think of having many dimmer switches that the computer can change very quickly and independently.
6. Connection to the Cosmic Color Ribbon controllers.  Multiple ribbons can be daisy-chained like all other controllers on a Light-O-Rama network.  Note: each Cosmic Color Ribbon controller includes a power supply requiring a connection to primary power just like number 5 above.

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.