Interfaces To Light-O-Rama Controllers
The interfaces were needed because I talked to Dan at Light-O-Rama and the Light-O-Rama controllers are only meant to control lights, not motors or fans. So I took some Radio Shack relays and modified all my toys! The first is the Grinch. I want to control when the Grinch blows up and also have separate controls for the Grinch lights. I unzipped the back of the Grinch and cut the wires connecting the lights and spliced in my own little brown extension cord. There wasn't room to run the new cord out the bottom so I have the new cord running out from where you zip up the Grinch and I plug that into a LOR channel. Just zip up the zipper all the way to the cord. I tested it and did not have a problem with any air leakage. Next I used a relay to make or break the power to the fan with a LOR channel controlling the coil to that relay. I installed the cables and relay in a cheap Glad plastic container (3 for $2.94) with a snap on lid to keep it semi-waterproof. It works perfectly!
The next problem was LOR (Light-O-Rama) controlling the fog machine (train smoke). I figured out how the Chauvet wired remote control worked and it was a basic make or break relay type situation. All I had to do was put in a relay to make or break the remote control wired plug and of course let LOR control the coil to that relay. It worked great but during testing I found out that I used the fog machine too much during my music sequences and it would cool down the fog machine heater and shut down the fogger until it heated back up to fogging temperature (whatever that is). I am now programming the fog machine in the sequences to come on less frequent and for shorter durations. We'll see what happens!
The bubble machine was easy. Just like the Grinch
fan I just make or break the "hot" power and control the coil with an LOR
channel. I soon discovered that I now need to program in about a
two second delay because that's how long it takes to get bubbles going!!!
I tried to shoot a couple of movies of the smoke
machine and the bubble machine but the camera didn't pick anything up in
the dark. But Tamra is my witness, it works!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know, I know, it's an ugly schematic! Hey, I'm busy programming!!!
