Beginners

Welcome to one of the greatest hobbies in the whole world!

How computer controlled animated lighting works

Overview

This hobby uses a combination of computer software, various kinds of wiring both for computer control and electrical power, electronic 'controllers,' relays, lights of various kinds and a myriad of hooks, tape, plastic and metal pipe, plastic "zip ties" and other methods to fasten and hang the lights on the house, bushes and trees. Most of the supplies can be purchased at local hardware or home improvement stores while the electronic controllers and other specific lighting components are usually purchased from electronic parts supply stores and other DIY lighting hobbyists' online stores.

Software

You'll install software onto your computer to design a "sequence" of lighting effects. Many of the most popular software tools are free while some are fee-based. Most use the Windows operating system but other options are available.

Lighting Effects

The effects you'll use might include simple on/off, or pulsating on/off, or gradually getting brighter (called ramp up) or gradual dimming (ramp down). And if you like, the software also allows you to make these effects occur in time to a song or other piece of music you've chosen. Music is an important element of lighting sequences because without it, lights can appear to be random and uncoordinated; it's the music that ties it all together. For example, if your chosen song has a nice drum beat, maybe you want some lights to blink in time with the beat. Or maybe you want the lights to gradually get brighter as the music gets louder or maybe dim the lights down when the music is soft. The point is that you can control exactly when you want the effects to occur, even down to tenths of a second.

How many lights can I control?

The software allows you to separately control many, many strings of lights or even individual lights if you want. Each string or individual light that you want to control is called a "channel." So your sequence of effects might include dozens of strings of lights (dozens of channels), each of which you can control independently from all the others. So you get to decide what lights to turn on/off, when to do that, and how bright you want them to be. The software gives you total control. The software also provides normal editing capabilities such as saving and changing the settings later. It also allows you to group several sequences together to make a longer program or "show." And once you have designed your "show" the software can also be used to schedule what days and times you want your show to start and stop. Pretty cool stuff!

How does the computer control the lights?

When you "play" your sequence (or your show program) on your computer, the software causes your computer to send out special signals to other electronic devices that you build that are out in the yard. These devices are called "controllers" and the lights are connected to the controllers. Some controllers can handle only 8 or fewer "channels" of lights while others can handle many thousands of channels. Often you can interconnect multiple smaller controllers together to control even more channels. The process of interconnecting controllers is called "daisy-chaining." The lights are plugged into the controllers and the controllers are plugged into electrical power. When the controller gets a control signal from the computer to turn on a certain channel, the controller's electronics figure out which channel it is and then allows electricity to go to that channel, illuminating that channel's lights.

How does the computer connect to the controllers?

Computers and controllers are usually physically connected to one another by wire, often using inexpensive everyday network cabling (called cat5 cable). More often than not, there's an USB or other type of adapter/dongle that facilitates communication between the computer and the physical wiring. The electrical mechanisms that computers and controllers use to talk to one another are called serial RS-232, serial RS-485, and Ethernet (the same mechanism used for computer networking). In terms of speed, think of RS-232 in terms of tens of thousands of bytes per second, RS-485 in the hundreds of thousands and Ethernet in the millions of bytes per second. On top of the electrical mechanism is a "language" that the computers and controllers speak. Another word for this language is "protocol" and popular protocols are Renard, DMX, and E1.31. The Renard protocol can easily run on top of RS-232 or RS-485, DMX can run on top of RS-485 and Ethernet, and E1.31 is Ethernet only. And with some trickery, Renard can also run on top of Ethernet using another electronic gizmo called an "Ethernet bridge." Sometimes, instead of using cat5 cabling, some users replace the physical wiring by using wireless communication and various combinations of small transmitter/receiver setups. Some of these wireless systems can work upwards of 1/4 mile away.

How do I decide whether to use RS-232, RS-485 or Ethernet?

This is determined by the kind of lights you use and the protocol method you choose for your computer to control them. The software has settings that you simply choose and those settings are saved automatically along with the sequences you design. Then when you assemble your controllers, you'll load the proper settings into them to match. If you later decide to change your computer's settings, you just change the controller settings to match. It's easy to do.

How do the viewers hear the music?

While your computer is playing the sequence the computer's sound card will simultaneously be playing the music to keep the music and computer control commands in sync with one another. Some hobbyists use small amplifiers and put speakers outdoors so visitors can hear the music while most use a small, low-power FM transmitter to transmit the music to visitors' car radios so they can listen in the comfort of their vehicles. Low-power FM transmitters are not expensive -- anywhere from $25-$100 -- but whether you use outdoor speakers or an FM transmitter, the synchronized audio absolutely makes the difference between a truly entertaining "show" and what looks like a yard full of randomly blinking lights.

So in a nutshell, the computer plays a "sequence" that you created, it sends control signals out a wire to the controllers, the controllers decode the signals and turn on/off the appropriate lights, and all the while your viewers are listening to the music you've chosen and watching your lights dance with looks of wonder and amazement. And that's how computer animated lighting works.

Tools you will need

Common, everyday household tools required

You'll use screwdrivers in both blade and Phillips styles and in various sizes, one or more pliers, wire cutters, hammer, maybe Vise-grips, saws, tube cutters, files, drills and drill bits, wrenches, a flashlight, etc. No surprises here -- just the kinds of tools a homeowner usually needs for day-to-day maintenance around the home.

Special tools required

To assemble electronics, you'll need a good soldering iron or solder station (not a soldering "gun" as they're too hot to use), solder, flux, small wire nippers for circuit work, small needle-nosed pliers or forceps, very small screwdrivers, possibly a lighted magnifier or "helping hand" device to hold the circuit boards while you solder them.

Diagnostic tools required

• A VOM (Volt-Ohm-Meter) or DVM (Digital Volt Meter) is a necessity to measure the presence and values of voltages and electrical current. Most DIYers have more than one -- prices range anywhere from $10 and up; expect to spend about $25 for a decent one.
• A cable tester of some kind. The VOM/DVM can be used for testing the connections of cables but other inexpensive testers are available that can quickly diagnose whether an 8-wire cat5 cable has a bad connection. (You can't appreciate how truly valuable such a tester is until you're outside on a frigid night trying to figure out why a controller is not responding to the computer controls!)

Extreme DIY tools - optional

• Table saws, chop saws, radial arm saws, circular saws, band saws, etc. for constructing wooden display pieces.
• An oscilloscope is a luxury item that not many DIYers have but it can be extremely helpful for advanced diagnostic situations involving controller circuitry and digital signals.
• A logic analyzer is another advanced diagnostic tool that can help determine specific communication problems.
• A welder is often handy for those who plan to design and build their own wire frames or big structures that require metal framing.
• Hot air station for assembling electronics that require a lot of tiny, surface-mount parts.

Supplies you will use/need

Consumable supplies vary with each installation and no two installations are alike. However, it's likely that you'll use multiple kinds of tape -- masking tape, painter's tape, duct tape, electrical tape, silicon tape -- the list is almost endless. You'll use various kinds of screws (sheet-rock, self-tapping and machine types), nails of various kinds and lengths, cable ties/"zip-ties" in various lengths (buy kinds that are UV resistant), plywood, paint of various types and colors, PVC pipe and fittings, etc. In any event, you'll make lots of trips to your local hardware store or home improvement center as you create your display.

Extension cords. Lots of them. You'll use big, long outdoor extension cables for main power runs and smaller cables for shorter runs. Some users buy large spools of SPT-1 or SPT-2 wire and bags of "pirate plugs" so they can cut lengths and make cables to exactly the lengths they need.

Storage bins. Lots of them. This is an often-overlooked item but large, plastic storage bins with covers are helpful to preserve your equipment, wire and other display elements during the off-season so that you can use them again. Careful attention to this can extend the life of your reusable parts for many years and save money.