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I was messing around out in the shop at work with a touch screen and had a cool thought to have a picture of the house on a monitor and be able to have young kids come up and touch the picture where they wanted the lights to come on and then they would come on. This would be kind of like the house that you could turn off and on via the internet. Only this would be live in front of your eyes.
Obviously there would be some problems like putting a touchscreen monitor out in the rain....etc.It would be cool for kids though!
If lor uses a hardware type utility like d-light does, it shouldn't be an issue. using the above mentioned scripts(vb) to use it. The touch screen is a type of "Mouseclick" so just do a On_Click type command to interface with the hardware utility to turn on/off channel. I think this could be done fairly easily and would make for a nice interactive display.
I think the hardware utility may work for LOR boards too. If LOR does not make a utility.
____________________ John Muldrock
Hawera - Taranaki''Why would anyone not want to be here'' - Tom Cruise during the TARANAKI filming of the 'last Samurai Movie'
NEW ZEALAND http://www.kamahilights.com
____________________ John Muldrock
Hawera - Taranaki''Why would anyone not want to be here'' - Tom Cruise during the TARANAKI filming of the 'last Samurai Movie'
NEW ZEALAND http://www.kamahilights.com
Do any of you remember the game "Simon" from years ago. It would play a sound and light up one of 4 colored lights. You then had to push the same light. Each time you were correct, it would add another sound & light to the sequence.
I think it would be incredible to have a touch screen set up to mimic that. The entire house blinks in a certain fashion, and have the kids try to repeat it, going from simple to complicated.
Would this be possible with any system out there?
____________________ Currently not creative enough to come up with a witty signature.
deplanche wrote: Do any of you remember the game "Simon" from years ago. It would play a sound and light up one of 4 colored lights. You then had to push the same light. Each time you were correct, it would add another sound & light to the sequence.
Last year we built a "gingerbread" house to house some animated "toys" (in this photo Mrs Claus is knitting) , a PC monitor running a Christmas type game and "Simon Says" done to Jingle Bells! Oh, and a "Led Zepplin" where the kids had to press Santa's doorbell at the right time to light up the opposite end to this pictures windows.
But here is the "Simon Says" on the left - to play the kids (and not so kids) touched on the windows. The PIC in this instance turns on the lights behind the windows but there is no reason . . ..
____________________ John Muldrock
Hawera - Taranaki''Why would anyone not want to be here'' - Tom Cruise during the TARANAKI filming of the 'last Samurai Movie'
NEW ZEALAND http://www.kamahilights.com
Designing a system, which uses a touch screen for controlling the lights like "Simon", would be extremely complex.
A route which I would look at utilizing would be expensive and complex for the average light enthusiast.
1. Look at rewritting software for LOR or any premade controller
2. Design a ethernet based network with a server to connect the controllers, the touch screen, and run the software.
3. Touch screen application, I would design some sort of web interface for the GUI. Instead of a touch screen system, you could use an illuminated push button system, which would make this application even easier and eliminates a user friendly GUI.
This application would be fesible, if you were a programmer.
It is actually quite simple - the "Simon Says" in the attached circuit - in my application I drive some opto's instead on the leds I put on the PCB, and the optos switched on the leds behind light diffusser, but could drive triacs or be inputs to a PC via Gameport or Serial port. Some light controllers will take a switch input. Also VIXEN will as per its website has "A remote client that allows you to have an internet-controlled display and to set up displays that span a neighborhood or a continent"
Interesting that since this thread started I have been given a project at work to decommission a Allen Bradley "PanelView" and replace it with an iFix client. Guess who gets to keep the reduntant gear?
____________________ John Muldrock
Hawera - Taranaki''Why would anyone not want to be here'' - Tom Cruise during the TARANAKI filming of the 'last Samurai Movie'
NEW ZEALAND http://www.kamahilights.com
At work I do a lot of pv plus programming with RS View Sudio, and Regular panelview programming with Panelbuilder 32. I guess if I wanted to I could use a Controllogix, or a SLC500 with some I.O. This is feasable but I don't know an easy way to allow PLC control of 192 channels then LOR to take over for the regular show. I guess I could use a bank of 48 (4) pole relays and another 192 extension cords
I think the PV's would have issues with the weather....
Last edited on Sunday February 24th, 2008 11:29 pm by Toymakr000
Actually it would only take a single 2 pole relay.....use two computers and just switch the cat 5 lead from the interactive computer to your LOR or Spectrum or Aurora computer. The relay could even be controled by your sequencer.
After thinking out a method in creating a fairly simple end user set up. I would incorporate the following.
LOR Controllers
AB Logix 5555 - DC Out Modules & Ehternet Module- Relays
PanelView touch screen monitor
Software LOR software, RSLinx, FactoryTalk View Studio, and RSLogix 5000.
With those applications, you can make an extremely simple Simon says system. The down fall here is, you are talking about $50k in equipment and software but keep in mind this equipment is rated for extremely heavy duty industrial use. The PanelView will hold up in the weather. I have clients who use panel view outside applications, with just an over hang shield to protect them. There wouldn't be any software rewritting. View Studio and RSLogix - using ladder logix is fairly simple to use. This would be the simple set up for an end user.
If anyone is interested in going this method, you can contact me about a design layout for incorporating the AB products and some guidance in the programming side of the RS software. Again the down fall is the cost of the Allen-Bradley Equipment.
I was thinking a much simpler way I would stand in the front yard have the kids pointe to what they want to see lit up and i would walk over and plug it into the extension cord I had in my left hand
Last edited on Sunday March 16th, 2008 01:47 am by deepabyss
I thought about doing something interactive only much simpler.
I thought about making a small booth with large light up plastic buttons that could be pressed to turn on or off different display elements.
I was thinking of using the lawn on the side of my driveway between my house and my neighbors ( that way it doesn't interfere with the main display on my house and yard)
It could be set up with all kinds of wire frames mini trees and several different color lights so kids could design there own display.
____________________ Keeping static alive for another year anyway
Toymakr000 wrote: It would be cool if LOR was live and could be interfaced to like that.
Before I gave up on my VB program I had added an array of colored text boxes in the shape of my lights as a simple animation display. The DoubleClick event for each text box would change the state of that channel and send the commands to the hardware. It was fun.
Edited: I have an email from LOR stating that “We have an ActiveX control that allows applications to communicate with the controllers”. But when I replied that I found the ActiveX control and asked for info on how to use it, they did not reply.
Last edited on Wednesday March 19th, 2008 11:34 pm by rwertz
