Re: Controlling Holiday Lights

[Marc_F_Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:58:32 GMT, "AIMatrix" <spam4pyros@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote
in message  <YCt6h.7093$bj1.41@trndny05>:

>
>"sylvan butler" <ZsdbUse1+noZs_0611@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:slrnel4ke1.dqe.ZsdbUse1+noZs_0611@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

>I am the OP and been following this post into the ground. Why reinvent the
>wheel, if not for just trying, its all been done before.
>Anyway I went with Light-O-Rama. The clincher was the new support for X10
>devices witch I was all ready using so I can still use them for the slow
>stuff (1 min. or more) and the Light-O-Rama controllers for the fast stuff.
>The prices are reasonable.
>The program with coreographing for music is $100 and is well worth it. The
>controllers are cheep considering. The high power 16 channel Kit is $160,
>that's $10 per channel, as cheep as X10 but faster with more power. So for
>$300 I am on my way to dancing lights.
>
>The posters that have kept this thread going have wasted more than that in
>there time and nothing was developed yet.
>
>Thru out next year I will buy more kits and make more controllers until all
>30,000 of my lights are on Light-O-Rama and I will not have to worry about
>the zero crossing optimum frequency of a random program.
>
>Andy

Well said ;-)

(It should be apparent that the reason for my extending/participating in
this discussion is to alert other folks that what Sylvan has proposed for
controlling TRIACS simply will not work. Nor will his approach to using
MOSFETs which I will explain as time permits. IOW, the intention has been to
minimize the damage to the usefulness and credibility of information in
comp.home.automation caused by sylvan's proposed electrical alchemy.)

+++++++++

I see no hint at www.lightorama.com that the Light-O-Rama equipment is
UL-listed. Perhaps I just missed it, but if it isn't, it wouldn't meet local
code in many/most US jurisdictions.  This may not pertain to your situation,
but it could to many folks. It would be unfortunate to have a 30,000 light
setup dimmed to dark.

... Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org