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72 Comments
- tsunamisteve, on 10/12/2007, -10/+21Circuit boards make my head hurt and my cursor find the back button.
- kilps, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8mmm ... and posting spam links in your comments doesn't make you look too professional either ...
- TechGeeknet, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Its from the new Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D.
Its a cover by Marylin Manson made especially for the 3-D version.
/Girl is obsessed with Manson and Nitemare Before Christmas. When she found out they where combined it was minutes of little girl like sputtering and excitement. - everfalling, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7request source of music. i know it's from the nightmare before christmas, but where's this version from?
- Amplix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmgf60CI_ks link without the comma
- trghpy, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9Yea, it needs to be in APA style with at least 3 references sited.
/sarcasim - bigrell486, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7What type of currency is 40$?
Here in the US its $40. - SuckMyDigg, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6Yeah that's right. Instead of doing a fun little project by yourself and enjoying the results, skip all that and just buy an extremely overpriced version. ***** off..
- Yellowone, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4WTF! am I the only one that found that setup tacky? My wife would kill me if the house looked like that. Scratch that, I'd kill myself! The how-to part is good....the example was pretty crappy.
- GruntboyX, on 10/12/2007, -3/+6I am going to be the overly critical one but, thats because i am an ee and have an appreciation for lights and hardware. While this is a great weekend project its a far cry from a computer controlled light controller. Its more of a remedial lab excersize computer engineers do in there undergrad. Your just useing the 5 volt logic levels to controll relays and turn them on and off. Interesting...but not front page material. Now if it had like 50 channels the ability to dim and do other functions besides just turn on and off then i would be impressed. but honestly that thing looks like a fire hazard. especially if someone grounds the pc to the AC power running around the board! ZAP THERE GOES THE COMPUTER. There needs to be at least some isolation transformers to prevent some gomer from frying his pc from being stupid. I not trying to insult but just not front page material especially since the thing is a electrical hazard.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@austintxphil
Could you post a comment giving the correct way to wire the AC? You might save a few readers of this post from getting fried...
-J - Fullautoglock, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3As an electrician, let me say that to be as safe as possible it DOES matter which wire you switch. Electrically it doesn't matter, but for safety sake, it does.
In the United States (I don't know the "standards" in other countries) , the common wire that goes directly to the device being controlled should be the "Neutral" wire and should be white in color.
The wire going to the circuit board that is switched by the relays should be the "Hot" wire, black, red whatever, just not white, green, or gray.
You can buy inexpensive testers with a little light and generally a sounding device on them to detect which wire is the hot wire. Or using a "regular" voltage tester(meter), when set to AC volts, place one probe on a known ground (water pipe, the ground connection of a receptacle, etc) and the other probe to the wire you are testing. The "Hot" wire should show 110 - 130 volts on the meter.
If you have the newer (within the last 15-20 years) receptacles, the hot wire should be the one on the left side of the receptacle (for polarized plugs, that would be the smaller opening) when the ground hole is on the bottom. That's where it should be, but since you don't know WHO wired the receptacle, you should check to make sure you know which one is the hot wire, and then switch that wire with through the relays on the circuit board.
If you run the wiring directly to a light socket, make sure the wire that goes to the shell of the socket is the neutral, and the connection at the bottom of the socket is the hot wire. This will prevent you from getting a shock as you are screwing in the light bulb.
Good luck and be safe :)
(I disavow any injuries that may result from the use of any information included in this message) :) - dbalaski, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Cool -- a new project to TRY --- (finally I get to put my EE degree to some use !!)
Looks pretty good -- the hardest part is the coding for more advanced stuff --- I can think of things to do with that other than light show per se -- such as integrating it into a home security system.
Though I am facinated by using some frequency response system to the MP3 collection I have on that computer --- probably drive the wife & cat nuts with it .... hehehehe - tomanthony, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2it's on the special edition of A Nightmare Before Christmas that came out for the 3-d version in theaters.
- CalipsoII, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I don't know about you guys, but I wouldn't want to be the one who has to live beside that guy. Whole thing is an eyesore imo.
- SeBBBe, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Circuit boards are you friends :) That relay board is not hard to use. But the board can be ordered assembled and all, so just to connect the computer, lights and power, and you're done. I can imagine it gets a bit messy w/ the cable tho.
- Antitorgo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This one is cool too: http://www.trykoskichristmas.com/
- BiDi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The trick is that one wire goes directly to the lights and one wire goes through the relays that cut the power. In AC you have "hot" and "dead" wire. The hot one is the one that should go to the relays = the wire that makes the screwdriver-tester-bulb light. It would make your head light also, so believe the tester and don't retest with your tongue.
- austintxphil, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I love the "it's ac, so it doesn't matter which way round it is" remark. I want to see his face when he puts the relays on the neutral and not the live and realizes that even though the lights are not on, sticking his finger in the light socket earths the live and fries his stupid ass.
Leave the electronics to electricians if you're that clueless. - jcs_goog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Disney is now doing this, albeit for much more than $40...
http://www.mousevids.com/mv/osborne.asp - spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Like someone else posted a but further up, http://computerchristmas.com/index.phtml?link=how_to&HowToId=25
but i dont think you can buy stuff like that premade... I made this tutorial for the semi geeks reading digg, into tech, but not enough to try this on their own - matt0baba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Its worth a shot. altho im no programmer.... id probably end up using automator's workflow... but anyone know how to configure a usb/parallel port device that can be controlled thru antomator
- spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yea, for 100$ plus software...
the point of this was a cheap easy experiment for hobbiests... - spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1LOL so... its less dumb to stick ur finger in an outlet than to wire something thats ac backwards?
it seems to me as though so long as you are not working with any live wires (which you shouldnt be untill everything is already wired) you are safe...
I used little socket clamps to make a plug, so that all the wireing and testing could be done safely. What i was mainly saying was that, when hooking the power to the device the polarity doesnt really matter, as AC is going back and forth as opposed to one direction like DC. So long as the circuit is complete, you are fine...
(brb sticking my finger in an outlet) - beneboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@matt0baba, spiffy64
Maybe you could also compile a parallel port while you're at it. - n1qaw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1sweet, I am mounting this right inside of an atx case - plugging it right into a 12v supply on the powersupply and using a VT socket mounted in the backplane. Slap in an old motherboard and 98 and I have a sweet portable computer controlled light controller for way under a hundred. I am saving thousands. far out.
- invader, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i would be more interested in finding out how to set up one of those circuit boards.. what if i wanted to indepentently control 20 circuits? or 50? light controllers that support that many circuits are hella expensive.
one of these days i should just take a hardware-related college course or something.. - ncbell, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2only an idiot will set up 10000 twinkling lights when it is 4 below. you set them up when it is warm outside but turn them on in December.
- spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1thanks for diggin it, my goal here was not to outdo that other Xmas light show dude, or to write an article to submit to the ACM. I wanted to throw together something written in laymans terms for the avg geek to try. It has many uses outside of holiday lights obviously. This kind of thing is usually a little initimidating to the larger crowd, so i wanted to show how simple it can be. My halloween example was thrown together in less than 3 days. and the neighborhood loved it :) (its for the kids not adults lol)
My main use for this board is to controll windows/doors/ignition to my carpc via touchpanel... this was a (i wonder if i could throw that together in time for haloween) then a (I bet other people would wanna see how easy this is)
regaurdless, thanks for checking it out :) - Systembomber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1So is it possible to link this up to say some proper special lights, such as they use in disco's etc, or would that be a tad dangerous?
- matt0baba, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hey im just shooting in the dark..but that would be cool to control the lights of my house with..one problem.. i got a mac ....anyone know anything similar that can work with macs?
- AKron, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There's a lot of project sites for projects that are probably not quite like this.
http://www.avrfreaks.net/
Search on PIC, ATMega, 8051 projects - spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1the whole point of this article is to make it easy for people like you to try it... buy the assembled circtuit. plug into your printer port, and use my, or other peoples software. just play with the LEDs at first, then try ONE appliance (or light) then two, etc
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Awesome, thanks.
- Deranged, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I can see how $40 DIY compares to $419(cheapest) + $100 more for software... I agree with SuckMyDigg, ***** Off!
And as for the grammar, it may not be great, but the point surely is. - antdude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Heh, this like the Christmas light ones.
- bmw@, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1If they are LED, as many as you want! :-)
- qwertydvorak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0don't limit yourself, build more and just use old p2 computers that can be picked up dirt cheap.run them in tandem... i would like to see and expandable one built where you can just add more and more relays depending on your needs.
- GruntboyX, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1u know i could explain it and provide diagrams but...you would be hard pressed to understand it because you expertise is in the world of software and not hardware.....not to mention digg doesnt allow me to post diagrams and furthermore i dont blog and if i did i am not about to blog spam digg just satisfy your inferiority complex.
- Nosebutter, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Ok, wow. This is really, cool, and I would love to try it, but it seems a tad complex. I am essentially retarded when it comes to the hardware side of computers and what-not.
I'm pretty sure I would screw this one up bad somehow. - jrinco11, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0oo, found this site, looks like for the normal (called "mini") cmas lights, 3000 lights = 10amps
http://www.aachristmas.com/vpasp/faq/calculate-amps.asp
so could that controller box actually handle 3000 x 8 relays = 24,000 cmas lights? (keeping in mind, however, most strings of lights can only be daisy chained like what...3 or 4 times? so i guess it really could do at most half that number above?) - ronpottle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0That vixen software will controll dmx setups too,It has a built in waveform tool to
help simplify programing - everfalling, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2maybe they were Halloween themed lights? the rest of it were light up jack-o-lanterns.
- qwertydvorak, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1my thoughts exactly, where are your diagrams mr ee ? should be easy enough for you. don't forget the controller software, that is an important part. it needs to not only be easy and somewhat cheap to build, but the software needs to be fairly user friendly. just remember sometimes the winner isn't the most elegant solution to a problem (think linux) but the one who makes it easy for the uninformed (windows). the posted solution is simple to build and use (tap out the beat), cheap, and is an improvement over plug it in and leave it alone.
- spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0i dont have a mac, but have you tried compiling the linux source?
i know macs are unix based, but who knows, please post results - hutectro, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1That video makes me dizzy
Why is it so hard for women to find men that are sensitive, caring, and good-looking? Because those men already have boyfriends. - Seamartin00, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0lol $10,000, thats a lot of cash for a light controller
- ronpottle, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0http://www.d-light.us you can buy it .
www.computerchristmas you can build it - Seamartin00, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Anyone have any links to other projects like this?
- spiffy64, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1so all i need is spell check, and a web 2.0 layout?
ALL YOUR TRUST ARE BELONG TO ME
(this article is secretly instructions on how to make a bomb that will explode when i send the signal) -
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