I built the following circuit to flash some 25 watt incandescent colored bulbs on and off to the music.
I then remembered how some rinks in the 80's had lights that seemed to light to the music with some operating the opposite way and also being able to flash lights on and off as well.
Are there any light controllers that can put out a variable 0-5Vdc or do PWM using triacs on six individual channels with the ability to tell each channel what to do and also have an audio input that can control the lights?
If I found a LED controller I would build five more of those circuits minus R1 and adjusting the value of R2 to where full brightness occurs at 5Vdc.
I see mostly RGB controllers or traffic light controller kits, but those aren't right for what I need.
I then remembered how some rinks in the 80's had lights that seemed to light to the music with some operating the opposite way and also being able to flash lights on and off as well.
Are there any light controllers that can put out a variable 0-5Vdc or do PWM using triacs on six individual channels with the ability to tell each channel what to do and also have an audio input that can control the lights?
If I found a LED controller I would build five more of those circuits minus R1 and adjusting the value of R2 to where full brightness occurs at 5Vdc.
I see mostly RGB controllers or traffic light controller kits, but those aren't right for what I need.
Your controller will be very noisy and needs zero crossing control for stability.
Here is all most need to know about the Pulsar Zero 3/4000 light controllers we used in disco's of the 70s.
https://elektrotanya.com/pulsar_zero_3000mk2_4000_retro_disco_light_controller_sch.pdf/download.html
Here is all most need to know about the Pulsar Zero 3/4000 light controllers we used in disco's of the 70s.
https://elektrotanya.com/pulsar_zero_3000mk2_4000_retro_disco_light_controller_sch.pdf/download.html
Yes it will indeed be noisy. Had hoped my idea wouldn't be noisy. Wouldn't be an issue, but I do listen to AM and SW at times.
That controller looks nice.
If I wanted stereo I'd need two of those.
Saw a video of the Zero 4,000 and the music to light effect looks good.
I might see if I can find another color of 25 watt bulb and find a Zero 4000.
I'd then have 8 bulbs and I'd do it like this with the same color bulb wired to a channel. I'd have to figure out how the chase does and connect the channels to where the chase effect looks proper.
I can get an A19 transparent yellow bulb.
That controller looks nice.
If I wanted stereo I'd need two of those.
Saw a video of the Zero 4,000 and the music to light effect looks good.
I might see if I can find another color of 25 watt bulb and find a Zero 4000.
I'd then have 8 bulbs and I'd do it like this with the same color bulb wired to a channel. I'd have to figure out how the chase does and connect the channels to where the chase effect looks proper.
I can get an A19 transparent yellow bulb.
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Only thing is I might need some sort of delayed AGC circuit depending on what I drive the unit with as I want it to operate the same regardless of the audio input signal level, unless it has some sort of built in circuit to compensate for the average audio level changing as not all music has the same average audio level.
Also I'll need an E26 socket that can be mounted to the ceiling without a box.
Possibly something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Rextin-extension-Pendant-Lighting-Restaurant/dp/B07J657TJF
https://www.amazon.com/Keyless-Porcelain-Socket-JNXQWE-Ceramic/dp/B0B1HRW8T8
https://www.amazon.com/Saysurey-Porcelain-Threaded-Mounting-Lighting/dp/B0DCP1MSSV
For the wiring of the lights I'd likely use lamp cord and do solder and heatshrink unless there's proper connectors other than wire nuts that work with stranded wire.
Given the way the ceiling is done in my 12' X 12' building (thin wood paneling with maybe 1" X 1" wood trim, I might have to get an L bracket to mount the lights on so I can secure them to the trim as having the lights in the corners I'd be screwing the sockets into the paneling which won't be real secure.
Also I'll need an E26 socket that can be mounted to the ceiling without a box.
Possibly something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Rextin-extension-Pendant-Lighting-Restaurant/dp/B07J657TJF
https://www.amazon.com/Keyless-Porcelain-Socket-JNXQWE-Ceramic/dp/B0B1HRW8T8
https://www.amazon.com/Saysurey-Porcelain-Threaded-Mounting-Lighting/dp/B0DCP1MSSV
For the wiring of the lights I'd likely use lamp cord and do solder and heatshrink unless there's proper connectors other than wire nuts that work with stranded wire.
Given the way the ceiling is done in my 12' X 12' building (thin wood paneling with maybe 1" X 1" wood trim, I might have to get an L bracket to mount the lights on so I can secure them to the trim as having the lights in the corners I'd be screwing the sockets into the paneling which won't be real secure.
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I’ve got a lot of experience designing and building these things, starting some 45 years ago back in the heyday of disco. Noise or no noise, I prefer the way it looks to run without ZVS - just a regular opto to trigger the triac. And you can dim by retarding the conduction angle. I’ll plug the light system into a totally separate circuit from the sound system. My light boards have the triacs and optos local to each unit - with only a data cable from the controller. And I STILL need to transformer couple the audio signal to prevent ground loops. LED retrofit lamps have varying degrees of success/failure but oh, does it save on current.
A couple of things that look cool as hell to drive it. An LM3914 - especially running in dot mode driven from a peak detector. A 4017 counter driven from a VCO doing a chase, and have speed/direction controlled by a slow peak detector’s output. The same 4017 directly clocked by the audio is even quite effective - giving a totally different effect. Someone who likes to play around with CMOS/TTL logic can have a field day with it, or if you like to code, the possibilities are endless.
A couple of things that look cool as hell to drive it. An LM3914 - especially running in dot mode driven from a peak detector. A 4017 counter driven from a VCO doing a chase, and have speed/direction controlled by a slow peak detector’s output. The same 4017 directly clocked by the audio is even quite effective - giving a totally different effect. Someone who likes to play around with CMOS/TTL logic can have a field day with it, or if you like to code, the possibilities are endless.
LM 3914 driving low voltage LED lamps through switching transistors will work, no need for high voltage bulbs, the LED bulbs step down the voltages anyway.
You can even build a spectrum analyser with an array of those...one Father (SJ) wanted me to build one for his school stage...lights dancing with each frequency, like the display on Winamp...
Noise, let the more experienced members decide.
LED are available in much more variety than bulbs.
You can even build a spectrum analyser with an array of those...one Father (SJ) wanted me to build one for his school stage...lights dancing with each frequency, like the display on Winamp...
Noise, let the more experienced members decide.
LED are available in much more variety than bulbs.
YES >
Pre-stages of AGC / audio compression is definitely an improvement over simple.
Also, as mentioned, frequency band manipulation can add a whole new 'dimension' 🙂
Come tax season depending on how much money I get back I may see if I can find a Zero 4000 as how the video I posted shows it working will be just what I want.
One could build a hell of a system if using LEDs. As cheap as LED chips are in 10,000’s monochromatic ones could be used, in a long enough string to eat up 169 volts DC, with a little resistive ballasting. Adjust relative brightness by the number used or the current to get all the colors even. No “driver” circuit used in typical retrofits to get in the way. Those often do not like rapid flashing operation. ANDing with PWM takes care of dimming, and going to DC supply (direct rectified 120) makes noise filtering easy and the power switching can just be mosfets or 400V TO-126 darlingtons. Simplifies and reduces cost of the optoisolator drive, too (4N26’s). It would be a lot of work, but not really crazy expensive. One can just buy LED stage lighting these days, but nothing that really looks like the old disco lights from the 70’s. DIYing, you could. I’d love to rebuild the old 20 foot wide “starburst” board - but it would take enough colored LEDs to make 480 lamps, each equal to a 40 watt incandescent. It would be worth dedicating a microcontroller board to, and hanging on the ceiling in my shop.
Exactly.
I grew up in the 80's going to a skating rink that was built in the late 70's and it had 12 mirror balls, colored fluorescent lights and incandescent lights that flashed to the music.
back in the years 75-80 I had a theatre lighting business with friends, whilst being a student. not much study progress in those years. We once visited the pulsar factory, interested in the first laser units. I built all the dimmers, 0-10V dc control 12 channels 10A each in a 2U rack, the famous harting multipole connectors on the back. lamps were par 64 120V, par56 220V. gained a ton of expierence, that served me through the rest of my career.
We had that setup in our roller rink growing up. Two of those 20 foot wide starbursts and some other stuff on the walls. I had six little portable “sandwich” boards with C9 Christmas lights, and four stacks of PAR38’s. The controller was a rats nest on a perfboard. About 15 years ago I cleaned all the light boards up, put in LED retrofits, and rebuilt the controller into a nice 2U box with a bunch of modular logic boards inside. I’d love to rebuild the big sucker, but it’s so far down the list of priorities that in all likelihood I’ll never get to it.
I have some video around here somewhere, but I tried to post it once before and it choked the system. The stills don’t do anything justice, and I don’t have one of the whole system up and running. I ran the rig for smaller gigs (anything that only needed 4 subs and the two 2x12 tops) for a few years.
I have some video around here somewhere, but I tried to post it once before and it choked the system. The stills don’t do anything justice, and I don’t have one of the whole system up and running. I ran the rig for smaller gigs (anything that only needed 4 subs and the two 2x12 tops) for a few years.
Attachments
The par36 we housed in a geberit black PE tube adaptor with the bottom still in. The bottom would normally be cut out for the adapter, but geberit did us a favour to deliver the special order. the 6V 30W par36 had a very narrow beam, and we placed 6 in series. Dimming a transformer load was another art, only by keeping the transformer rating close to the total lamp rating it could work.
The mirror balls were in a cluster in the center of the floor.
The lights were the pendant type lights that hung from the ceiling a lot like the lights Waffle House has, except the covers were colored plastic with a hole at the bottom and top and the plastic was such that it made the light from the bulb look long up and down as though a tubular bulb was installed. There were different size shades and some of the smaller ones had numbers on them like pool balls. There were also some made out of the same plastic that looked like teardrop lights.
Two of the lights can be seen here in the area that used to be part of the skate floor.
The reason I want the incandescent lights is they will go well with these.
The lights were the pendant type lights that hung from the ceiling a lot like the lights Waffle House has, except the covers were colored plastic with a hole at the bottom and top and the plastic was such that it made the light from the bulb look long up and down as though a tubular bulb was installed. There were different size shades and some of the smaller ones had numbers on them like pool balls. There were also some made out of the same plastic that looked like teardrop lights.
Two of the lights can be seen here in the area that used to be part of the skate floor.
The reason I want the incandescent lights is they will go well with these.
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Random net images, no ties to sellers.
The things above the bike are quite decent, I use them as car interior lights, replacing the tubular incandescent lamps, big improvement, they are 12V, and come in different colors, and a 4 wire multi color type may be available for use with controllers.
A foam adhesive pad backing comes standard, just peel and stick to a clean dry surface, and are 20 Rupees each ($0.25 US) for the small ones in retail, the larger ones are 30, and the shop keeper slices off as many as you want with a sharp blade.
And a couple are a stairway / passage light in my house.
12V SMPS, one each stuck to a piece of aluminum section (heat sink!) in a ventilator, one side stairs, one side passage.
The ones in the car picture are described as 'Car Rhythm Light', which might interest somebody looking for a similar product.
'Car rhythm lights' search shows bar graph type devices, among others, rechargeable, starting $2....
No idea how big they actually are, sometimes they look much bigger in the photos.
Which is something not really expected, and makes much of the effort of making this ourselves seem wasted.
An image off Amazon, at random, no ties to seller.
No idea how big they actually are, sometimes they look much bigger in the photos.
Which is something not really expected, and makes much of the effort of making this ourselves seem wasted.
An image off Amazon, at random, no ties to seller.