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 Stand Alone Controls |
This section covers buliding your own custom light flasher / control circuits. Are you sick of lights that just sit there? or those dumb 'flaher bulbs' (that never seem to work right?) Want to blink more than one set at the same time? Or mabey something a little diffrent from what everyone else has? Well...You have come to the right place... from now on, NO MORE FLASER BULBS, and the neighbors will have nothing like it The contents of this section are not for everyone and can even be dangerous.. please read the disclaimer below before continuing. |
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Select A Control Circuit the dots below each name show sort of how it will blink the lights (think of them as entire sets of lights, not just dots) |
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Single Channel Color Organ (A) (lights blink to sound) 
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Single Channel Color Organ (A) (lights blink to sound)
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Two Channel Color Organ (lights blink to sound) 
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Quad Add/Subtract Blinker (cool effect, uncommon) 
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Crazie Strobie (wild) 
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6 Ch. Light Knight Rider' Circuit (if you remember the 80's TV show you know what this does) 
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10 Light Sequencer (option A) (higher cost, but brighter) 
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10 Light Sequencer (option B) (sorta dim, less money) 
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10 Ch. VU control (lights blink to sound - nice effect) 
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all info here is provided as is without warranty of any sort I can not be held responsible for any problems/damages/injuries/ etc caused by the use or misuse of this info Warning: read all the following before you continue. The info on these pages can be DANGEROUS. Electricity can KILL or INJURE you, be careful and treat it with full respect. Electricity can also cause FIRES, again be careful with it. Never work on any circuit with it turned on or plugged in If you don't know anything about electronics, don't try to build these, if you want to learn check with your local college to see if they offer a class (this is worth doing anyway) Some of these circuits still hold enough of a charge to cause injury or death even when unplugged There is no guarantee that these actually will work - build at your own risk If you know anyone who has epileptic (or other) seizures, keep them away from these circuits when on, exposure to the flickering/flashing could trigger it. Do not use C7 sized lights with these or any circuit that uses a SCR or Triac to blink them. C7 sized lights have a flaw in the design that sometimes causes a short when a bulb dies, normally this is not a problem, but in this case it will blow the Triac or SCR. (miniture lights, and C9's are ok Do not attempt to control fluorescent lights, with any SCR control circuit. you will at a minimum burn out the bulbs quickly, and could cause a fire. If you have a fluorescent light that is designed to be flashed, it should be ok on a Triac controled circuit...read the light's instructions. Products such as Fluorescent Lights increase the 120volts input up to 600 or more volts... while 120volts is easily enough to cause death, this increased voltage is much more dangerous... it is even more likely to cause serious burns or DEATH. a Fluorescent Light should be considered ARMED and DANGEROUS whenever it is on (whether there are bulbs in it or not) Fluorescent Lights can also hold a charge even after being unplugged, (especially if there are no bulbs in it). If the circuit is going to be exposed make sure the case is weatherprofed. If possible put it in a shed or garage (not an attic though) and run cords to the lights, this will save the cost and trouble of weatherprofing. For the circuits that respond to sound you are going to also need a place to put a speaker right beside them. A backyard shed is a good place if it has power, and you can get sound to it (this keeps the sound 'hidden' - unless for some reason). you want music playing to the neighborhood) Some of these circuits can be annoying (part 1)... causing a slight flicker/dimming throught the entire house. this is espically true with these 'add-on' circuits, because they are controlling a heavier load (the more load, the more you dim your house) Some of these circuits can be annoying (part 1)... generating 'noise' on the power lines throught your house. this will show up as static/interferance on TV's and Radios (and that even includes when listening tape or cd players), as well as some other electric devices...this is a problem, i'm not sure what to do about it, but a noise filter may help To prevent any possible problems Do Not attach these to the same circuit as your Computer, Stereo, Or TV unless you have a good line conditioner for it I did not design any of the circuits here, but I did modify a few of them to work with standard 120vac Never overload the control circuit check the wattages page to get some idea of how much power a set takes These are only for use with standard 120 volt AC (USA, Canada, etc.) If you live in a country that uses a different voltage, do not attempt to use these. (some can be modified to work with 240v but i won't go into it here) Some of these may cause interferance on the TV or Radio. Computer controls can damage or destroy a computer if not done correctly Always have someone double check your work before connecting power to anything you've worked on. Electricity and Water do not mix. Avoid working in any area where flammable products (such as gas/ paint/etc) are stored or used Do not work with electric items when you are tired, being tired will only increase the chance of mistakes Avoid working on electric products if you have consumed any alcoholic beverages or drugs (medical or otherwise) as these will impair your ability to concentrate on your work if you become frustrated while working on something, set it down and walk away (turn off / unplug any equipment you have on) Keep your work area clean and organized. If you work in a room/ area without windows (or work at night) install a automatic backup light... that way when you blow a circuitbreaker/fuse you will not be in the dark. Do not overload Circuits/Extension cords/Lightsets/ Etc Modifying any electric product WILL VOID any warranty on it Using any electric product for other than its intended use WILL VOID any warranty on it In addition there is a chance you will void your insurance by using modified or home-built electric items, if that item causes a problem such as a fire This is only a partial list of the cautions/dangers there are many more not listed here (but still apply) Always remember... Be safe! It is not worth risking your life or home over an electric item! I can not be held responsible for any damage, death, fire, etc. resulting from the use or misuse of these circuits |
