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Lights and electronics
Index
- About Lighting Articles - lighting technology and measurements
- A History of Light and Lighting
- Dichroic Filters FAQ - multi-layer thin-film coatings deposited on a glass substrate used for light filtering
- Don Klipstein's lighting articles - bulbs, fluorescent, gas discharge lamps, LEDs, xenon flash
- Electrocal technical data for low voltage halogen lights
- Frequently asked questions about lighting measurements
- inter.Light - internet source for lighting specifiers, lighting manufacturers by product categories
- Lighting FAQ - what does candela, lumen, inderse square law, cosine law and beam angle mean
- Lighting Fundamentals - lighting upgrade manual from US EPA Office of Air and Radiation
- Lighting Fundamentals - lighting upgrade manual
- Lighting up the web - article about good lighting sites on the net
- Light Measurement Handbook
- Light Pollution Awareness Website
- Primo Lighting Management Glossary
- Publications by Radiant Imaging Personnel - information on lighting measurements
- The Lighting Library - index of lighting related reference documents that you can read online
- The Lighting Resource Articles - wide variety of lighting articles
- Tietoa valaistuksesta - information on lighting in Finnish
- Valaisinten kotelointiluokat ja käyttäpaikat - information on lighting equipment environmental protection classes in Finnish
- Valaistustekniikka - lighting technology information in Finnish
- Voltage and Lamp Flicker Issues: Should the IEEE Adopt the IEC Approach?
- World Lighting Links - categorized index of useful lighting sites on the Internet
- www.on-light.de - site about light, lamps and lighting architecture, text in German
- Light Pollution Information - Light can pollute the outdoor environment and wash away the view of stars in the sky. This curable problem and can be prevented through the application of well designed and applied outdoor lighting.
- The Dark Side of Light - Although light pollutions impact on stargazing is as clear as day, its effects on other environmental elements are just coming into focus. The evidence shows that artificial lighting has dire consequences for animal behavior, particularly on the ability to navigate at night.
General
Glossaries
FAQs
Handbooks and training manuals
Organizations
Safety
Wiring
- Ampacity Ratings for Feeder Cable - as used in USA
- Cable Amperage Guide - ratings used in USA
- Cable Specifications - what the heck is SO, SJO, SC cable
- Connector Pinouts - stage lighting equipment pinouts for XLR, DIN, D, Socapex, BICC, Bleecon and Cinch Jones connectors
- Light cables - cable wirings for Bulgin, Wieland/Harting and XLR connectors
- Mains Multipole Connectors - Bulgin, Lectriflex/Harting and Socapex connectors described
- Socapex - pictures of Socapex and cam-lok connectors, the most common connectors used in the entertainment industry today
- Stage Lighting Math - useful math to lighting designers and electricians, includes useful spreasheets for calculations
- The Master Electrician's Handbook - information boklet on stage electrician's work
- TMB Frequently Asked Questions - contains information on wire ampere ratings and connector wiring
- WPI Technical Theatre Handbook: Power
Lighting design information
- A guide to lighting the school show
- Ancient Graphics Archive - for graphic design, fashion design, jewellery design, stage design, advertising, packaging design, industrial design, multi-media production and interior design
- Color Filter Equivalency Chart - list comparing Lux, Lene, Lee, GAM, Cinegel, Getran, and Cinecolor
- Degree to S/T Ratio Table - if you want to precisely how large an area of the stage you will be lighting with an instrument you need trigonometric calculations or this table and simpler calculations
- Ein Vergleich verschiedener Scheinwerfer - information about different lamp types with good pictures but text in German, you can use automatic translation to English
- Find That Color - color filter color codes listed for Roscolux, Lee and Gam, includes conversion charts
- Keystoning Correction
- Lanterns - dimensions, weights and power ratings for some common lamp types
- Laser Effects Links Page
- Lee Filters - Strand Cinemoid Filter Conversion Chart
- Pattern Equivalency Chart - subjective list comparing GAM and Rosco
- Selecon Pacific cool light - information on theatre light which puts out cooler light beam than normal lights
- Setting up a light show - some advice about how to set up Abstract effects to get that impressive light show
- Some Advice on Stage Lighting - article from TABS, September 1966 which described on 1947 booklet
- Stage Lighting Design 101 - complete overview of art and science of stage and entertainment lighting
- Stage Lighting Fixtures
- Stage Lighting Math from Lighting & Electronics, Inc. - collection of math formulas that can prove useful to lighting designers and electricians
- Stage Lighting Tech Pages - lots of information necessary for light designer
- The International Theatre Design Archive - schene designs, costume designs and lighting designs
- The Lighting Shootout - A comparison of your automated lighting choices.
- The Strand Lantern Index - beam angles, lamp power and many other details of many lighting instruments
- Virtual Lighting Design Lab - an experiment in using the web to facilitate the visualization of a lighting design for the stage
- WPI Technical Theatre Handbook: Light Mixing
Light shows information
Lighting tips
Many productions can benefit from the use of artificially generated smoke. Commercially available machines are available that use a chemical fluid to generate smoke. The fog fluid is generally made out of glycol and water, making it relatively non-irritating and safe for use in a theatre setting. For low-lying fog effect, fog machines are often used. These machines use dry ice.
Fiber optic lighting
Link pages
Fun
Intercom system used by show people
Unsorted links
Misc
In an incandescent bulb, current heats the tungsten filament, which glows white hot. To prevent the filament from rapidly oxidizing, the bulb is filled with an inert gas, mainly argon at low pressure. Much of the energy dissipated by the filament is heat; only a little is light.
General information
A fluorescent lamp tube has argon combined with a minuscule amount of mercury.
At the low pressure within the lamp, becomes mercury vapor, even at temperatures only slightly above room ambient.
An electrical discharge ionizes the mercury vapor, which emits UV radiation. The UV radiation stimulates phosphors that coat the interior of the lamp's glass envelope, and the phosphors convert essentially all of the UV radiation to visible light.
. The conversion of electrical energy to light is much more efficient than in an incandescent lamp, and a considerably smaller fraction of the input energy is converted to heat. The color of the light that a fluorescent lamp produces depends on the composition of the lamp's phosphors.
Lamp data
Other technical information
Circuits
- 12VDC Fluorescent Lamp Driver
- 1 watt fluorescent lamp night light - simple circuit that operates from 120V AC, uses cold cathode 1W fluorescent lamp and RC network for current limiting, pdf file
- 5W fluorescent lamp intensity modulator - circuit hits the small lamp with narrow 1us pulses at a rate of 10KHz, each pulse launches about 10 watts of visible light, lamp starting method is a bit crude, pdf file
- Black Light - This circuit is a simple ultraviolate light that can be powered by a 6 volt battery or power supply that is capable of supplying 1 or more amps.
- Compact Ballast - International Rectifier application note in pdf format
- Neon Desklamp - This circuit will power a 6 inch 4 Watt fluorescent tube off a 12 volt supply, consuming 300 mA. It may also be powered by a suitably rated universal AC/DC adapter.
- Driving a fluorescent tube - runs small fluorescent tube on DC current, powered from 230V mains
- Dual monostable drives quasiresonant inverter - circuit to power a fluorescent lamp from 12V
- Flourecent Ballast Design using Passive PFC and Crest Factor Control - also available in pdf format
- Half-bridge inverter has variable frequency - modern electronic ballasts require added features, such as high-frequency preheat for filaments, nominal lamp-power control, and light-dimming capability, because output inverter operates in resonant mode, you can control the power or current of these ballasts simply by varying the switching frequency
- Inverter Circuits - circuits for driving fluorescent light bulf from low voltage source, most reverse engineered from commercial products
- Linear Ballast - International Rectifier application note in pdf format
- Neon Desklamp - power a 6 inch 4 Watt fluorescent tube off a 12 volt supply
- Powering fluorescent lamps from low voltage DC! - inverter circuits
- Preheat starter for electronic ballast - Electronic ballasts for fluorescent lamps use various techniques to turn on the bulbs. The design usually involves a compromise between turn-on voltage and lamp life because the two are inversely related. One way to reach a reasonable compromise is to initially allow a momentary inrush current to warm the filaments, followed by a series of interrupted short circuits across the lamp that generate the required high voltage to trigger the fluorescent. With a preheated filament, the necessary strike potential reduces to half.
- Simple applications of neon glow lamps: The main voltage monitor - simply a lamp that glows when the main voltage is present
- Switching regulator controls CCFT - you can control the current in a cold-cathode fluorescent tube (CCFT) and, hence, its brightness with a switching-regulator IC
- UV-Belichtungsgeraet - UV-Light-Source with tubes, text in German
HID lamps
Xenon lamps
Circuits
- LEDs move from indication to illumination - The versatile LED is now bright and colorful enough to use in applications beyond simple indicators and readouts, but you still need to grapple with issues of source drive, brightness, derating, spectral output, and viewing angle.
Dimmers today come in many styles to control different types of loads.
Proper matching of control system types to the load is very important. Not all dimmers work properly with all types of loads.
A basic light dimmer is a mains voltage controlling device which controls which amount of each mains halw wave gets to lamp and which does not. This is done by controlling the conduction angle (time after zero cross) in which the mains switching element (usually TRIAC) starts to conduct. When TRIAC starts to conduct, it will conduct up to the next zer crossing of mains voltage (time when current decreases zero). An RC network delays the trigger pulses on the gate of the TRIAC. The longer the RG time constant is, the longer it takes for the TRIAC to trigger which causes less time of conduction. Less time of conduction means less power to lamp which means less light output.
- An Experimental Cross-Fader - ideas to modify simple rotary light dimmers to make a cross-fader
- Four channel dimmer rack - 4 channels, 900W maximum per channel, 2300W maximum total, operates at 230V 50Hz mains supply, uses standard 0-10V analogue control signal
- N-channel light dimmer - schematic of 0-10V DC controlled 230V AC light dimmer in postscript format, the circuit is designed by Kari Hautio, adaptable to different channel numbers and power ratings, uses standard 0-10V analogue control signal
- LightProcessor has a circuit diagram of MP2D Dimming pack in pdf format
- LX-800 LIGHTING SYSTEM - inexpensive 8 channel lighting controller for small theatre groups or musicians, includer dimming and sequencer, sound to light, designed for 240VAC 50Hz supply, fed domestically from 3-pin 16A sockets
- LX-800 power control section - 8 channel 0-10V DC controlled dimming pack with 5A at 240V power rating per channel
- Remote Control Lighting - up to four channels of light dimmers to be remotely controlled with IR remote
Fluorescent dimming requires special planning. Dimmable ballasts, 4-pin lamps and compatible controllers are required for successful fluorescent dimming.
DMX-512 is the standard interface and protocol used used in
the theatre and entertainment industry. DMX-512 allows control systems to
communicate with dimming systems, automated luminaires, color scrollers and with other equipment.
The standard is developed by USITT at 1990. The standard is extremely simple. The interface is electrically
RS-485 bus where there is one transmitter all the timke transmitting and
multiple receives along the bus. The wiring for what DMX-512 is designed to
is 120 ohm shielded twisted pair wiring. DMX-512 is designed to use 5-pin
XLR connectors, but some implementations use 3-pin XLR connectors. The
protocol used in DMX-512 bus is similar to normal serial communications
(like RS-232 with 8 data bits + 1 stop bit) and operates at 250 kbps speed.
DMX is a very
accurately timed stream of repeating data that loops continuously. To
create this continual stream of data at 250,000 bits per second takes a
lot of processing power and finely tuned software, and as such most
commercial PC to DMX modules use on board memory and a processor to
churn the data out continuously leaving the PC free to work on levels
and update the module as required.
The receivers for DMX-512 needs to be carefully designed, because a DMX512 receiver MUST properly decode ANY possible DMX512 transmitter. If the standard does not say that a transmitter can't do something someone has designed one that does!
General information
Technical information
- DMX512 Index - protocol, connectors, using, safety and circuits
- DMX-512 Technical Resources - several very useful application notes which cover a lot of the basics of balanced serial communications as used in DMX-512 system
- Doug Fleenor Design Newsletters - contains useful DMX-512 tips
- ftp.armory.com DMX-512 hardware directory - DMX-512 technical documents and example circuits
- Going to Ground - information on general instrumentation cables, EMI, EMC, interferences, shielding, balanced line, grounding, includes case study on Lighting & Stage Control
- HAZARD ALERT -- POWER on DMX DATA LINES
- Interpretation of the DMX specification
- Why Terminate ? - Incorrect or missing termination is probably the single most common reason for faulty DMX512 systems, also available at http://business.virgin.net/tom.baldwin/dmx-why_terminate.html
DMX-512 circuits
Information on DMX-512 products
DC voltage control is very much used in simple light effects and small light dimmer systems. It is a very simple and easy to understand system which can be troubleshooted with just a multimeter.
Ethernet using twisted pair wiring is cming to the lighting industry contrlling, but the manufacturers have not yet have agred on a common Ethernet protocol. Current Ethernet standards define the pyical network and addressing, but there are no standard for the format and content of the packets to be used for lighting equipment controlling. Nowadays there are some implementations of Ethernet based light controlling but those are proprietary solutions which are not compatible with each other. Some implementions run on Ethernet level and need their own Ethernet segments, while some other rely on using TCP/IP protocol running on top of the Ethernet. Generally speaking Ethernet cabling is cheaper than currently used cablign systems and it can replace many different control cabling, so in not-too-distant future Ethernet an take an important role in theatrical and lighting control technology.
- 220 Volts Flashing Lamps - Especially designed for Christmas tree lamps to replace old thermally-activated switches
- 230V AC light flasher - flashes one light bulb at adjustable speed, in pdf format, text in Finnish
- Aircraft Light Flasher Extends Bulb Life - unusual dual-lamp flasher eliminates high-inrush currents by using one bulb's heated filament to limit the starting current for the other bulb
- Power Flasher - 220V AC light will flash at around 1Hz with a 100W bulb at a duty cycle of 50%
- Solid-state flasher has short-circuit protection - switches an inductive or resistive grounded load using a bootstrapped n-channel power MOSFET and features short-circuit, reverse-polarity, and transient-input-voltage-spike protection, operates from 18 to 30V DC, and the circuit can handle as much as approximately 10A with proper heat sinking of the FET
- The simplest blinker - very simple circuit which flashes a neon glow lamp from mains voltage
- Zero Crossing AC Switch Oscillator - The circuit shown will switch on and off a resistive or inductive 220 VAC load up to 800VA with the possibility to adjust both the on and off period
Light organs
Light organs were very popular disco light effects in the '70's and '80's. They make lights to flash to the music: one lights when there is lots of bass and other when there is lots of high frequencies etc.
Syncing lights to music beat
Other sound to light circuits
- Disco VU effect - light a big sound level meter, uses a LM3914 bargraph display driver, together with an automatic level control, 10 channels, 250W per channel, uses control at zero-crossing
- 10 stage light sequencer - flashes 10 low voltage bulbs, operatesat 10-25V voltage, in pdf format, text in Finnish
- 12 Stage Neon Sequencer (NE-2 / NE-51) - uses small power 70V neon bulbs
- Christmas Lights Flasher - originally published in ETI, December 1994
- Dynamic Lights - christmast light sequencer circuit based on PIC 12C508 microcontroller, can 5 channels and loads up to 1000W at 220V voltage
- Flashing Neons (NE-2 / NE-51) - one, two or three neon indicator bulbs can be made to flash in sequence
- Interesting Sequential Neon Flasher
- LX-800 LIGHTING SYSTEM - inexpensive 8 channel lighting controller for small theatre groups or musicians, includer dimming and sequencer, sound to light, designed for 240VAC 50Hz supply, fed domestically from 3-pin 16A sockets
- Simple 10 Stage Control Box - simple 10 channel light sequencer circuit with relay output, can be easily adapted for any number of bulbs from 1 to 10, instructions for those adaptations included
- Tehojono - circuit sequences 10 DC lamps using 10A fets, text in Finnish, pdf file
- Trafic Light Controller - controls on 3 LED traffic light sequence
- Chaser Controller - 8 channel christmas light controller which can be used with WinAmp visualization plugin from PC, each channel can be either turned on or off depending on the beat of the music
- Christmas light chaser controller - 8 channel christmas light controller based on PIC 16F84 and connected to PC serial port, controlled with Winamp plugin
- DiscoLitez - software and hardware for controlling disco lights from your PC
- K Light Controller Project - multichannel light dimmer system controlld by Linux computer, progressing project pages
- Light Computer's World - describes a project which uses Vellman kits K8000, K8003 and K2634 to make a PC controlled light system which can control 16 small 100W spots and 8 PAR64 500W spots, text written in French but you can use automatic translation to English
- MIDI controlled switches - can drive up to 128 individual relais, solenoids, motors, etc. with a MIDI note-on and note-off messages
- Multimedia Electronic Crib - microcontroller based light controller which generates sequence of day-night with light fading, optional serial control interface, based on 87C51
- Parallel Port Central - information on using PC parallel port for I/O and Windows drivers for that, useful for your own circuit interfacing
- Parallel Port PC Relay Board with 8 Relays - 8 relays each capable of switching 12VDC/10A or 240VAC/5A, each relay has an LED to indicate when it is operated, kit from Amazon Electronics, download software for Windows 3.1 and DOS
- PC based lighting control - short pointer to each of the available commercial PC based lighting console systems
- PC Parallel Port Relay Board
- PC Serial Port Receiver - designed to control a 32 channel Christmas light show from the PC serial port
- Planet Christmas - information on large computerized homebuilt Christmas light system
- Semiconductor Relay Circuit - and how to drive them from PC parallel port
- Serial Isolated I/O Module - 8-Relay Module (mains rated - to 250VAC), kit K108 from kitsrus.com
- Simple circuit and program to show how to use PC parallel port output capabilities - includes instructions how to connect a relay to PC parallel port
- Switched Relay Board for 5/10A Relay - switches on the relay when input voltage reaches 2.5V, suitable for interfacing to PC parallel port, kit from Amazon Electronics
- Valaistuksen ohjaukset - information on light controlling using computer, text in Finnish
Light level controlled switches
Audio controller switches
IR remote controlled switches
Radio controlled switches
- Ensemble domestique HF 4 voies - 4 channel radio remote controller which controls 4 relays, text in French, try automatic transtation to English
- Four-way remote control uses series transmission - four channel remote controller system which uses 433 MHz band
- R/C Switch - This circuit is a so-called "Radio Controlled Electronic Switch". It can be used to switch on/off anything electrical, whatever it is. Here are a couple of examples: navigation lights, landing gear, sound systems, glowplug driver, bomb release, parachute, search lights, gyros, and so on. This circuits connects to a RC car controller servo output.
Load sensing switches
- Load Sensing Automatic Switch - apply power to the entire audio system by turning on one item, simple circuit
- Mains Power Switcher - allows you to turn all the equipment on or off, by operating the switch on just one item, unit works by sensing if current is being drawn from the master socket, if so it powers up the other (slave) sockets
Other circuits
A stroboscope is a special kind of light that flashes in a very regular way. Each flash of the strobe light is the result of an electrical discharge (sort of like a spark) traveling through the special gas contained in the strobe "flash bulb".
The electrical current flowing through the gas causes it to emit light.
The same principle is used in electronic camera flash units, with
difference that they normally only flash once and the flash energy is
is quite large (makes very bright flash).
Usually the discharge happens very quickly, lasting
only a tiny fraction of a second.
WARNING: Strobes can be DANGEROUS and can induce epileptic fits. Use sparingly and with caution.
Documents and resource pages
Strobo circuits
- 12V stroboscope circuit
- Adjustable Strobe Light - 120V mains power source, up to 20 Hz flash rate
- Adjustable Strobe Light - strobe circuti powered from 120V AC
- Disco style Strobe Light - low power, works on 110VAC
- Hacking the Kodak Max Single Use Flash Camera into a Self-Repeating Strobe
- How to build your own stroboscope - construction document with also case construction details
- Line powered xenon flash transmitter - line powered xenon flash circuit drives a small camera type flash tube, up to 20 Hz flash rate, uses external flash trigger signal for controlling, operates on 120V AC
- Mini pocket stroboscope circuit - works from two 1.5V AA batteries, based on modified camera flash unit
- Mini Stroboscope - low power stroboscope that operates from 220V AC
- Odd application of neon glow lamps: The stroboscope - neon glow lamps can also be used only for their U/I characteristic and not for producing light, here for controlling the triggering the xenon tube
- Strobe Light - simple 120 VAC powered circuit
- Strobe Light - works from 115V AC line
- Strobo system - Externally triggerable strobo system powered from 12V DC. This ZIP file includes full Protel 99SE design file and PDF versions of all required information (including schematics and PCB design) to build strobo by yourself.
- Strobovalo - stroboscope circuit which operates at 9-12V power, text in Finnish
- Variable intensity variable frequency stroboscope
- Welch Scientific Model 2153C Stroboscope - a schematic for a typical line operated variable rate stroboscope used for the visualization of moving parts as well as rotation speed or frequency determination of rotating or vibrating machinery
- Xenon Strobe Light - designed as a companion to the LX-800 lighting controller, but can also be used by itself (or with any other lighting controller), includes plan internal isolated and external flash rate controller, designed to operate from 120V or 240V mains voltages (cirucit adaptable for both voltages)
Strobo trigger and control circuits
Power supplies for stroboscopes
Information on camera flash units
A typical camera flash tube will usually produces a flash which lasts about one millisecond. The energy used to produce the short flash comes from discharging a special capacitor, charged to several hundred volts.
Camera flash circuits
Most of the LED flasher circutis can be used as general purpose light controlling circuits if the LEDs are replaced with an optocoupler which is connected to the power controlling electronics (like transistor, relay or triac).
Simple blinkers
Sequencer and chaser circuits
Multicolor LED controlling
Misc circuits
- 28 LED Clock Timer - programmable clock timer circuit that uses individual LEDs to indicate hours and minutes
- 8x8 LEDmatriisi - LED matrix circuit board
- Another Juggling Glo Device
- Fading Red Eyes - can be used to slowly illuminate and fade a pair of red LEDs
- Fantastic Atom Expander - "exploding atom" effect using 98 LEDs
- LED Mood Light - this LED circuit makes a nice lamp that is low power, runs cool, and has a long lifetime, operates from 12V, puts out a warm yellow shade of light, the color may be adjusted by changing the number of red or green LED strings
- Led Pilot Light - LED current is constant between 6 and 8 mA at 5 to 30Vdc
- McMurtrie's self powered flashing LED - circuit which uses a LED as solar panel to charge a capacitor which flashes a LED, the LED will blink when the circuit is placed in bright light
- Single FET controls LED array - White-LED backlights are gaining acceptance because they offer higher reliability and simpler drive circuitry than backlights based on CCFL (cold-cathode-fluorescent-lamp) and EL (electroluminescent) technology. This circuit shows a switch-mode boost design that regulates current instead of voltage and switching off individual LEDs or groups of LEDs is not a problem.
- Stroboscopic Tachometer using LED - use a LED, resistor and function generator to make a very small stroboscope
Building lamps out of LEDs
- Economical circuit drives white LEDs - this circuit provides a means of efficiently controlling LED current in a series-connected string
- Ledilamppu - lamp built using LEDs, uses 4-8V DC, text in Finnish
- LED Mood Light - This circuit makes a nice lamp that is low power, runs cool, and has a long lifetime, based on LEDs and runs from 12V DC
- LED Torch - A white LED torch that consumes just 24 mW
- Single cell lights any LED - This circuit allows you to light any type of LED from a single cell whose voltage ranges from 1 to 1.5V. This range accommodates alkaline, carbon-zinc, NiCd, or NiMH single cells. The circuit's principal application is in LED-based flashlights, such as a red LED in an astronomer's flashlight, which doesn't interfere with night vision. White LEDs make handy general-purpose flashlights. You can use the circuit in Figure 1 with LEDs ranging from infrared (1.2V) to blue or white (3.5V).
- Special Lighting - experiments with white LEDs
- White LED Flashlight
Other light projects
Here is a small list to pages which contain information on ready made
electronics kits which might be usable for experimenters who want
to build light controlling electronics themselves. Sometimes it is
a good idea to use ready made design for the parts which are directly
connected to mains voltage. If you would rather build ready made light
controlling electronics then it is best to check
lighting companies link page and
laser links page.
Related pages
www.epanorama.net <webmaster@epanorama.net>
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