Building chasing airport lights -- Attn: Jim Weir?

Jay,

There are inexpensive christmas light sequencers available. They generally use
3 circuits with every third bulb on the same circuit. I had one a few years ago
that had a switch to select chase, random or all on, and a knob to vary the
rate. Cost no more than 3 or 4 bucks and came with the lights.

That is a little bit different than the rabbit, which has only one light on at a
time, so it may not achieve the effect you are looking for. A possible low
tech solution would be a motor driving a cam that closes a series of
microswitches in sequence...easy enough to produce by someone with a little bit
of mechanical talent and not much electrical know-how. A higher tech solution
would be to use electronics consisting of a programable logic device and a set
of solid state switches to switch the current. Could also be done with a
computer with a relay card plugged into it, but would need a little bit of
programming to make it work (such relay cards are available from electronics
firms like Jameco). The computer solution would be a bit of overkill, but could
be done with off the shelf stuff.

Jay Honeck wrote:

Today a pilot-guest had the coolest idea for the side-entrance to our lobby:
"Chasing" lights recessed in the drop-ceiling tiles, leading to the main
lobby area, that look just like the "rabbit" lights that lead to the
approach end of a runway!

(Background: Over half of our guests come in the "wrong" door to our lobby,
which leads more directly to the pilot's lounge than to the reservation
desk. As a result, we've often got people milling around looking "lost" in
the pilot's lounge. These chasing lights would "lead" them to the correct
area, and be really cool looking, too.)

So, I stopped at the local Rat Shack, and found the perfect little 12 volt
blue lights, 1/2 inch in diameter. (Blue would be a bit toned-down from
white strobes!) It would be a simple matter to drill 1/2 inch holes in the
ceiling tiles, every 12 inches or so, and push them through the tiles from
above so that only the blue "dome" was sticking out through the hole. I
think 12 volt lighting would be safer in the ceiling than 120 volt Christmas
lights, as a couple of people have suggested...

Here's the problem: How to sequence them? The guys at Radio Shack had NO
advice at all -- they were all stumped. The lights should flash
sequentially pretty fast, but I think they'd look pretty stupid if they
weren't coordinated properly. I'd also want to incorporate a motion
detector on/off switch, so that they weren't running all the time.

Anyone got any ideas? Are there affordable electronic "sequencers"
available? Is this something RST Engineering could build for me, Jim?

Thanks!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:7hHPb.118019$I06.863908@attbi_s01...
| And if that person is a pilot and has to explain things at his next
| medical, he's
| not going to like you very much. How 'bout a simple arrow or sign
pointing
| the
| way?
|
| Crikey, you guys are like hanging out with my great aunt, when it comes to
| fun.
|
| I suppose someone might cut themselves on the P-51 parts in our Mustang
| suite, and I'll bet someone else could choke on one of our bagels, too.

Well, since we are relegated to the "roll" of great aunt, let's talk about
those bagels...

You don't want any signs pointing the way to bagels, as noted in today's
Wall Street Journal (Jan 22, 2004). You could get arrested for having such
signs, at least in Redmond, WA. Seems the bagel shop committed the horrible
felony of having an employee stand out in front wearing a sign pointing the
way to the shop, which is located on a side street and hard to find. WSJ
dryly pointed out that America has finally become a place where Larry
Flynt's porno magazines have more constitutional protection to free speech
than a guy who just wants to sell bagels.

I suppose next I will be arrested on the streets of Redmond for wearing my
ball cap that says "Waddling Eagle, World Famous CFI" on it, or maybe for
wearing a shirt with a Cessna logo. Of course, Redmond is the city that
bills itself "The Bicycle Capital of the World" and bans bicycles from
nearly all of its parks and watershed areas. It is the sort of town that
would build an airport just so they could ban airplanes from using it.

You don't want any signs pointing the way to bagels, as noted in today's
Wall Street Journal (Jan 22, 2004). You could get arrested for having such
signs,

We've already got laws like that on the books, here in the "Republik of Iowa
City".

It seems the "green" folks don't want big signs visible anywhere, because it
would mar the view. (Of what, no one will say.) Because of this law, we
were not allowed to put up a "Grand Opening" banner when we opened in August
of 2002.

I am not kidding.

And people wonder why China is kicking our ass in the business world.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"C J Campbell" wrote in message ...

If the lights are too bright they will indeed induce seizures in the
susceptible. Red lights and white lights are worse than the blue lights you
propose. This is a problem at theme parks where a lot of rides have flashing
and chasing lights. You will often see signs warning epileptics of the
danger, but under the right circumstances these lights have induced seizures
in persons not known to have had epilepsy. I suspect that having the lights
overhead will increase the level of discomfort.

The city of Las Vegas must require one whoppin' big disclaimer
before they let you off the plane :-)

John Galban=====N4BQ (PA28-180)

I missed the original post on this one...can anybody repost it for me?

And to those of you who want to use microcontrollers and fancy
logic...THWPPTTTTT. One fifty cent CMOS chip and a fe bipolar transistor
drivers will do just fine, thank you.


Jim



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Here's the short version, Jim:

I want to build/install a line of blue "chasing" lights, like the "rabbit"
lights that lead to the arrival end of the runway, in our hallway ceiling.
They will lead people from our over-used "wrong" door (the one that goes
into the pilot's lounge, if you recall) directly to our lobby front desk.
They will be activated by a motion sensor, so they don't run 24/7.

These lights will be installed in the ceiling tiles, one every couple of
feet or so. I've found some perfect blue ones at Rat Shack, 1/2 inch
diameter, 12 volt, that would be simple to push through a 1/2 inch hole
drilled in the ceiling tiles. (Others have suggested LEDs instead.)

The problem in a nutshell: How to sequence them?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"
"Jim Weir" wrote in message
...
I missed the original post on this one...can anybody repost it for me?

And to those of you who want to use microcontrollers and fancy
logic...THWPPTTTTT. One fifty cent CMOS chip and a fe bipolar transistor
drivers will do just fine, thank you.


Jim



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Jim Weir wrote:
I missed the original post on this one...can anybody repost it for me?

And to those of you who want to use microcontrollers and fancy
logic...THWPPTTTTT. One fifty cent CMOS chip and a fe bipolar transistor
drivers will do just fine, thank you.


Jim



Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

Basically, Jay wants to implement a "rabbit" in his hotel
with some small bulbs in the ceiling.

Well, ok but the little mcu I'm thinking of will run at 8 mips,
needs no xtal, has 16 i/o lines, has an 8 chan 10 bit a/d,
2 high speed pwm channels, timers, power supply monitoring,
is a 20 pin dip, costs $1.50,
can be programmed "in situ", and will support high level
language!

Even for really simple devices, it seems the days of
discrete logic are over! 8-)

(Not to mention the relative ease of making changes in
software vs. hardware)

Tom Pappano, PP-ASEL-IA

Tom Pappano wrote:
Well, ok but the little mcu I'm thinking of will run at 8 mips,
needs no xtal, has 16 i/o lines, has an 8 chan 10 bit a/d,
2 high speed pwm channels, timers, power supply monitoring,
is a 20 pin dip, costs $1.50,
can be programmed "in situ", and will support high level
language!


Sounds cool. Is that price for Qty 1? Got a part number?

Well, ok but the little mcu I'm thinking of will run at 8 mips,
needs no xtal, has 16 i/o lines, has an 8 chan 10 bit a/d,
2 high speed pwm channels, timers, power supply monitoring,
is a 20 pin dip, costs $1.50,
can be programmed "in situ", and will support high level
language!

Even for really simple devices, it seems the days of
discrete logic are over! 8-)

You call this "relative ease," Tom? I don't even know what the hell you're
talking about!

Tell you what -- you build this thing, and when you bring it to Iowa City,
your night in any suite (whichever era you prefer) is free!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

WAIT A MINNITT...

I just told them how to do it. Somebody said they can follow my plans and they
can do it.

And you give THEM a free room?

What is wrong with this picture?




"Jay Honeck"
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

-
-
-Tell you what -- you build this thing, and when you bring it to Iowa City,
-your night in any suite (whichever era you prefer) is free!

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com