Since this page was written, we have converted to a commercially available product.  I will leave this page up as reference only to anyone who may wish to build their own controllers.

We computerized the display in 2005, and continue to add to it each year.  We made it into more of a challenge than it had to be as I wanted to build the hardware myself, rather than buying a commercially available product.  In 2008 we dismantled the original panel, and built a new LOR controlled panel.  It offers many features that were not available on the SSR panel.  You can check out the construction photos on our 2008 pics page.  After the 2009 season, we dismantled this panel, and have gone solely with LOR controllers.  Our greatly reduced panel is now power distribution only.

In addition to the computer, we also have 2 NOMA controllers which we beefed up.  They can now handle 15 amps, rather than the 125 watts they're designed for.

There are many different ways of computerizing, from building a simple 8 channel parallel box yourself, right up to buying a commercially available controller complete with software.  Just plug that one in, and you're ready to go.  Costs will vary, of course, depending on which way you'd like to go.  We decided to initially go with a 96 channel DIO (Digital Input/Output) card running LOR (Light-O-Rama) software.

There are several different setups, but the most common are Serial, parallel, multi channel DIO, or an over the counter, ready to go box. 

Unless you buy a pre-made controller......you will need to acquire one Solid State Relay (SSR) per channel you want to build.  These are kind of pricey (about $25 each), but deals can be found on eBay if you look long enough.  I bought most of mine for just over $2 each.  What the SSR does is switch 110VAC (household current) with 5 VDC control voltage (computer). 

When connecting the relays, terminals 1 & 2 are for the load.  One goes to the power source, the other to the load.  It doesn't matter which is which.  Terminal 3 is the control (to the computer +5VDC), and terminal 4 is the common back to the computer.  When 5VDC is applied to terminal 3, terminal 1 & 2 will short, allowing the 110VAC to pass.  This is basically the electronic equivalent to a light switch.

Here is a schematic of a typical serial box

With a parallel configuration...up to 3 parallel ports with 8 channels each can be connected to a single PC. The biggest advantage to a parallel configuration is its simplicity. The biggest drawback, is the lack of growth potential. Although it is possible to have more, you are basically limited to only having 24 channels. This is a typical parallel configuration.

Here is a schematic of a typical parallel box

With a DIO configuration......each relay has a unique path from the PC to the relay. This is done by using a special card and a ribbon cable to each control box or relay. This is a typical DIO configuration

Here is a schematic of a typical DIO box

There are several companies out there that do provide an 'over the counter' type setup, however, the only ones I have seen are from Light-O-Rama.  This is what we have now converted to.  Simply connect your PC, load the software, and you're ready to go.  If you were to pay retail for SSR's, it would actually be cheaper to buy a standalone type setup.  They also have the advantage of being able to fade lights, rather than having a simple on/off.  Unless you're totally bent about building one yourself (like I was), this would probably be the best way to go. 

In past years, we have also made the display interactive.  We decided rather than running the show continuously, we would do 1 song, then a break, then carry on.  During this break, 12 buttons along the fence light and become interactive.  They control several different parts, and the kids seem to love figuring out what they do.