Parallax Neon Sign Display

Chris Savage

Of course I can't find it now in my plethora of video files, but a few days ago I was showing·a Client some Parallax Videos I had downloaded from the website a long time ago...In there was a video of a Neon Sign from a show that was the Parallax Logo, doing all kinds of neat display effects.

If anyone from Parallax knows what I'm talking about, I was wondering, was that running off a BS1 or BS2, and also how it was switching the individual segments of the Neon Lamps (Relays, SSR?)...Is a schematic available?· It gave myClient an interesting idea and a reason to buy some Parallax products.



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Chris Savage

Knight Designs
324 West Main Street
P.O. Box 97
Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-6777

Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
·

Jon Williams

I know about that -- I wrote the code!

It runs on a BS2p. I used the BS2p simply for speed as part of the delay routine actually goes out and checks an IR receiver for codes from a TV (the BS2p does the Sony·IRC decoding)·remote which is used to control cycle speed and which·cycle (pattern)·is running. The code was written in PBASIC 2.0 syntax (will be simpler when I have time to update to 2.5).

We used and OPTO-22 interface to turn on each element of the displays (all letters are separate). This all came about as my boss (Ken Gracey) and I popped into a neon shop to see if there was a neon tube that could switch on without delay (unlike the flickering we're used to with office lights). The guy who owned the shop showed us that this was possible with the right ballasts and we commissioned him to build the tubes for us. Anyone who visits our California office can see the display in action.

I've attached the (old) code -- I don't have a schematic because it it so straightforward and we simply connected the neon circuits to the OTPO-22 board (with appropriate modules installed, of course).

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
Dallas Office

Post Edited (Jon Williams) : 11/4/2004 5:52:48 PM GMT

Bean

Jon,
Any chance of a link to the video that Chris talked about ?

Bean.

Jon Williams

I do not have that; sorry.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
Dallas Office

Chris Savage

Thanks Jon...While we were talking about the possibility of this guy doing his Neon Project, I was talking about when I used to DJ years ago how we had built a lighting controller for the light system, which was mostly different colored 110VAC Spotlight Lamps.· Back then I used cherry switches to control relays which switched the individual lights on/off inside the cabinets.· As you can imagine the wiring for this was a nightmare, and required the lights to be right in front of the table.

We're DJing again years later and I was actually thinking of building my own lightning controller using a BS2 or BS2P40...It would have auto/manual modes for the lights etc.· But I am still trying to decide on a method of switching the lights on/off that can be more easily controlled remotely using TTL signals...

Normally the only high-powered devices I build are Power Amplifiers...So in terms of lighting I haven't done much on the higher-voltage stuff using logic-level interfaces...So many choices...TRIACS...SSRs...

So I have to add that to the project list, and your NEON SIGN code does some of what I will be doing with the lighting.· What modules did you use on the OPTO-22 board, if you don't mind my asking?

If we build a full-fledged lighting controller, we'll post the schematics and code on our project website.



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Chris Savage

Knight Designs
324 West Main Street
P.O. Box 97
Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-6777

Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
·

Jon Williams

We used modules that would handle the 120 VAC loads that we plugged in. I don't remember the current rating -- maybe someone in our California office can go look at the sign and tell you.

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
Dallas Office

Chris Savage

I just meant, were they SSRs?



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Chris Savage

Knight Designs
324 West Main Street
P.O. Box 97
Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-6777

Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
·

Jon Williams

Yes, the OPTO-22 modules are in-fact SSRs (optically islolated, of course).

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Jon Williams
Applications Engineer, Parallax
Dallas Office

Chris Savage

Thanks Jon!· BTW, that was a good selection of patterns on that display!· Good work!



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Chris Savage

Knight Designs
324 West Main Street
P.O. Box 97
Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-6777

Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
·

dandreae

Hi guys,

The relay modules are rated at 3 amps.· Here is a link with more information:

http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=27322

Dave

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Dave Andreae

Tech Support
dandreae@parallax.com
www.parallax.com

·

Donivan

Have you thought about using Electroluminescent wire (EL-Wire) instead of Neon? It's almost as bright and uses DC-powered inverters. Very flexible, and you can get a variety of colors. I'll be using that for an art project using either a BS2sx or a Rabbit module. I could show you some photos if you're interested.

-Donivan

Bean

Yeah,
I was playing around with some of the blue stuff. I'd like to see the photos.

Bean.

Chris Savage

I will be running a similar project myself using standard incadescent bulbs...The Neon thing was a Client's project.· I don't know exactly what he's got in mind.· My project will be a lighting contoller for our DJ business for the lights...Although I haven't decided what I will use to switch the lights on/off yet.· I/O Modules are rather expensive.



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Chris Savage

Knight Designs
324 West Main Street
P.O. Box 97
Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-6777

Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
·

Ken Gracey

Chris,

I was poking around our network and I found the schematic for the neon display sign (attached). This sign is operating in our demonstration room at the Parallax office. I think it is the best demo we ever made using our products (of course, I made it. . duh. . with Jon's programming help as usual). Jon had the basic code working in an afternoon but the assembly of the sign took several days.

The infrared remote numbers 0-9 select the blinking pattern and the channel up/down adjusts the speed. We had a lot of fun putting it together. The neon person I hired to make the individual letters subsequently went out of business, though. He told me that he often took on interesting projects "one too many times" like our logo neon sign with individual power supplies.

For what it's worth, neon handles quick on-off control very well. In fact, one of our customers made a Stamp-controlled neon sign for a shopping mall in So. California:

http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/resources/custapps/app_better_mousetrap.asp

Works in a very similar fashion.

Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.

John Raplee, Jr

····· Oh my.· Chris made a "Better Mousetrap".· I must say I like Chrises much more.· He did however have a mouse or "POW" as he calls it, eat a hole through it, and got out...· Still he ended up being caught.· · Anyhow, You can see Chrises Mousetrap here : http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris/mousetrap.htm·.· Chris makes some really cool stuff, and has a talent for this stuff, as you have probably noticed by now.· He has given me the interest in learning a bit of this Stamp stuff....· I am going to get one of the Learner kits here, soon.· Anyhow, just figured I'd post..

Ken Gracey (Parallax) said...
Chris,

I was poking around our network and I found the schematic for the neon display sign (attached). This sign is operating in our demonstration room at the Parallax office. I think it is the best demo we ever made using our products (of course, I made it. . duh. . with Jon's programming help as usual). Jon had the basic code working in an afternoon but the assembly of the sign took several days.

The infrared remote numbers 0-9 select the blinking pattern and the channel up/down adjusts the speed. We had a lot of fun putting it together. The neon person I hired to make the individual letters subsequently went out of business, though. He told me that he often took on interesting projects "one too many times" like our logo neon sign with individual power supplies.

For what it's worth, neon handles quick on-off control very well. In fact, one of our customers made a Stamp-controlled neon sign for a shopping mall in So. California:

http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/resources/custapps/app_better_mousetrap.asp

Works in a very similar fashion.

Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.

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My Computer Specs
_______
"I had no professional training, I gave it my all, I have no regrets" -William Hung
_______

Chris Savage

Ken, thanks for posting the schematic...I will show it to the Client who was here when I played the video.· Should give him·an appreciation for the simplicity of the design, given the power of the display.· It would be interesting to see a Video of the other Neon Sign you posted the link to.· I have seen it before, but there's not enough detail in the photo to really make it out.

John, there are several people on this forum who have made their own interesting projects too.· Just as you see mine as inspiration, you will find others on here who have posted links to their own projects.· I have found myself inspired by others work too!



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Chris Savage

Knight Designs
324 West Main Street
P.O. Box 97
Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-6777

Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
·

John Raplee, Jr

Chris Savage said...

Ken, thanks for posting the schematic...I will show it to the Client who was here when I played the video.· Should give him·an appreciation for the simplicity of the design, given the power of the display.· It would be interesting to see a Video of the other Neon Sign you posted the link to.· I have seen it before, but there's not enough detail in the photo to really make it out.

John, there are several people on this forum who have made their own interesting projects too.· Just as you see mine as inspiration, you will find others on here who have posted links to their own projects.· I have found myself inspired by others work too!

I know, I am just partial to you I guess.

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My Computer Specs
_______
"I had no professional training, I gave it my all, I have no regrets" -William Hung
_______

Donivan

Here's an image of some EL-Wire on an art car and a costume. This is at night with no ambient light, so it will seem a lot brighter than if there were some light pollution.



-Donivan

Harry Stoner

Donivan that is a very cool photo. Like a bug, I am attracted to the light ...

Harry

Donivan

Thanks! My most recent BS1 project involves the spinning "beacon" thing on the top of the art car. I'm going to control those light segments as it spins.

Well, that's the theory anyway....now on to implementation....

Ken Gracey

Hello,

We posted the details of the Parallax neon display here: http://www.parallax.com/html_pages/resources/custapps/app_neon.asp for future reference.

Donivan, if you have some details about your neon display send them over!

Ken Gracey
Parallax, Inc.