A really silly idea involving marker lights... (electronics experts please read)

[Jeremy]

Ok, so yesterday I was busy making up some little fibreglass 'recesses' to enable my marker lights to sit flush with the bodywork. The marker lights are the standard 24v LED types, and I've got 26 of them equally spaced all round the roof of the bus. Whilst I was working I had a thought - what would be involved in building a system to make the lights 'dance' in a pre-programmed sequence? Nothing too complicated, maybe just each LED flashing in turn so that the light 'chased it's tail' around the bus. It goes without saying that you wouldn't do this whilst driving down the road, but it might be cool when entering a campsite for instance.

I know companies such as Light-O-Rama sell devices to control millions of Christmas tree lights by computer, but I'm thinking of a simple fixed circuit, probably using an off-the-shelf chip. Is this practical? Or should I stop worrying about fripperies like this and get back to my welding?

Jeremy

[Len Silva]

Electronically, there is no problem, a pretty simple task.

Legally, I think there would be major issues, at least in the U.S. with DOT requirements.  Continuously flashing lights while moving are generally prohibited.

[HighTechRedneck]

As long as you didn't use them that way while on the road, you would be ok.

Something like this would work:

http://www.cibomahto.com/2008/02/thing-a-day-day-2-light-chaser/

The one shown is only controlling 4 groups of LEDs but using the same concept you could control as many as you wanted.

To deal with the 24v and the higher current draw of high output LED's, you could use sufficiently rated transistors to drive the LED's with their gates driven by the demux. A second transistor on each LED group with its gate driven by the marker light switch would give the ability to turn them all on for driving.

While playing on the silly side, for more fun in the future, you could add a third transistor per group and drive it from a circuit to make your lights dance to music.

[cody]

for about 50 bucks you can get a lighting controler from Chavet that will make them go with the music or chase, you can find several at www.northernlightfx.com

[boogiethecat]

Do it with RGB leds then you can make lots of colors too!  Then when you get it done, bring it to Burning Man, you'll fit right in!!

[Hartley]

What ever you decide to do, Make a wiring diagram so someone else can fix it when it breaks. Hide copies all over the coach too! ( lest you forget!!)

Adding a diode array to bypass the controller wouldn't be a bad idea so when the controller messes up you can still feed power to the lights.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

"Whilst"  and "Fripperies", You gotta love that!!!!

[NewbeeMC9]

Dont for get to add something underneath like http://www.realtruck.com/product/75447/putco_pure_led_under_vehicle_strobe_lights_900604_plastic_led_base_multi-color.html  (i found from google)

[Dreamscape]

Someone has way to much time on his hands!

I like the dancing lights with music idea, although not my taste.

When I installed some rope lighting inside our lounge are my wife said it looked like the Paramount Theater! I just turn them on when she's not around! HA

That's why we do things Our Way!

Paul

[Jeremy]

Thanks for all the replies. It sounds doable - it'll be a while before all the marker lights are installed, so I've got time to decide whether I really want to do it. If I do it's going to consume an awful lot of wire!

Jeremy

[TomC]

In the US, the side marker lights have to be visible to the front and rear-hence flush mount lights are not used (maybe you should check you laws also before spending all that time).  On my truck, I had my upper clearance lights and lower clearance lights wired on separate switches.  When saying thank you after passing a truck, I could turn both off then alternate then up and down a couple of times that made a nice effect.  I'm wiring my truck conversion the same way.  Good Luck, TomC

[Jeremy]

Fair point, but I've taken account of that - the black plastic body of the markers is recessed (albeit the black bit is only 1/4" deep), so the bottom of the lenses are level with the bodywork. The lenses are only shallow, but nevertheless all that there is of them is fully exposed beyond the bodywork, so will be as visible from all directions as they were designed to be.

You could argue that losing 1/4" of black plastic isn't worth the trouble, but it's all the little details that makes the end result.

Jeremy