Getting lights to FADE on?

[JohnnyL]

Hey everyone, I'll keep this short and simple... I'm going to be installing motion detectors for various aspects in my haunt but want to try and trigger some lights to FADE on, not just turn on. Any ideas?

[madmax]

I can tell you how to do this ......if you have a set of Christmas lights that has one of those little boxes that you can change the setting from chase...slow glo, flicker, fade and there's about 3 other settings on it.

I'm not talking about a expensive set of lights...or controller. I think I have a few pictures of the controller. I will see if I can find them.


(edit) Here's the lights with the controller and a picture of the controller fading 2 lights (you can fade 4 different lights one right after the other with this) and another picture showing 3 lights chasing. If you can wire up a dimmer you can do this project.
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/wkuyoungguns/light%20controller/controller001.jpg

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/wkuyoungguns/light%20controller/fade2lights.gif

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/wkuyoungguns/light%20controller/chasing.gif

[JohnnyL]

How do I wire it?

[madmax]

Most of these type of light sets have 4 strains of lights (different colors). The controller will have 7 wires. Two of the wires will have a plug that you plug into an outlet....you don't fool with those 2 wire.

Each color light will be on it's own strand.....all reds on one, all blues on one...so on and so on. That's 4 of the wires and the last one will be a common wire. The common wire wont have any lights on it.

You pull the wires apart...just enough to see each wire and the color light. Lets say the bottom light is red (could be blue, green or another color) you cut that wire right below the first light you come to.

You go to the next color light and cut the wire right below the first light...then you do the same to the other two color lights. Throw the lights away...you wont need them.

So now you have 4 short wires and the common wire. You take a female plug (cut a electrical cord in half ...like you did with the dimmer switch) strip the wires. You take one of the wires and twist it to one of the wires from the color light (any of the 4 wires). You take the other wire and twist it and the common wire together.

Now you have one plug that you can plug any type of light into and it will do what every mold you set the controller on. You do the same thing from the other 3 wires. One wire from the female goes to one of the color wires and the other goes to the common (the common wire will now have 2 wires from the female plug). Now you have 2 plugs you can use any type of light with.

You do the same with the other 2 color wires and you'll have 4 female plugs that you can plug any type of light into. When you finish...the common wire will have 4 wires connected to it (one for each female plug).

I use them to strobe color lights...regular house type lights. It's not a bright strobe but you get the same effect. I also use them to make lights dance around a room. I will put one light in each corner and one comes on right after the other...or one will fade on...then off, while another is fading on.

This also makes pretty good flicker lights and it will fade sound. I might plug in 2 cassette players and put one at the far end of a hall and one at the other end. Set the controller to fade. One comes on....then fades out and the other one comes on while the first one fades out. This gives the effect that you have something in front and in back of you.

It's fairly simple to make one of these...but remember most will only handle 120 total watts of light at one time.

[DeathTouch]

If you can't find one, try to find one of the room dimmers and hook a motor to it, putting switches at both ends.