Control Hardware
Our display uses two types of control hardware, both controlled by the same PC. See below for the controllers and functions.
Olsen 595 (48 Channels)
This is an inexpensive controller based on an approach first popularized on the Computer Christmas forums by Peter Olsen. It uses 8-bit 74HC595 logic chips,
often with power transistors controlling banks of PC board relays. The 595 connects to the PC via a parallel port, and can support over 1,024 channels, however we are only utilizing 48 channels on our
custom board. It's a quick and dirty design, with no dimming capabilities, which we have used now for 2 years. We've designed it on a breadboard prototyping board, in order to help troubleshoot and change the electronics as the display goes. We are
planning on upgrading to a more robust board in the near future.
Olsen 595 Schematic Diagram
Renard 16 (16 Channels)
This is our new modular system that supports a varying number of channels. The board that we're particularly using supports up to 16 DIMMABLE channels. It supports
256 levels of dimming, thus giving nice fading effects. It is based on the PIC 16F688 microcontroller and controlled via serial port. This board was hand-soldered
using a PCB from Do It Yourself Christmas, and parts from Mouser Electronics. Although more expensive
per channel, the overall costs are out-weighed by the performance and benefits. This board uses onboard components for handling dimming, where as larger versions
require external dimming components. All versions of the Renard are daisy chainable, for an expansive display.
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