Stop Light Design

[[email protected]]

I have aquired an old street stop light. The problem I have is that
all of the lights stay on when I plug it in. I would like to make the
light squentially turn on and off green, yellow, red, green... Like a
regular stop light. I would think this would be fairly simple and
inexpensive to do, however, the guys at radio shack seem to think it
would be rather difficult. Thanks for any help in advance.

Jon
marketing(removethis)@thejrcgroup.com

 

[Jim Thompson]

I have aquired an old street stop light. The problem I have is that
all of the lights stay on when I plug it in. I would like to make the
light squentially turn on and off green, yellow, red, green... Like a
regular stop light. I would think this would be fairly simple and
inexpensive to do, however, the guys at radio shack seem to think it
would be rather difficult. Thanks for any help in advance.

Jon
marketing(removethis)@thejrcgroup.com

"the guys at radio shack" WOULD seem to think that it would be
difficult... they would probably have trouble figuring out how to
strike a match ;-)

...Jim Thompson

 

[martin griffith]

"the guys at radio shack" WOULD seem to think that it would be
difficult... they would probably have trouble figuring out how to
strike a match ;-)

...Jim Thompson

555, into a dual D typeflip flop, into 2 pins of a 138, opto triacs,
quickest thing I could think of, probably wrong


martin


Opinions are like assholes -- everyone has one

 

[John Fields]

I have aquired an old street stop light. The problem I have is that
all of the lights stay on when I plug it in. I would like to make the
light squentially turn on and off green, yellow, red, green... Like a
regular stop light. I would think this would be fairly simple and
inexpensive to do, however, the guys at radio shack seem to think it
would be rather difficult. Thanks for any help in advance.

Brute force quick and dirty:

start: 555 #1 turns on and drives the red TRIAC and turns the red
light on for ever how long you want it to be on. When it times
out it stops driving the red TRIAC and turns on 555 #2, which
drives the yellow TRIAC and turns the yellow light on for ever
how long you want it to be on. When it times out it stops
driving the yellow TRIAC and turns on 555 #3, which drives the
green TRIAC and turns the green light on for ever how long
you want it to be on. When it times out it stops
driving the green TRIAC and turns on 555 #1.

goto start.

 

[John Fields]

555, into a dual D typeflip flop, into 2 pins of a 138, opto triacs,
quickest thing I could think of, probably wrong

 

[[email protected]]

I have aquired an old street stop light.

Can you tell us where you acquired it? I'd like to know if there are
any corners where I ought to drive really carefully.

 

[martin griffith]

On 28 Mar 2005 12:44:23 -0800, [email protected] wrote:

Lets do it with a quad opamp, the bob pease way....


martin


Opinions are like assholes -- everyone has one

 

[John Fields]

Can you tell us where you acquired it? I'd like to know if there are
any corners where I ought to drive really carefully.

 

[Mark]

the controller turns the lights on in sequence. if you just have the
light without the controller, you need to wire each socket with it's
own wire, and control each light by itself.

mark

 

[Bob Stephens]

Brute force quick and dirty:

start: 555 #1 turns on and drives the red TRIAC and turns the red
light on for ever how long you want it to be on. When it times
out it stops driving the red TRIAC and turns on 555 #2, which
drives the yellow TRIAC and turns the yellow light on for ever
how long you want it to be on. When it times out it stops
driving the yellow TRIAC and turns on 555 #3, which drives the
green TRIAC and turns the green light on for ever how long
you want it to be on. When it times out it stops
driving the green TRIAC and turns on 555 #1.

goto start.

I think that once you get the switching/timing working, you should hack
in one of those IR proximity sensors used in security lighting so that
when someone walks into the room the signal goes from green to yellow to
red.


Bob

 

[John Fields]

Lets do it with a quad opamp, the bob pease way....


martin


Opinions are like assholes -- everyone has one

 

[John Fields]

I think that once you get the switching/timing working, you should hack
in one of those IR proximity sensors used in security lighting so that
when someone walks into the room the signal goes from green to yellow to
red.

 

[John Tserkezis]

I think that once you get the switching/timing working, you should hack
in one of those IR proximity sensors used in security lighting so that
when someone walks into the room the signal goes from green to yellow to
red.

The hand is no longer listening, talk to the red light instead. ;-)

 

[Ken Taylor]

What sort of room do you have, John?

Ken

 

[Ken Taylor]

Can you tell us where you acquired it? I'd like to know if there are
any corners where I ought to drive really carefully.

Personally I feel you ought to drive really carefully around them all, but
then again I am in a city where you'd swear that traffic lights (and the
traffic laws generally) are fairly optional.

Ken

 

[Aubrey McIntosh, Ph.D.]

Nah. Flashing green.

 

[John Fields]

What sort of room do you have, John?

Ken

 

[John Fields]

Personally I feel you ought to drive really carefully around them all, but
then again I am in a city where you'd swear that traffic lights (and the
traffic laws generally) are fairly optional.

 

[Mark Jones]

Brute force quick and dirty:

start: 555 #1 turns on and drives the red TRIAC and turns the red
light on for ever how long you want it to be on. When it times
out it stops driving the red TRIAC and turns on 555 #2, which
drives the yellow TRIAC and turns the yellow light on for ever
how long you want it to be on. When it times out it stops
driving the yellow TRIAC and turns on 555 #3, which drives the
green TRIAC and turns the green light on for ever how long
you want it to be on. When it times out it stops
driving the green TRIAC and turns on 555 #1.

goto start.

* PIC16F84 microcontroller: www.microchip.com - about $1.00
* JAL compiler: www.groups.yahoo.com/jallist
* PIC programmer: http://www.google.com/search?q=PIC+programmer

JAL Code to (accurately) emulate the traffic light pattern:

include 16f84_04 ; timings are 4MHz
include jlib ; standard library

pin_a0_direction = output ; configure pins A0-A2 as outputs
pin_a1_direction = output
pin_a2_direction = output

forever loop ; endless loop
pin_a0 = on ; RED light on
delay_1s(8) ; wait 8 seconds

pin_a0 = off ; RED light off
pin_a2 = on ; GREEN light on
delay_1s(15) ; wait 15 seconds

pin_a2 = off ; GREEN light off
pin_a1 = on ; YELLOW light on
delay_1s(4) ; wait 4 seconds

pin_a1 = off ; YELLOW light off
end loop ; repeat ad nauseum

 

[Don Lancaster]

* PIC16F84 microcontroller: www.microchip.com - about $1.00
* JAL compiler: www.groups.yahoo.com/jallist
* PIC programmer: http://www.google.com/search?q=PIC+programmer

JAL Code to (accurately) emulate the traffic light pattern:

include 16f84_04 ; timings are 4MHz
include jlib ; standard library

pin_a0_direction = output ; configure pins A0-A2 as outputs
pin_a1_direction = output
pin_a2_direction = output

forever loop ; endless loop
pin_a0 = on ; RED light on
delay_1s(8) ; wait 8 seconds

pin_a0 = off ; RED light off
pin_a2 = on ; GREEN light on
delay_1s(15) ; wait 15 seconds

pin_a2 = off ; GREEN light off
pin_a1 = on ; YELLOW light on
delay_1s(4) ; wait 4 seconds

pin_a1 = off ; YELLOW light off
end loop ; repeat ad nauseum

Can you say BASIC STAMP?


--
Many thanks,

Don Lancaster
Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552
voice: (928)428-4073 email: [email protected]

Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com