Vintage Marquee Sign Switch
- Thread starter hardworker
- Start date
winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
I think 'sequencer', but not really sure
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
Sometimes "interrupter" and even just a simple "flasher".
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Occupation
- PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Flasher would provably be all on and all off AR the same time.
One light after the other would be a sequence.
I built my first electronic one for a theatre show back in 1977.
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n1ist
Senior Member
- Location
- Massachusetts
- Occupation
- Principal Electrical Engineer
A quick search calls them chasers as well
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
Usually chasers are 3 or more outputs to "chase" the lights.
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
These days a bunch of either solid state or mechanical contactors controlled by a PLC might actually be cost effective.
To present a stable sense of motion in one direction (a chase) with evenly spaced lights requires at least 3 circuits.
To present a stable sense of motion in one direction (a chase) with evenly spaced lights requires at least 3 circuits.
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
Since a 4 circuit mechanical chaser is under $400, there isn't much point is assembling something yourself.
Oh, and a couple of the sign parts companies call what the OP asked about an "alternating flasher", a blinker is one circuit on/off.
Oh, and a couple of the sign parts companies call what the OP asked about an "alternating flasher", a blinker is one circuit on/off.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
Given the challenge, having spare parts and time, I disagree.
hillbilly1
Senior Member
- Location
- North Georgia mountains
- Occupation
- Owner/electrical contractor
The only one I worked on, back in the late 70’s had a clock motor that drove a cam with two contacts on it to alternate the lamps. Don’t know what it was called though.
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
Same here. You can get rather basic Clic PLC from Automation Direct for around $125. You need a 24VDC power supply which they have for another $50
Program for this kind of thing would be pretty simple so shouldn't take much of your time to program it as long as you understand how to use the programming software, which is a free download. Same program can be loaded into other units if there would happen to be more units to program so you only have to write the program one time.
You would also be able to introduce other output options rather easily compared to the fixed output of cam driven timer switches as in changing speed or even direction of the "chasing lights".
zbang
Senior Member
- Location
- Roughly 5346 miles from Earls Court
Surely if you want the challenge and have the time, build one and learn from the process; I would too. If you want to fix it and get back in the truck, buy a unit.