Article

Intelligent Cuelight System for Theaters

Act III,Sc. II: Storm still, Enter Lear and Fool

A cue light is a system of one or more electric light bulbs (usually traffic light colors) used to allow silent cues to be given to technicians and performers at various working locations during the running of a show or play. Typically, the Deputy Stage Manager sends signals to these cue lights at pre-arranged times. In this article we present a low cost microcontroller-driven version, hence “Intelligent”.

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Materials

www.orbitalsound.com/sales-paging-gds.asp

www.leonaudio.com.au/16_channel_cue_light_mk4.pdf

130321-PCB.pdf

130321-11.zip

Gerber file

CAM/CAD data for the PCB referred to in this article is available as a Gerber file. Elektor GREEN and GOLD members can exclusively download these files for free as part of their membership. Gerber files allow a PCB to be produced on an appropriate device available locally, or through an online PCB manufacturing service.

Elektor recommends the Elektor PCB Service service from its business partner Eurocircuits or AISLER as the best services for its own prototypes and volume production.

The use of our Gerber files is provided under a modified Creative Commons license. Creative Commons offers authors, scientists, educators and other creatives the freedom to handle their copyright in a more free way without losing their ownership.

PCB

Download Gerber file: 130321-1.zip

Download Gerber file: 130321-2.zip

Extra info / Update

Note: Since the original publication of this project/article, some of the components, software elements, webpages and other elements might have been updated or changed.

Components

The BOM (Bill of Materials) is the technically exhaustive listing of parts and other hardware items used to produce the working and tested prototype of any Elektor Labs project. The BOM file contains deeper information than the Component List published for the same project in Elektor Magazine. If required the BOM gets updated directly by our lab engineers. As a reader, you can download the list here.
Want to learn more about our BOM list? Read the BOM list article for extra information.

Download the BOM list

Component list

Component List
Channel Board, no. 130321-1
Resistors
R1,R8,R11,R18,R21,R24 = 47kOhm 5% 250mW
R2,R3,R4,R5,R7,R9,R12,R13,R14,R15,R17,R19,R20,R22,R23,R25,R26 = 10kOhm 5% 250mW
R6,R16 = 36Ohm 1% 250mW
R10 = 4.7kOhm 5% 250mW
Capacitors
C1,C4,C5 = 100nF 50V
C2 = 10µF 16V radial
C3 = 100µF 25V radial
Semiconductors
D1,D2,D3,D4,D5,D6,D7,D8 = 1N4148
D9 = 1N4001
LED1 = low current, 5mm, green
LED2 = low current, 5mm, red
T1,T9 = BC557
T2,T3,T4,T5,T6,T7,T8,T10,T11,T12,T13,T14 = BC547B
IC1 = PIC12F629-I/P, programmed, Elektor Store # 130321-41 [3]
IC2 = 78L05
Miscellaneous
K1 = 3-pin XLR socket, PCB mount
K2 = 16-pin (2x8) boxheader, 0.1’’ pitch
K3 = 3-pin pinheader, 0.1’’ pitch
K4 = 2-pin pinheader, 0.1’’ pitch
K5 = 6-pin pinheader, 0.1’’ pitch
PCB # 130321-1 [3]
Component List
Slave Board, no. 130321-2
Resistor
R1 = 47kOhm 5% 250mW
Semiconductors
D1,D2 = 1N4148
LED1 = low current, 5mm, green
LED2 = low current, 5mm, red
Miscellaneous
K1 = 3-pin XLR plug, PCB mount
S1 = pushbutton
PCB # 130321-2

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Discussion (0 comments)

Charles Hirst 4 years ago

I have used a similar system using only red/green LEDs and a DPDT center off switch (Defence surplus). Adding feedback needs a DP3T switch instead, a c/o momentary pushbutton at the remote and a feedback LED.
However, when I designed this (last millennium), green LEDs were quite expensive!

cue.jpg (82kb)
cue.txt (0kb)

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Chris White 3 years ago

When you see 'lighting' without any qualifiers to change it, you think general lighting. Lamps. Ceiling fixtures. Maybe even accent lights. What you don't think of, ever, is indicator lights. Your email subject is nothing more than CLICK BAIT.

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