The project uses the X10 technology in order to control the different strand of Christmas lights.
Explanation
The use of X10 provides more simplicity for controlling the 3 strands of lights per color. Each strand has its own X10 lamp module which enables the lights to fade in and out instead of instantly turn ON or OFF. The lights are wired in series with one plugged into the end of the other and the head strand is plugged into each X10 module. Behind the tree is a power strip where all the X10 modules are plugged, which keeps them out of sight of visitors.
The X10 computer interface module (CM11A) is the main controlling feature of the entire system. A server running Ubuntu that is turned ON all the time is connected to the interface. As long the equipments are on the same power grid, they don’t have to run in the same place since X10 is a power-line radio protocol. The tree can be placed in a separate room while the computer is in another room. A simple serial string is sent by the computer to the CM11A module.
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