Exhibit Controllers

LED and DMX controllers for Museum and Trade Show Exhibits

Shown above is a four module, 3-digit display for showing how many of four different scholarships are provided for West Point cadets each year. The single controller, with an LCD display, provides easy access for changing the numbers as needed. To hold costs down, a single dual-function PCB was designed that handles both the controller and LED driver functions. The black brackets were laser cut and painted by The Coffin Ray Gun Company.

DMX Controller

The video of footprints above demonstrates what can be done with a simple custom DMX controller and three Gobo LED spotlights. The effect is used to subtly show visitors in the New Jersey State Museum that the exhibit continues in the next room.

Interactive LEDs to Add Excitement to Exhibits

How do you make an exhibit about the efficiency of fans in the home exciting? Add some moving LEDs and a toy hammer. Striking the hammer on a sense pad stops the moving LEDs. Hitting it at the bottom earns a congratulations! As requested, Productive Technology designed and implemented the LED/Sound controller with some stock sounds. But we added the voice option, and they loved it. It was used at the 2016 IBS show.

Productive Technology also made an LED controller used in the 2017 IBS show. You can see it briefly in this video by Matt Risinger, starting at the 32 second mark. The LEDs simply show the flow of air through duct work and an air-to-air heat exchanger. Simple, but effective.

The custom LED controller above features:

  • Push button for selecting display options
  • Knob for setting LED brightness
  • Removable screw-down terminals
  • Holes for cable-ties for strain relief (for the permanent wiring)
  • An aluminum box with flanges for mounting in a display cabinet

The picture shows the unit “still in development”, with a USB connection for programming and power. Once installed, it would be powered by wires connecting to the lower two screw terminals.
The PCB was custom designed for use as an LED controller, but with other options available by populating different or additional parts, like more push buttons). The main objective was to deliver a rugged solution that didn’t have that “hand-wired” look.

Surf Board Balance Challenge

Productive Technology was called on to install the control program on a PLC that controls pneumatic cushions, and to enhance it to make it more challenging and fun. The PLC adjusts the air pressure in the cushions to maintain a level surf board while the person also attempts to keep balance. A few seconds after the process starts, I added in a forward dip of the board, then leveling, and a little later, a sideways dip. This unit was shipped to a museum in Mexico. The design is owned by The Franklin Institute and the original may be seen near the bottom of their web page (In the “Things to Do and See” section, look for “Catch a Wave”). The enhancements were done in the PLC’s ladder logic.

All of the designs shown above were done as a contractor to Lynch Exhibits.