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Re: Traffic Light Electrical Circuit

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Traffic Light Electrical Circuit
From: Joe Flake <flake@a3115jmf.atl.hp.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Nov 1999 11:09:07 -0500 (EST)
> 
> Easy solution (almost too easy!):
>       http://www.trafficlights.com/
> 
> > I have obtained a traffic light, actually one of the small european types,
> > and would like to use it as a display in the family room.

I agree.  The product on that site looks to be the quickest
best way.  And the price isn't out of line if you have to buy
much for a DIY project.

I too had a traffic light YEARS ago, back in college days (seems I
spent one summer as an intern for the Traffic Engineering Dept
for the City of Charlotte.  This old unit made its way to the
trash, and I rescued it.)

Ah, the memories of telling drunk folks at parties that we'd
gone out on the streets and climbed up on top of a truck to
steal the thing...  It finally was passed along to someone
else via a yard sale many years back.

My first timer was an ugly beast I found in a surplus store.  Pure
mechanical, with a motor rotating a bunch of cams and triggering
micro switches.  Very flexible, but ugly and noisy.

It later got equipped with a circuit from a "color organ" (Remember
those?  An audio input triggered lights to flash with the music.)
Kind of fun, but not really as nice as the sequencer.

If you wanted a DIY project today, hunt down one of the "light
chaser" circuits.  These are usually for a long string of lights,
with three separate circuits.  I'll bet that if you slowed it down
enough, it would do nicely for a 3-light signal.

Joe
flake@a3115jmf.atl.hp.com


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