LED automation — Show-time lighting triggers
Trigger LED animations on themed areas, props and queue-line markers from show-control events. Listens to MIDI timecode and Art-Net triggers, drives addressable LED strips via SPI with frame-by-frame control. Decouples lighting automation from the lighting console so a non-technical operator can run scheduled shows.
Problem
Lighting boards in themed entertainment are powerful but require a trained operator. Running scheduled shows — or synchronising a quick prop animation with the daily parade — usually means blocking the booth with a lighting tech. Smaller props and queue-line LEDs often stay static because nobody has time to script them.
Solution
A small embedded controller that listens to MIDI timecode and Art-Net triggers from the main show-control bus, and drives addressable LED strips (WS2812/SK6812) over SPI. Scheduled triggers run from a config file, the operator never touches the lighting desk. The system is decoupled from the booth: prop teams can deploy their own nodes.
Key takeaways
- MIDI timecode and Art-Net trigger input, no manual sync
- WS2812/SK6812 addressable LED control over SPI
- Scheduled show runs from a config file, no operator required
- Decoupled from the lighting desk: prop teams deploy their own
Concept
The idea is a small ESP32-based controller that sits on the show-control network, listens to MIDI timecode and Art-Net triggers, and drives a string of addressable LEDs (WS2812/SK6812) over SPI. Each controller runs a small config file that maps triggers to LED patterns: a fade-in at the queue entrance, a chase animation along a themed wall, a strobe on a prop. When a trigger arrives on the bus, the controller plays its assigned pattern in sync with the show.
The whole thing is small and cheap enough that a prop team can deploy a unit per prop without involving the lighting booth. Programming the patterns is a simple config file, not a lighting-desk session, which is the whole point: non-technical staff can run scheduled shows or one-off events without blocking the booth.
Why this matters in themed entertainment
Big lighting consoles are powerful but they need an operator at the controls. Most props and queue-line lighting stays static because scripting them on the main desk is a luxury only flagship attractions get. By moving the small stuff to its own embedded controllers that listen to the same timecode bus, the booth keeps control of the show, but the prop and queue-line teams can ship new looks without scheduling a lighting-desk session.