How does it all work?  It starts with a computer running Vixen. Vixen is a free program written by K.C. Oaks specifically designed for controlling lights. This program is where we "tell" the lights to go on or off, dim, etc.(fig a).

The computer is connected to a series of controllers. The lights are plugged directly into these controllers. When the computer tells the controller to turn on the roof lights, the roof lights turn on.(fig b)

Oh, and how about the music you hear? Well, there's actually a small fm transmitter plugged into the audio output of the computer. We chose to set it to 91.5 fm since there's no "real" radio station broadcasting there.(fig c)