Our light display will have6 Renard 16 controllers. Each one has 16 channels for a total of 96. For information on the board itself, visit doityourselfchristmas.com

Our light display will have 6 Renard 16 controllers. Each one has 16 channels for a total of 96. For information on the board itself, visit doityourselfchristmas.com.

It all starts with the circuit board. These were purchased during a coop from DIYC. I ordered 6 initially since they are cheap during the coops. Of course, origionally I only had the intention of finishing 1 for the first year...so much for starting small.

The next step is to solder all the components to the board. It's actually alot easier than it looks. It does take some time though. I've since added heat sinks to the triacs. They are the black and silver components sticking up at the bottom of the board with the holes in them. In theory, the heat sinks will allow us to power more lights without overheating.
 

Next, we get to wire it up and give it a home. I made this first case by attaching the circuit board to some wood then mounting it in some 4" PVC. Add some paint and a lock and you have the finished version.

Here are a couple pictures of another controller in a different kind of enclosure. This enclosure has enough room to add the heatsinks to the triacs.