| abstract |
An ornamental lighting control system capable of controllably adjusting the intensity of the lights over a relatively long period of time. The fully electronic means for gradually energizing the lights includes a ramp voltage generator whose output is synchronized to a power line zero crossing by a detector means coupled to the ramp voltage generator. The ramp means, in combination with a triangular wave generator and a comparator, achieve adjustable long time constants for controllable fading of the associated lights. The lighting control system can, additionally, be configured to compensate for any non-linearities in the incandescent light strings driven by the system. |