For those of you who never figured out what the ??

[FormulaZR]

Yes


Sent from my Bat Cave...

Well, maybe you've got into the wine early? No problem...I have, too...so please disregard any unintelligible explanation.

The lights themselves are on individual "channels" as needed. Like...when the white floods come on, that would be a single channel most likely. The various mouth expressions and blinking of eyes are also a separate channel for each individual expression. IE: eyes open, eyes shut, eyes partially open would be 3 channels.

Let's look at it like a boat:
0% throttle = channel 1
50% throttle = channel 2
100% throttle = channel 3
Forward = channel 4
Reverse = channel 5

So, to go full throttle forward, you could combine channel 3 and 4. Maybe you'd set channel 4 to "engage" before channel 3 so you had a better transition. Or...for smoother acceleration, you'd go channel 4 & 1, followed by channel 4 & 2, followed again by channel 4 & 3.

If you wanted to stop, you'd either apply only channel 1...or to stop fast (in a jet anyway), 5 & 3. Or...for a slower decel, you'd go channel 1, followed by 5 & 1, followed by 5 & 2, followed by 5 & 3...and then when stopped/slowed you'd go back to channel 1.

Each channel can be activated individually...or in conjunction with another channel to give the desired effect. The more channels, the more "resolution"...and will result in better expressions or movement...but it also takes much longer to program/synchronize.

Each channel will only have an "on" or "off" setting (most likely - they could have an intensity variable). So...it's all about the timing to make it look right.

As for the FM broadcast...think of it as a very small, short range FM radio station. They have a system set up to broadcast the music on an FM band. Just say 99.1 - so you drive up, tune your radio to 99.1 and you hear the music in sync with the animation. That is also how "modern" drive in theaters work (in case you have one close to you?). If you have ever put an iPod in car that didn't have USB/3.5mm jack...you used an FM modulator. You plug the iPod into the modulator...set the modulator to an "open" station, and then tune your radio to that station to hear what the iPod is playing. This is the same concept, but with a little more power.