For a couple of years we have ben talking about adding a snow machine to the show, but time just hasn't allowed for it, so after owning the machine for a couple of years it time to get it in the show.
So the biggest problem has all ways been how do you put a machine that runs on 240v outside in all weathers and make it safe and secure.
I never really liked the idea of a upside down plastic box with a hole cut in it, that always just seemed rubbish and not really in keeping with the show's look.
This summer (2025) we bought my parents a Hedgehog house for there garden and whilst looking after there house I thought it's a shame we didn't buy two of these I could have put the snow machine in it. but it was not meant to be the measurements never worked out, it was just to small.
But this led to another idea what other outdoor animal house can you get, a quick search on Amazon and eBay showed everything from hamster houses to dog houses most were to small or too big, but then i came across cat house. They were the correct size but I wanted one that looked nice not just a box and then I found it and with a couple of clicks i Had bought a car house from Amazon and once it is modified and re-painted it will be the north pole snow factory.
There still a lot to do and build, but the project is now under way.
I need to sort out a lot of stuff to get this running the the ESP32 programming, the pumps, the controls, sensors waterproofing the house and decorating it.
Update 1 - 19 July 2025
This week a lot of the parts needed to build the snow machine controls have arrived so, we made a start on the control circuits bits.
The only things left to get of a transformer and a project box to keep it all in, but they can wait
🚧 🚧 ⚡ ⚡ Danger High Voltage Ahead ⚡ ⚡ 🚧 🚧
I think that says it all but NEVER open the Snow machine whilst its plugged in, depending on where you live they run on 240v or 110v and these voltages are present in every part of the snow machine even the controller.
Right with that warning over it was time to discover how the snow machine works, the model i have has got a cabled controller and a RF controller so this adds a lay of complexity to the device or so i thought but it really didn't.
So as you can see there not a lot in here and the connections are really simple
Fused Power in -> double pole switch -> Remote \ RF -> pumps
and that is it there nothing else.
And with this information I started to design the control system, which needs to have two key functions
- Respond to DMX signals that the show uses
- Refill the snow machine tank, as it going to be up high.
Lets start by modifying the snow machine, from what we have found we can send mains voltage to the controller and then use the last line to trigger the snow machine. So with that we cut the Remote off and replace it with 1 half of a ICE cable (make sure to use the end without the pins exposed)
With these requirements in mind a very very crude design was done (I'm going to have to redo this as its so wrong, don't follow it)
But with an idea I made a start on the build as it can all be refined as we go, the first thing is to mount the dip switches, cable the outputs and common the input to make it easier to use.
And we even have a spare output (yellow cable), the rest came together easily and now it just down to writing the code and testing
With the basic hardware is some sort of design its time to start the code.
Last updated 19th July 2025