Case study: Lighting sequences of the Olympics rings in Vancouver

TKE supplied electronics for the 2010 Olympic winter games

TKE supplied electronics for the 2010 Olympic winter games held in Vancouver, Canada. The lighting sequences of the Olympic rings that greet travelers to Vancouver international airport during the year that leads up to the Olympic Games are controlled through 5 TKE WCS-10 CAN-switches. The rings were lit by British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell during festivities March 5, 2009.

Lighting sequences more that 20000 LED-lights in total

The massive rings have a diameter each of 10m and the structure stands 14m high. They contain more that 20000 LED-lights in total. The control system is divided into several CAN subsystems that are connected together with the WCS-10 CAN-switches. The total number of CAN-nodes in the system is 750, which is an impressive amount in comparison to a normal passenger car, which has approx. 30 nodes. There are over 80 different lighting sequences for the rings. During the short but intensive project TKE, together with the responsible Canadian company, has done thorough analysis and investigation of the CAN-communication for the system.

To ensure a well functioning product, we have simulated a large part of the control system in our office in Vaasa, says Timo Kesti, the CEO of TKE.