Arches

[Sparky4u]

I have a newbie question.  What should be the minimum amount of channels used for dancing arches? Thank you in advance.  Have a great day. 

[Dave Batzdorf]

I have 7.  It always seems to be a huge debate on the number, either odd or even.  With odd, you have one segment on top, with even the top is split.  The number of segemnts also depends on the number of lights per segment.  Mine are 100, thats about a 16" segment with an arch span of 83".  Take a look at others vids to see what might work for you.

 

mine are at https://vimeo.com/pineridgelights

 

[George Simmons]

Dave is a very smart fellow. 

From a sequencing perspective, 7 channels gives as many, if not even more options than 8 channels.  And IMO those 7-channel options look much better.

[Al Saunders]

Hi Sparky4u,

It is debated much on here as to use 7 or 8 segments for arches. One note on which to us is if you plan to buy LOR sequences, the arches in those sequences are 8 segments/channels. So if you will use any of those until you do your own sequencing I'd suggest using 8 sections. As also mentioned above, watch videos of both 7 and 8 segments and see which you like better. I use 8 and I really like the way they look and that two arches use 1 controller. It's ultimately up to you in the end though.

Have fun.

Later,

Al

[Sparky4u]

Thank you very much for your responses.  I am just starting out and figured 32 channels would be enough. Boy was I wrong. I just recieved my first two controllers this week and just ordered two more. It's not a hobby it's an addiction.  Just sayin. 

[dibblejr]

29 minutes ago, Sparky4u said:

Thank you very much for your responses.  I am just starting out and figured 32 channels would be enough. Boy was I wrong. I just recieved my first two controllers this week and just ordered two more. It's not a hobby it's an addiction.  Just sayin. 

How correct you are, welcome to the addiction.

Time for an intervention.

JR

[k6ccc]

Welcome to the addiction!
My arches are 50 RGB pixels, so I don't have to worry too much about the even / odd question. I have seen conventional arches with as low as 4 channels. That is an absolute minimum in my opinion, and even that only works for small arches.


Sent from my Droid Turbo via Tapatalk, so blame any typos or spelling errors on Android

[Sparky4u]

I don't want an intervention. I want more lights and more controllers.  With that being said I guess I just need more money baby.  

[TheDucks]

Amen

I still have a few more AMPs on the existing outlet.  Need more LEDS   (and the controller, of course)

I discovered how fas 16 Channels went (holding cords in hand, scratching head. Where can these go?)

 

Welcome

[dibblejr]

10 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Amen

I still have a few more AMPs on the existing outlet.  Need more LEDS   (and the controller, of course)

I discovered how fas 16 Channels went (holding cords in hand, scratching head. Where can these go?)

 

Welcome

!6 channels actually are pretty good for a starter the way that LOR and everyone else shows their "typical" setup. Back before all of this took off I had Mr. Christmas an entire 4 channel setup that played music over an integral speaker. My last few years I ran 3 of them for a whopping 12 channels. LOL this was from 1999 to 2015. Then I jumped on the band wagon and figured out where I wanted to start out. Up until 2008 I was in the Army and moving so never ventured beyond those boxes.

Singing pumpkin faces, ate up my 2 controllers in quick order making me spend more $, then life got in the way so could only run a small portion of what I had but I made do had a great time and brought smiles to my neighbors faces, so it all worked out. But this year I will have a lot more fun with my unused equipment and branching out to some RGB. (lord willing)

Best of luck, I was only joking about an intervention, unless you ask my friends.

JR

[TheDucks]

18 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

!6 channels actually are pretty good for a starter the way that LOR and everyone else shows their "typical" setup. Back before all of this took off I had Mr. Christmas an entire 4 channel setup that played music over an integral speaker. My last few years I ran 3 of them for a whopping 12 channels. LOL this was from 1999 to 2015. Then I jumped on the band wagon and figured out where I wanted to start out. Up until 2008 I was in the Army and moving so never ventured beyond those boxes.

Singing pumpkin faces, ate up my 2 controllers in quick order making me spend more $, then life got in the way so could only run a small portion of what I had but I made do had a great time and brought smiles to my neighbors faces, so it all worked out. But this year I will have a lot more fun with my unused equipment and branching out to some RGB. (lord willing)

Best of luck, I was only joking about an intervention, unless you ask my friends.

JR

I just made an offer on a PCv2 that just showed up in another section. That makes 32, plus I ordered a pile of 12V PSUs and  Pixels from Holiday coro.  Waiting for dumb (DC) controllers to come on sale (and I have to bump my license)

[Sparky4u]

Thank you very much for your service to our country.  

[dibblejr]

14 hours ago, TheDucks said:

I just made an offer on a PCv2 that just showed up in another section. That makes 32, plus I ordered a pile of 12V PSUs and  Pixels from Holiday coro.  Waiting for dumb (DC) controllers to come on sale (and I have to bump my license)

You can purchase the kits for the 16 channel controllers cheaper. But as you say, await the sale and see what they come down to.

[Sparky4u]

One more question. Should I fade the trailing edge of my lights?

[SPaschall]

8 segment arches just make sense to me when you figure that the majority of your music is in a 4/4 timing. As for the trail, I put a "ghost tail" on probably 99% of my programming. If I am doing a chase where it is a segment at a time with no overlap from the next segment I will just use an on command instead of a ramp down.

 

SPaschall

[k6ccc]

30 minutes ago, Sparky4u said:

One more question. Should I fade the trailing edge of my lights?

Depends on what I'm doing.  Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.

[George Simmons]

1 hour ago, SPaschall said:

8 segment arches just make sense to me when you figure that the majority of your music is in a 4/4 timing.

I have no music sense.  7-segment arches work just fine with 4/4 timing (or any other timing for that matter) and can do everything an 8-section arch can, only better.

 

On 1/17/2017 at 11:27 PM, dibblejr said:

16 channels actually are pretty good for a starter the way that LOR and everyone else shows their "typical" setup.

Everyone else?  I beg your pardon.  IMO, 4 groups of four is about the most boring setup possible, even arranged "typically" (which many people don't have the right house/yard/props to do.)  How many ways can you count to four?  Or said differently, in how many different orders can you pattern 4 items?

I know I'm a black sheep, but I'd NEVER recommend to anyone that they start with only 16 channels, unless having more simply isn't an option.  Why would I take a new person with no experience and tie one of their hands behind their back, and then ask/expect them to do the most difficult job of sequencing there is?  And make no mistake - it's far easier to work with 64 channels than it is to make 16 look good enough to hold a viewer's attention for 2 minutes. 

 

1 hour ago, k6ccc said:

Depends on what I'm doing.  Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.

I agree completely. 

Using actual lights, experiment with no fade, and then with fades of varying lengths and you'll be surprised at how different they look.  A no-fade chase, if it moves even moderately fast, the human eye will perceive an after-image which, to the brain, looks just like a fade.

Edited January 24, 2017 by George Simmons

[dibblejr]

7 minutes ago, George Simmons said:

I have no music sense.  7-segment arches work just fine with 4/4 timing, and can do everything an 8-section arch can, only better.

 

Everyone else?  I beg your pardon.  IMO, 4 groups of four is about the most boring setup possible, even arranged "typically" (which many people don't have the right house/yard/props to do.)  How many ways can you count to four?  Or said differently, in how many different orders can you pattern 4 items?

I know I'm a black sheep, but I'd NEVER recommend to anyone that they start with only 16 channels, unless having more simply isn't an option.  Why would I take a new person with no experience and tie one of their hands behind their back, and then ask/expect them to do the most difficult job of sequencing there is?  And make no mistake - it's far easier to work with 64 channels than it is to make 16 look good enough to hold a viewer's attention for 2 minutes. 

 

I agree completely. 

Using actual lights, experiment with no fade, and then with fades of varying lengths and you'll be surprised at how different they look.  A no-fade chase, if it moves even moderately fast, the human eye will perceive an after-image which, to the brain, looks just like a fade.

George- I was speaking of the "resellers" who sell the 16 controlle starter package and show their setup Channel 1- House Outline, 2- Bushes.....

Not meaning the rest of the 1000000 of us lightsters!

No more bacon for you, gets you BP up

At one point I was doing good with 1 - 4 channel in a box and then I upgraded to 3 of them for many years. I was the hit of the neighborhood.

There used to be an old saying , something about how you wiggle the worm..

LOL

JR

Edited January 24, 2017 by dibblejr

[George Simmons]

5 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

George- I was speaking of the "resellers" who sell the 16 controlle starter package and show their setup Channel 1- House Outline, 2- Bushes...

Maybe that explains the huge number of unwatchable sequences out there. 

 

[dibblejr]

Just now, George Simmons said:

Maybe that explains the huge number of unwatchable sequences out there. 

 

Tell me you haven't seen them advertised, say it isn't so. I fell into the clutches, with 1 during the sale. Got it and was like wth am I going to do. I needed 32 just for the faces, never said I was good in math. Ordered 2 more non sale.

Yup that was me.