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Cost of start up


Tom3600

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I have been using RGB LED's on my boat for years.  I purchased a music controller and ran lights under my pontoons and under the seats.  At night they looked great and flashed and changed color to the music.  There was little investment.  Music controller was about $60 and you can get 5m RGB LED strips for $10.  I was totally blown away by the "Dumb Pixel" video on LOR website showing 8 channels.  The more and more I want to create a similar display, I can't seem to get a handle on what this would cost me starting from nothing???  The RGB LED strips of lights I'm good with, but it's very hard to go through the website and see exactly the equipment I will need to duplicate this display.  I also noticed that there is no customer service email or phone number to contact them (which usually scares me away from products).  Can anyone give me a clue what kind of cost is involved before I get too excited about it?  Appreciate the help!

CMB24D RGB controller at work

Edited by Tom3600
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Welcome to the forum, Tom. LOR is very helpful so don't be worried, they have a help desk that is on the ball and an excellent warranty, if needed .

here is a link to a page you are looking for,http://www1.lightorama.com/rgb-starter-package/ 

packages not offered anymore, so ....

controller $110 - http://store.lightorama.com/cofordurgbde.html

Power supply and enclosure $100 -  http://store.lightorama.com/posuanden.html

Software - $50 - $190 - http://store.lightorama.com/software1.html

(I recommend the generic starter -includes an a/c controller (that you will want, if not now, later) - http://store.lightorama.com/rese16chstpa.html . or you can just get software (and adaptor) without the a/c controller.)

LOR doesn't have the RGB strips it seems but there any where and fairly cheap (WOW lights, Holiday Coro, ect)

There's a rough estimate, good luck

 

 

Edited by saxon
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Saxon and The Ducks,

Thanks for the info.  I've used a "Sounds of Christmas" music controller (all of $99) for several years.  I went to 110v led lights and manufactured some very unique pvc 1/2" frames for each window, drilled holes 4" apart and put lights up through them.  Used cable ties to hold them and when I do lights, it's just a matter of hanging them on the hooks and plugging them in!  20 pre-programmed songs and a very cheap speaker but it's more than any of my neighbors have done - except my street is home of the boring "white lights on everything" street.  I want to give this a shot but don't want a huge investment as we are downsizing and not sure what we will move into.  

I'm going to order the stuff and then let the fun begin!  To let you know how good of an electrician I am...spent 4 yrs in the Navy as electrician, got a associate EE degree from PSU and promptly this weekend I hooked up my boat battery backwards!  Not sure I can trust myself with this kind of equipment!  LOL

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41 minutes ago, Tom3600 said:

Saxon and The Ducks,

Thanks for the info.  I've used a "Sounds of Christmas" music controller (all of $99) for several years.  I went to 110v led lights and manufactured some very unique pvc 1/2" frames for each window, drilled holes 4" apart and put lights up through them.  Used cable ties to hold them and when I do lights, it's just a matter of hanging them on the hooks and plugging them in!  20 pre-programmed songs and a very cheap speaker but it's more than any of my neighbors have done - except my street is home of the boring "white lights on everything" street.  I want to give this a shot but don't want a huge investment as we are downsizing and not sure what we will move into.  

I'm going to order the stuff and then let the fun begin!  To let you know how good of an electrician I am...spent 4 yrs in the Navy as electrician, got a associate EE degree from PSU and promptly this weekend I hooked up my boat battery backwards!  Not sure I can trust myself with this kind of equipment!  LOL

Ex-Navy ET here :)

Buy the assembled AC controllers STARTER KIT, then all you need to do is plug those same LED strings into one of the 16 Outlets.

Attach a CAT5 (This is RS485, not Ethernet) to the USB adapter that comes with the Starter Package. and plug that into your PC. No major wiring needed.

 

(BTW I managed to blow up a 400W DC inverter:. Put Clips on the wrong Battery post. The $2 fuse was saved by the $30 IC 

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If he wants to go RGB's though as initially posted, he will want one of the pixie/ pixcon or like pixel controllers not AC.

Non RGB then you are correct, AC all the way.

Hopefully he got word of the Sale, if not there is always the summer sale.

JR

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Interesting replies
Here in Australia we do not have /use anything over 32 Volt dc for our lights.   Mains voltage lights are virtually non existent.
As a newbie to this fantastic hobby, I developed the CLAP (Christmas light addiction problem)  and now have 30 (2nd hand)  controllers
I progressed from string lights that have their own controllers to the LOR family of controllers.

I am using:

  • CMB24 for my "Dumb" RGB   strip lights, Strings and Floods.
  • CMB16 D QC for my Single colour String lights and Singing Faces (Christmas trees)

    If you are using "Smart"  RGB lights then you will need to use the PixieCon16 controller.
    Dumb RGB = all led on a string will be the same colour and will be all on or all off
    Smart RGB = each led on the string can be any colour you want and you can have any led on or off
Edited by videoman3857
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6 hours ago, dibblejr said:

If he wants to go RGB's though as initially posted, he will want one of the pixie/ pixcon or like pixel controllers not AC.

Non RGB then you are correct, AC all the way.

Hopefully he got word of the Sale, if not there is always the summer sale.

JR

I believe ducks was referring him to use his current a/c lights with a regular controller and OP is wanting dumb RGB, not pixels. 

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11 hours ago, saxon said:

I believe ducks was referring him to use his current a/c lights with a regular controller and OP is wanting dumb RGB, not pixels. 

Yes.

RGB or Pixels requires everything (that lights) existing be replaced (and prop, rebuilt). If you have a bucket of $... Go for it all.

I went the KISS,, AC controller route last season. Same (MAXI) Tree I had, now it  can sequence the strands.and STAR.. The gutters and windows were just on a photo celled Timer. (on at dark, off at 10PM)

This year, I've been  accumulating more LOR controllable stuff :D  (Yea Grab Sale and used from others upgrading)

 

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Some good things to note:
[1] LOR is not the only retailer when it comes to controllers, lighting or software. Compare the prices for all of your products you need. I did this in the first year and it was very helpful to understand my budget. (See the Google Drive link below) If you do use a "mix and match" of LOR and other retailers, be sure they are compatible with each other. (Check with Support from other retailers before you buy anything, or ask here!)

[2] Time is an investment as well. Be aware that your display will take time to set up, factor in extra time to solve problems. Any props that need to be built should be built in advance of "display installation" so it can be perfected over time. This also includes time to sequence songs (if you plan on doing that).

[3] Ask questions and ask them early. Come August/September, most of us are getting ready for lighting season, meaning we won't be as available to help along the way. So if questions come up as you start to work things out, ask! Ask any question you have, even if it feels stupid. Not because we want you to look foolish, but because if you have that question, then there must be others who would be wondering the same thing. We don't know what we don't know.

All in all, we wish you all the best as you join the crazed holiday lighting hobby.

I shared my 2014 budget plan (which was actually significantly lower) in hopes that it helps you understand. Look for sales or people offering old equipment on here or other forums. I recommend looking for other similar forums, make yourself known and gather as much info as you can.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d7cBdHyuuCyfMhPCPjKt3uNe7099Cy0MgN21LOYk4I4/edit?usp=sharing

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I can't thank everyone enough for the help.  However, being one of the Wit brothers (I'm dim and my brother is half), I'm trying to understand which software package is best for me.  Price is really not the issue but I don't want to pay for technology I will never use.  My ideas are always leaning on the biggest, best, most advanced stuff out there.  However, being that my attention span is that of a gnat, I expect to lose interest the second I have to look at something for more than a few minutes to understand it!  I see me trying to build the same type of display that is in the video for the "dumb pixels."  8 light strings (not sure if I will go spots or ribbons - leaning on ribbons) and just a couple of songs.  Pretty sure that will be the extent of my effort!  Which software package will meet this need:  basic, basic plus, standard, advanced or Pro?  

Also, when I put RGB LED strings under my pontoons on my boat, I used acrylic tubes and sealed them to make sure they were water tight.  What does everyone use on their homes?  I assume to make the windows square I will need some sort of support.  Acrylic tubes are cheap...BUT 90 degree elbows are 8 times the cost of the acrylic tube!  Any ideas?  

 

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1 hour ago, Tom3600 said:

I can't thank everyone enough for the help.  However, being one of the Wit brothers (I'm dim and my brother is half), I'm trying to understand which software package is best for me.  Price is really not the issue but I don't want to pay for technology I will never use.  My ideas are always leaning on the biggest, best, most advanced stuff out there.  However, being that my attention span is that of a gnat, I expect to lose interest the second I have to look at something for more than a few minutes to understand it!  I see me trying to build the same type of display that is in the video for the "dumb pixels."  8 light strings (not sure if I will go spots or ribbons - leaning on ribbons) and just a couple of songs.  Pretty sure that will be the extent of my effort!  Which software package will meet this need:  basic, basic plus, standard, advanced or Pro?  

Also, when I put RGB LED strings under my pontoons on my boat, I used acrylic tubes and sealed them to make sure they were water tight.  What does everyone use on their homes?  I assume to make the windows square I will need some sort of support.  Acrylic tubes are cheap...BUT 90 degree elbows are 8 times the cost of the acrylic tube!  Any ideas?  

 

As a boater you should know about 3M 5200 Marine grade sealant. You can do away with the elbows and I would put at least 2-3" of the sealant in each end or which ever end/s are open. A few things to know. 1) It is not cheap 2) You will never be able to remove it, the acrylic will probably deteriorate before the sealant. You will have to cut the acrylic if you ever need to service the lights  3) It has a really fast cure time and can be applied under water. I used it to seal a port window that was under water a few years ago

I always keep a spare tube in my waterproof emergency box on the boat

 

JR

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On the topic of software: it's not just "what will work"... but what you're doing.

What I mean by this is a couple of things:

[1] How many controllers do you expect to use?

[2] What do you need to use?

http://www1.lightorama.com/sequencing-suite-levels/ This will help you figure out what you need.

I've heard that some people advise to just buy Advanced, as it will do everything you need. It's a one-time fee for starters, but you may need to renew the license down the road. The reason people have bought the Advanced license is to be able to expand their show without having to upgrade a license further (and paying more later). Yes, you'll be paying for more than you might use to start. Personally, I've started with Basic Plus and expanded to the Standard license. (Even the site mentions something along these lines!)

Think about what you hope to learn or wish to learn how to do and how involved you want to be in the sequencing and programming. How much expansion do you predict could occur in the future? How much do you want to learn about?

Consider this as you weigh your options. IF you're only doing one controller, I recommend just going with the Basic, since you're only using one controller. If you're going to grow your show larger, though, think about the other levels. 

For lighting your house and waterproofing connections:
Depends on what you're using for lights.

RGB Ribbons: I use silicone... it hasn't been a problem. Hope this helps.

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LightingNewb

I appreciate the insight.  I really don't have the patience to get as deep into this as most of you.  My current house is also a "bear" to hang any lights.  I live in W PA and everything is a hill!  I have a 32' ladder and I can barely reach up and touch my gutters in the front of my house!  I've limited myself to windows I can hang out and ground level stuff on a 2 story home.  That being said, I'm only going to do one controller and I'm now leaning on going with the 16 channel unit rather than the RGB LED strings.  My real question at the time was if I use the RGB LED 5 m light strips, what does everyone use for support?  Some things I'm a bit anal on are pictures being level on the wall, tools hung up where they are supposed to AND lights around my windows being straight and neat.  I hate people who are too lazy to hang their lights correctly!  I'm just curious about how someone would hang the light strips as they are not rigid?  As I stated, on my boat I used acrylic tubes and they worked great.  I found out that 90 degree elbows in acrylic are about $12 a piece!!!  That's 4 per window times 8 windows!  I know the light strips are waterproof but just curious how you would hang it around a window?  

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For RGB LED strips, I used PVC! I cut and soldered my RGB strips to length (based on where I could cut them) and ziptied the ribbon to the PVC frame. The PVC frame then was ziptied to staples hammered in along the window frame. We found cheaper elbows on Amazon and bought a bulk order. There was quite a bit of soldering involved (4 solders per corner, 3 corners to solder). To seal/waterproof, we used clear packaging tape in the corners. It allowed for the lighting to still shine through, while blocking water and dirt/dust. It survived the California storm, too.

I understand how difficult it must be. Our 2014 season only used 2 16 channel controllers, 2 seasons later and we're expanding to a fifth controller. (2 RGBs and 3 standards). Please feel free to email me for more support or questions. Email is goldinglights@gmail.com

https://sites.google.com/site/lightmaestros/media/2016-videos My videos here show how well it worked.

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