Led problems

[centerstage]

Hey guys total newb to lor but i do dmx stage lighting all the time so im hoping some of this will come naturally. my question is are there any issues using leds? sense the lights are controlled by adding or removing current how do leds react? i have heard that i will have a flash after a fade out.  is this true and what can be done about it?  im about to order a 64 channel kit and a pixel controller for a fairly large show (large for my first attempt anyway) and want to make sure i have everything i need to make it work correctly.

Thanks!

[Mr. P]

No issues with Led's at all and most would recommend them, my entire display is all Led. Full wave Led's are best so you get the best dimming but are a little more expensive. I have many strings from big box stores which are cheaper and they have worked fine for many years.

There are a few out there that others have recommended to stay away from such as the Martha Stewart Led lights as they have a tendency to catch fire.

[Mega Arch]

LEDS and pixel controllers in same conversation can be confusing. If talking LED light strands - like Mr. P said - no problems.
However, pixel controller is the wrong controller for light strands.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[centerstage]

thanks guys! 

8 minutes ago, Mega Arch said:

LEDS and pixel controllers in same conversation can be confusing. If talking LED light strands - like Mr. P said - no problems.
However, pixel controller is the wrong controller for light strands.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

sorry for the confusion the pixel controller would be for rgb strips. looking at the cmb24d to start with "dumb" pixels as i dont want to jump right into a full pixel mapping project out the gate with new to me software. that being said i have one more question. will any off the shelf single pixel rgb strip work with the cmb24d?

32 minutes ago, Mr. P said:

There are a few out there that others have recommended to stay away from such as the Martha Stewart Led lights as they have a tendency to catch fire.

Thanks for the heads up! burning down the place would be a bad idea!

[Mr. P]

Any Dumb RGB strips will work as long as they are common "+" as the CMB24 controls the negative side. In other words they should have one common (+) wire and three negative (-) which would be labeled R,G,B.

[k6ccc]

31 minutes ago, centerstage said:

looking at the cmb24d to start with "dumb" pixels as i dont want to jump right into a full pixel mapping project out the gate with new to me software. that being said i have one more question. will any off the shelf single pixel rgb strip work with the cmb24d?

Welcome to the Christmas lighting addiction.

The CMB24D is a fine controller for dumb RGB strips or strings.  I'm going to be very specific about the answer to your last part because you used a terminology in a way that is not used in our world (but may be normal for your stage lighting world).  You referred to a "single pixel RGB strip".  I suspect you are talking about the correct stuff, but we don't normally refer to that as a "single pixel RGB strip".  Use of the word pixel generally refers to smart devices.  The dumb strips that are used with the CMB24D have four wires that are one each for the three primary colors and power on the fourth wire.  One thing that is important is that this configuration can have positive voltage on the common wire, or negative (aka ground) on the common wire.  For our controllers, they MUST be common positive power because the controllers are switching the negative (or ground) for the three colors. 

Did that answer your question?

You beat me to it Mr. P...

 

Edited July 13, 2017 by k6ccc

[centerstage]

I must say this is one of the best forums ive ever used. thanks for the quick response!  I do a lot of "pixel mapping" on stage so im sorry if my terminology doesn't carry over fully. you are correct in your assumption though. what i refer to as a "single pixel rgb strip" is simply an rgb strip where the whole strip is always one color

Edited July 14, 2017 by centerstage

[centerstage]

ok guy you have been a big help. now for the really noob question lol. i have never worked with rgb strips before so will this work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-max-100M-5050-3528-110V-120V-High-Voltage-Flexible-LED-Strip-Light-Outdoor-/191995238962?var=491941770390&hash=item2cb3ceda32:g:KiMAAOSwiONYQfgt why or why not. i need to better understand what im looking for. i get that it must be common positive but this doesnt seem to be something manufactures put in the specs (or more likely i dont know what im looking at!) thanks again guys!

[bbayjohn]

Quote

Will this work? well probablly. First off you would need to cut the neg & rgb wires to connect to your controller. Then you have the issue of power loss with a strip that long, so you will need to run shorter lengths or reduce the brightness levels or power inject. Also if you cut this then you need to solder new pigtails on the strips aswell. For a newbie I would suggest looking in lor store, Out of stock, maybe try

or Ray Wu

 

[k6ccc]

50 minutes ago, centerstage said:

ok guy you have been a big help. now for the really noob question lol. i have never worked with rgb strips before so will this work? http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-max-100M-5050-3528-110V-120V-High-Voltage-Flexible-LED-Strip-Light-Outdoor-/191995238962?var=491941770390&hash=item2cb3ceda32:g:KiMAAOSwiONYQfgt why or why not. i need to better understand what im looking for. i get that it must be common positive but this doesnt seem to be something manufactures put in the specs (or more likely i dont know what im looking at!) thanks again guys!

No.  You would be buying a whole lot of stuff you don't need (the controller and power supply).  Also note that the strip you listed does not give any specs on the strip itself (like what voltage the strip runs at), as they assume you will be using the power supply that comes with it.

Take a look at:  https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/LED-strip-5050-SMD-12V-flexible-light-30LED-m-5m-150LED-White-White-warm-Blue-Green/701799_2047639598.html?spm=2114.12010612.0.0.oN6RnQ

This from a supplier named Ray Wu who sells through Alibaba (the Chinese version of Amazon).  Many of us get LED stuff through him.  The important note is don't believe the listed shipping price.  Figure out what you want and send a message to Ray through the website with the exact order.  He will send you a invoice with a much better shipping cost.  The Alibaba automated ordering system bases shipping cost on every item shipping separately.

There are lots of other suppliers both locally and in China (where almost all LEDs are manufactured).

 

[caniac]

On 7/13/2017 at 11:19 AM, centerstage said:

Hey guys total newb to lor but i do dmx stage lighting all the time so im hoping some of this will come naturally. my question is are there any issues using leds? sense the lights are controlled by adding or removing current how do leds react? i have heard that i will have a flash after a fade out.  is this true and what can be done about it?  im about to order a 64 channel kit and a pixel controller for a fairly large show (large for my first attempt anyway) and want to make sure i have everything i need to make it work correctly.

Thanks!

my two cents, first year LOR with all incandescent our December light bill was $400 higher, year two with LOR switched to all LED's and December light bill was $75 higher.