johnathanriddle Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 So here is the problem, I'm currently running around 35,000 lights. I experiment with LOR this last year and have become addicted. Since I live on a corner lot I decorate every side of the roof, and two sides of a acre yard. That alone uses 1500 c9 lights. Well what I'm wanting to do is make the roof and yard change colors between red, white, and green. (if you watch the video, its the same as what my garland does witch takes up 15,000 of the lights). Which would mean tripling that number to make 4500 c9 lights, which would take 9 ctb16pc controllers to be able to control them (assuming I went the normal way and didn't use relays). I'm also going to have to have more electricity ran to my house, probably at-least another 400 amp breaker box. So I'm trying to debate if it would be cheaper to just start fresh with 4500 c9 lights all in LED and only have to use a few ctb16pc controllers, or to just keep going with what I have. Either way its going to be pricey. (The price of the LOR controllers is irrelevant simply because I would use any amount of them throughout the year for other projects)Here is a video of my house, one again I lost the good file, but you get the idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 You can figure that you will spend at least $1000 to upgrade power. Then you will have to pay for the power you use.For $1000, you can purchase quite a few LED C'9s. You will not have to upgrade power. You can run them off one controller (if you wanted to keep it to 20 amps and no more than 16 channels).After that, it becomes an issue of preference. Me? I would rather spend the money on LEDs than give it to my local power company - but it is because I am a kook about that.Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 One more thought...The minleon dimmable C9 bulbs are about $1 each.. So approximately $4,500 to do red, green and white. The CCB strings work out to about $2 per bulb, but will do any color. So, about $3,000.. Now they are only 9 inch spacing, while the most comon C9 spacing is 12 inch.. So if you adjust by 12/9, you are up to $4,000, but still cheaper than 3 colors of Minleon, but think about all you could do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKSedg Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 I agree! LEDs are my choice, too. It will take me about three years to change over, but I don't ever have to upgrade my power again, and I don't have to worry about overloading channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Young Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 Upgrade to LEDS. I think you will be happy in the long run, and you will save money - initially the costs of adding to your panel, and long term electrical use savings..Be sure to buy decent quality LEDS that will last, or you will wind up saving less money due to replacement issues.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzaas Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 I agree with upgrading to LED's. Considering the electric bill, in the long run its cheaper.Something else I want to mention is your current setup is beautiful and very clean looking. NICE JOB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale J Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 i would second and third the LED's they are getting more reasonable each year and like Dale W stated much cheaper than the panel upgrade lots less power usage as well. win win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnathanriddle Posted March 25, 2011 Author Share Posted March 25, 2011 Well it looks like that settles it. I kinda like the ccr idea too but who knows. I guess if I do one color a year it won't be to bad. Guess I need find a second job! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba in NV Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I do not have hardly any lights compared to most of you, but I have been totally LED (including floods) 4 years this year. For my floods I got some traffic light LED clustered lights. About 400 or so really bright LEDS in red and green. 10 inches across with standard light bulb base. So bright you cannot look at them. Got them off ebay for 10 bucks apiece. Apparently those lights get changed after so many hours and they have nothing wrong with them.The green will flood my house, my neighbors house and half of his neighbors house. The red not quite as much.. but it is bright also.The story of all of this, I do not see any increase in my light bill any more. I run from Thanksgiving night until News Years eve. From 4:30pm to 11pm every night. Including two weeks for Halloween. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edvas69 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Nothing should stop you from using both, unless you are already at your limit with power, if thats the case drop a couple of incand strings from your display to make up for the added LED strings, that way you will still get lots of LEDs in your display as well as using a large proprtion of you incands then slowly change over the next few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryDrumAZ Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Bubba in NV wrote:For my floods I got some traffic light LED clustered lights. About 400 or so really bright LEDS in red and green. 10 inches across with standard light bulb base. So bright you cannot look at them. Got them off ebay for 10 bucks apiece. Apparently those lights get changed after so many hours and they have nothing wrong with them.Can you elaborate on the Floods? I searched Ebay and did not find any on a standard base. Did you wire them to a base? Have any pics? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba in NV Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Duplicate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba in NV Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Like I said...... Standard light bulb base......... Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba in NV Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 The company has a web site.... I would assume a new one would be very expensive. But I have seen them on ebay with a pig tail plug. I would not thank it would be hard to adapt it with a screw in light socked receptacle and a standard replacement 2 prong plug. (both less than a buck).You can make a spot light stand easy out of 3/4 inch pvc like I do.... Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 LarryandGlenora wrote: Bubba in NV wrote:For my floods I got some traffic light LED clustered lights. About 400 or so really bright LEDS in red and green. 10 inches across with standard light bulb base. So bright you cannot look at them. Got them off ebay for 10 bucks apiece. Apparently those lights get changed after so many hours and they have nothing wrong with them.Can you elaborate on the Floods? I searched Ebay and did not find any on a standard base. Did you wire them to a base? Have any pics? ThanksHere is what I was able to locate on E-Bay for LED Traffic Lights. Take your pick or mix and match!Green Traffic Light (e-bay/pig tails)http://cgi.ebay.com/Green-LED-Traffic-Light-/130509500510?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e62f8f05eYellow Traffic Light (e-bay/pig tails)http://cgi.ebay.com/Yellow-LED-Traffic-Light-/130509499989?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e62f8ee55Red Traffic Light (e-bay/pig tails):http://cgi.ebay.com/Traffic-Light-LED-RED-Lens-/250809170621?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a65643abdPedestrian Hand Stop Signal Traffic Light: (e-bay/Standard Screw Base))http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-LED-PEDESTRIAN-SIGNAL-HAND-STOP-LIGHT-TRAFFIC-DECOR-/350449362056?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item519868e488Assorted LED Arrow Traffic Lights (e-bay/pig tails):http://cgi.ebay.com/LED-Traffic-Lights-Red-Green-Yellow-and-Green-arrows-/250694991815?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a5e95ffc7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba in NV Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 I ordered one of the red ones, to see how hard it will be to adapt to one of my homemade flood light stands. Should be easy. Attached files Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 What I like about LED lights is the fact they don't get hot like incandescents. I've actually had outdoor incandescent floods BURST when it would start raining after they had been on for a while and gotten HOT and the cold rain hit them.Makes for a nice short circit when water can get inside the bulb where live power is still on, just glad I used GFCI outlets that cut the power before damage to controllers or anything else could occur!So I'm seriously considering some of those traffic light lamps for use as floods myself.You know they have to be bright to be seen at the distances required for traffic lights in daylight! And they ARE BRIGHT!Was thinking even some of the arrow types would be good for directing traffic to the display as well! Don't think I'd use red arrows, either a mix of green and yellow or just all green or all yellow ones. Still thinking about those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 [align=center]-=-=-=0 DUPLICATE 0=-=-=-[/align] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 [align=center]-=-=-=0 TRIPLICATE 0=-=-=-[/align][align=center]? :? ? :?? :? ? :? ?[/align][align=center]Never, ever had that happen before![/align] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bubba in NV Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 The yellow arrow idea is a good one. They are bright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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