Trying to understand LED Controllers

[Amie]

I am interested in purchasing something like these RGB LED spot lights. It seems simple enough. But Ray Wu mentions that I need an RGB controller or a DMX decoder. I obviously don't understand either one of these since all I have is a whole bunch of LOR controllers.

Is there someone that can help me understand exactly what I need in order to wire the 3 different colors so I can plug them into my LOR boxes in order to control the 3 colors separately?

Thank you.

[Amie]

Thank you, pikadroo, that really helped a lot. I guess it is time to purchase a DMX controller.

So the next question is, if I own a DMX controller, can I purchase digital strip lights (or here ) and make my own color ribbons or does it end up costing about the same as LOR's color ribbon? I assume that there is a link on the forum where someone has done this, right?

[TitusCarnathan]

FWIW You do not need a dmx controller for the flood light all you need is a DC controller like the one Lor sells that is a simple DUMB RGB light 4 wires common R G and B

http://store.lightor.../cmdedcca2.html

Edited October 31, 2012 by TitusCarnathan

[TitusCarnathan]

for the digital strips simply use a e68x controller it connects to your ethernet port on your computer and gets controlled via e1.31 protocol

[TitusCarnathan]

it basically depends what route you would rather go just threw that Idea in there for reference If I would have dumb rgb products I would probably use the 3channel dmx controller that Holidaycoro sells but since I already have a Pixel controller I would rather go the pixel route

Edited October 31, 2012 by TitusCarnathan

[edvas69]

If you want to learn more about different types of lighting and control then take a look at the ACL 101 lighting manual which will answer many of your questions

http://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php/topic,1889.0.html

Edited October 31, 2012 by edvas69

[Amie]

The link to holidaycoro is awesome. Thank you for your help. I will look through their videos after I get my halloween programs finished. YIKES!

Do you have a web site, pikadroo?

[edvas69]

Amie if you just want simple RGB lighting (non digital) then i really dont understand why people suggest using DMX and taking on the added confusion of adding DMX when a LOR DC controller will do the exact same thing. Yes the cost may be more with LOR but you at least wont have any of the potential issues that using multiple non standard DMX controllers can give and you will keep it a lot more simple for yourself.

If you wanted intelligent pixels then you wouldnt use DMX, you would use E1.31 or the LOR CCR, CCB or CCP

Take on what you feel is comfortable, not what is the latest buz word.

[edvas69]

Yeah, if I had gone with the Light O Rama system with the pixels I would have amazing windows this year. I got caught up fooling around with different combinations of things and so even tho I learned a lot and had a little fun doing it. I have no useable end product for display. I like to tinker with things too, so there is that, but would have had it all done and working with the LOR system.

Drew

Unfortunatly people get caught up in the latest trends which may not actually be the best fit for them. But if Amie was thinking of adding RGB elements with a system she is not familiar with then she is asking for frustration and dissapointment this close to show time. Taking this on for next year is a good desicion as it will give her plenty of time to learn the choices and to experiment and get familiar with a new system. What many people coming in now dont realize that many of us have been at it for a good 6 months making sure we learn what is required and testing our systems to ensure there are no unexpected surprises.

It seems that you have learnt a lot Drew, but only by doing a lot of reading, researching and playing around and in the end you still seem like you may have had some difficulties (I still have difficulties sometimes) The issue is that with DMX, there are so many different controllers and configurations, some dont follow standards and others dont mix well with eachother, so its important to take your time to understand what may be the best choice for an individuals needs based on their experience, knowledge, time frame and many other factors.

So for someone like Amie considering this now then i reakon its a bad decision and is thwart with potential issues.

[dmoore]

Amie if you just want simple RGB lighting (non digital) then i really dont understand why people suggest using DMX and taking on the added confusion of adding DMX when a LOR DC controller will do the exact same thing. Yes the cost may be more with LOR but you at least wont have any of the potential issues that using multiple non standard DMX controllers can give and you will keep it a lot more simple for yourself.

What is a "non-standard DMX Controller"?

[dmoore]

Absolutely! I don't see how anyone could run DMX and not run into an issue at some point during the run time, setup or just getting things to link up. So you get up out of the shrubs and dust off your wallet and lean from it. LOL

Drew

I’ve used this analogy many times:

DIY is like cooking your own meals at home – you have to shop for the items yourself, know enough how to cook those items up, clean up after your meal and if the food is bad – you don’t have anyone to blame but yourself. The trade off? You’ll spend a third to half the price and you’ll get exactly things the way you want them done. The inverse is the case with commercial solutions offered up by vendors that sell complete solutions. Sometimes it’s nice to not have to think about why something isn’t working and you just want to have a vendor you can “send the meal” back to and let them figure it out.

I think I'd agree with Eward - this is, for most people, too late to start a complex DIY project. That said, I'm impressed with how fast some folks can come up to speed.

[Amie]

I am not thinking of doing this for this year...you guys must think I am crazy. Our lights are up and ready to go. I am working on next year's setup. But if I want to get good feedback on this site, now is the best time to ask questions...while everyone is in the Christmas mood.

If I can get a good understand of this stuff and know whether I am capable of figuring out the electrical work, I would go ahead and place my order for the lights now and get started on building a few things for next year. I have built LED lights for my aquariums before, using DC adapters and heat sinks. I know how to solder..although I'm not perfect at it. The issue for me is figuring out exactly what I need to make everything work with the LOR stuff. I still need to watch a few videos on the HolidayCoro.com site, maybe that will help.

Thank you, everyone, for all of your comments.

[bradherman]

This thread is great, im just starting to look into my options for adding some RGB / DMX control for next year. There is a lot of helpfull information in this thread.

[gwallman1]

Just a quick thank you to all of you here. I was just browing the forums tonight and spent quite a bit of time with the links provided in this thread.

I've been a more "traditional" LOR display for 4 or 5 years now....meaning just static strings each controlled by the LOR controllers. I've always wanted to venture into the more dynamic looks that DMX and RGB offer, but have no experience with it and could not wrap my mind around any of it or what equipment would be necessary to use it. Thanks to all of you and the links you've provided here, I (think) have a much greater understanding of how it all works and what is needed. And best yet, it has helped dispell the assumptions I had about possible costs. My experience as to looking into items to use was essentially limited to the LOR CCR. At basically $300 per strip, I couldn't fathom what the final cost would be to really get a good display.....I mean really, by the time you get enough strips to make some good display items, it could hit $5,000 or more so quickly! No way I could justify that. That is not a cut on LOR by any means. I've always been extremely impressed with products and even more so with service. But as much as I like my display and putting it together, I could never justify that type of budget personally.

Now, with this understanding now about basic vs intelligent, how RGB channels work, and all of the other products that could still be controlled just fine with LOR S3, I'm really looking forward to next year's display already!

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge with those of us wanting to expand but lacking the understanding really needed to make that jump.

www.southsidechristmas.com