Best way to get started on a future huge project?

[8Track]

I'm brand new here, but I like to think big! If I start out really small, I want to make sure I get the right software, controllers & cabling, etc. I'm modestly computer & software literate, but I'm confused by some of the network speeds & protocols. I don't want to make the wrong step and then have to change everything further down the road. I think it was Dr. Martin Luther King who said, "I have a Dream!"  I have this wild crazy dream that one day most everyone on our street was hooked into the Christmas lighting automation system. i live on a nice dead end street with a circle at the end. A rough estimate of the total length of our town-home community is 900 to 1, 000 feet long with about 53 "front doors" (residences.) Maybe we could win a Best Of Birmingham award!

I think I might buy the top of the line sequencing software first just to get started and learn how to use it. But beyond that, what cabling and protocols would be best for such a big future project? Can any of them handle that long a distance and that many drops (customers & controllers) ? Any thoughts or guidance in this area would be greatly appreciated!

Regards,

Ken

 

[Don]

The good news is that you have 12 months to get ready for this.

At least, I hope you're planning for 2018. I wouldn't be worried at this point about protocols or speed right now. The first thing I'd be doing is determining exactly how many houses are going to contribute and what type of design you want. Once you have an idea on that, then you'd be in a position to start figuring out what controllers you would need, how to hook them up, etc.

[dibblejr]

Ken

You have at least 3 of us local to you. You may want to check out our displays and figure out which direction you are looking. Standard Incans or LED or RGB's. That would be a start.

I can pm you the names info if interested. I just got about 40% of Halloween up, now with the hurricane and tomorrows predicted 50+ mph winds I will be laying down or taking things back inside.

JR

[Speedster]

Ken, like you I'm also new to LOR this year and also have the same dream of the houses in our neighborhood hooked up and sync'd to a "shared" LOR network.  Instead of stringing CAT5 cable all over the neighborhood, it was suggested that I use Easy Light Linkers (ELLs) to accomplish this. 

The video on that ELL webpage shows EXACTLY what I'm hoping to accomplish in our neighborhood some year.  It'll probably never happen though because we have a lot of houses that don't put any outdoor Christmas decor on their house and yard.  So it'd be hard for me to convince them to spend a lot of money (and time) on outdoor lights & decor and LOR hardware if they've never bothered decorating their house & yard in the past.  But because we have had the most lit-up house & yard on our street during Christmas for the past few years, I've noticed our next door neighbors and our neighbors directly across the street from us putting up more lights/decor these past few Christmases.  (It's almost as if "peer pressure" made them put up more lights, so they could keep up with us lol!)  So if anything, after seeing our LOR setup in action for the first time this year, maybe I can convince them to take the next step and join in on the LOR fun!

I'm only using LEDs & incandescents for now, so I can't give any advice on pixels, ribbons, and the necessary hardware/software to make them work (luckily there are lots of friendly & helpful members with a wealth of knowledge about those!).  But you should definitely look into those ELLs for a coordinated neighborhood light show.

[8Track]

Amen to the "peer pressure"!

Yes, I know for some people, cost is an issue & I certainly understand. Maybe LOR can make some inexpensive 2 or 3 channel controllers. Plus, I want to learn more about solid state electronics. Maybe some enterprising people can develop some easy to assemble simple controllers from parts we can mail order from the big electronics houses (now that Radio Shack is unfortunately all but gone I think!) A few names come to mind; Amazon has some stuff, but mainly, Mouser Electronics, Newark Electronics, and Digi-Key Electronics come to mind.

any Thanks!