Need Help to get across the Street

[gmac]

So, After months of reading, planning, deciding, on how to build my Pixel Tree, I finally made a decision and now it hits me HOW DO I SEND THE DATA ACROSS THE STREET??

 

I found out I can't use ELLS or WIFI so all I have left is Cat5 cable.

 

My thought now is to put the cable from curb to curb inside of a garden hose to help protect it from the cars running over it, and hope the snow plow trucks don't come down my street in the evenings!!

 

I planned to take the cable off the street after the show was over untill the next evening and do it all over again.

 

Does this sound feasible or am I way off base with this idea..... any one done this before?

 

And NO I don't want to put it in my yard for various reasons.

 

Any other ideas????

 

Thanks

Edited February 6, 2013 by gmac

[scubado]

Did you ask the chicken how it crossed the street?!

[gmac]

I don't know, did it wiggle its way thru a graden hose?

[Surfing4Dough]

Please make sure you take photos of the damage that the snow plow does to your 2 controllers (and/or computer) that are on either end of the the cat5.  We would love to see them.

Edited February 6, 2013 by Surfing4Dough

[scubado]

I'm not familiar with the ELLs limitations, why wouldn't they work?  What's across the street that makes you want to put the tree there?  If I had to run a cable, I'd highwire it.

[hdracer]

Are there any drains or expansion joints near there area where you want to run the cabling? Your gonna have to run cat5/6. Being your running e1.31.. Pictures would help us a little more.  Esp if the plow comes through...

[LightsinMaine]

Scuba, ELLs are really no good for anything involving pixels (or even CCRs or CCBs etc). And I personally wouldn't run anything across a public way/street. U don't only have plows to worry about but what happens if a car speeds by and ur cable gets caught in their tires somehow and rips out of your controller and takes out some kid's eye. Just not very Christmassy scene if you ask me.....just my 2 cents. I always play on the safe side because we do provide a service for the public

[Ken Benedict]

If you're running regular DMX (not E1.31), you might use these: http://www.chauvetlighting.com/d-fi-plus.html

 

These are in the 900MHz frequency range, pretty much by themselves.

 

I have 8 for the lighting shows I do and have never had a problem.

[gmac]

Please make sure you take photos of the damage that the snow plow does to your 2 controllers (and/or computer) that are on either end of the the cat5.  We would love to see them.

Very Funny!!!.......But my idea was to use 2-CAT5 couplers one at each curb side attached to a stake and worst case seniario should be loss of 20' of cable 

[gmac]

Scuba, ELLs are really no good for anything involving pixels (or even CCRs or CCBs etc). And I personally wouldn't run anything across a public way/street. U don't only have plows to worry about but what happens if a car speeds by and ur cable gets caught in their tires somehow and rips out of your controller and takes out some kid's eye. Just not very Christmassy scene if you ask me.....just my 2 cents. I always play on the safe side because we do provide a service for the public

Very good point, I never considered damage to someone elses stuff or hurting someone, thats the last thing i would want.

BTW:  I should have said I'm using CCP's and I can't use wifi

[thebaronn]

Sure you can use wifi!

 

Run the CCPixels in DMX mode with a E1.31DMX Bridge. A 4 port bridge could run 4 controllers (so either 400 pixels or 600)

 

Then use wifi for the E1.31 portion.

Edited February 6, 2013 by thebaronn

[plasmadrive]

If you're running regular DMX (not E1.31), you might use these: http://www.chauvetlighting.com/d-fi-plus.html

 

These are in the 900MHz frequency range, pretty much by themselves.

 

I have 8 for the lighting shows I do and have never had a problem.

Ken,

You don't have any issues with the 900MHz units?  No interference, no delays, no drop outs?   I have never used any of the wireless DMX units but have been looking.  I was looking at units using the 2.4GHz band instead of the 900MHz..

Something along this line http://www.sirs-e.com/st/anydmx-wireless-transceiver-p-5498.html?osCsid=897eb055a36948451bf4136772e8dca7   Or similar..  Have you tried any of those?

[k6ccc]

You did not say what hardware you are using for the tree.  If I were doing it, here is how I would do it in my preferred order:

 

I would use 2811 pixels or strips (whichever you wanted to use) and a SanDevices E1.31 controller for then, and then use 5.8 GHz WiFi to get the E1.31 across the street.

 

If you are using CCP / CCB / CCRs I would run it in DMX mode using a the RAW DMX mode out of a SanDevices E682 E1.31 board, and use 5.8 GHz WiFi to get the E1.31 across the street.

 

Last choice would be to use whatever devices in DMX mode using one of the 900 MHz links mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

Actually the really last choice would be to use a whole bunch of ELLs with only one or two CCB / CCP / CCBs per ELL, and even then you still might be limited in what you could do on the tree, and you could easily run out of radio channels for the ELLs (I don't remember how many channels those have).

[plasmadrive]

You did not say what hardware you are using for the tree.  If I were doing it, here is how I would do it in my preferred order:

 

I would use 2811 pixels or strips (whichever you wanted to use) and a SanDevices E1.31 controller for then, and then use 5.8 GHz WiFi to get the E1.31 across the street.

 

If you are using CCP / CCB / CCRs I would run it in DMX mode using a the RAW DMX mode out of a SanDevices E682 E1.31 board, and use 5.8 GHz WiFi to get the E1.31 across the street.

 

Last choice would be to use whatever devices in DMX mode using one of the 900 MHz links mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

Actually the really last choice would be to use a whole bunch of ELLs with only one or two CCB / CCP / CCBs per ELL, and even then you still might be limited in what you could do on the tree, and you could easily run out of radio channels for the ELLs (I don't remember how many channels those have).

LOR told me max of 4 CCRs per ELL so that is 600 channels.  I haven't tried it but could be worth a look if you own the ELLs

[Ken Benedict]

Ken,

You don't have any issues with the 900MHz units?  No interference, no delays, no drop outs?   I have never used any of the wireless DMX units but have been looking.  I was looking at units using the 2.4GHz band instead of the 900MHz..

Something along this line http://www.sirs-e.com/st/anydmx-wireless-transceiver-p-5498.html?osCsid=897eb055a36948451bf4136772e8dca7   Or similar..  Have you tried any of those?

 

I've heard from wireless phone techs that the 2.4GHz band is very congested and may be unusable in some areas.

 

I talked to a Chauvet rep about their 2.4GHz unit and they said zero problems, even in the Los Angeles area.

 

I've used mine at a football field lighting show, with two cell towers close by and no interference at all.

 

My 900 MHz unit has a range of about 300 feet and the 2.4 GHz is 600 feet, according to specs.

 

They seem to be around $100 each or about $200-$250 per pair.

 

So far, no delays or dropouts.

[GaryM]

2.4 is ism unlicensed stuff. You wont have any cell carriers using it. Pcs carriers at 1.9 and clearwire at 2.5, but other than maybe some muni wifi stuff still hanging around, nothing else. Bigger issue will be all the unlicensed crap in the band.

[gmac]

You did not say what hardware you are using for the tree.  If I were doing it, here is how I would do it in my preferred order:

 

I would use 2811 pixels or strips (whichever you wanted to use) and a SanDevices E1.31 controller for then, and then use 5.8 GHz WiFi to get the E1.31 across the street.

 

If you are using CCP / CCB / CCRs I would run it in DMX mode using a the RAW DMX mode out of a SanDevices E682 E1.31 board, and use 5.8 GHz WiFi to get the E1.31 across the street.

 

Last choice would be to use whatever devices in DMX mode using one of the 900 MHz links mentioned earlier in this thread.

 

Actually the really last choice would be to use a whole bunch of ELLs with only one or two CCB / CCP / CCBs per ELL, and even then you still might be limited in what you could do on the tree, and you could easily run out of radio channels for the ELLs (I don't remember how many channels those have).

Sorry, I should have been more specific as to what I'm thinking...... I planned on using 7 of the CCP units that LOR sells and create a 24 strand 12' tall Pixel Tree in my neighbors yard across the street to try and get more of my neighbors involved.

After reading other posts I got the impression that the standard ELL's that LOR sell could not transmit the data fast enough to the tree causing lags etc.

I tried contacting LOR by phone numerious time and every time I called they said the person I need to talk to isn't there and would call back but no replys back,,so thank you for the replys , this has me at least looking other alternatiives.

[k6ccc]

Sorry, I should have been more specific as to what I'm thinking...... I planned on using 7 of the CCP units that LOR sells and create a 24 strand 12' tall Pixel Tree in my neighbors yard across the street to try and get more of my neighbors involved.

 

 

Cool plan.  7 CCP sets would be WAY too much for an ELL.  I would figure out a way to get it across the street as DMX data.  WiFi would have no trouble carrying the traffic and there are several options given for getting DMX across the street.

 

[plasmadrive]

Sorry, I should have been more specific as to what I'm thinking...... I planned on using 7 of the CCP units that LOR sells and create a 24 strand 12' tall Pixel Tree in my neighbors yard across the street to try and get more of my neighbors involved.

 

 

Cool plan.  7 CCP sets would be WAY too much for an ELL.  I would figure out a way to get it across the street as DMX data.  WiFi would have no trouble carrying the traffic and there are several options given for getting DMX across the street.

Perhaps not for 2 ELLs..

[TGabriel]

Just bore a hole under the street.