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Any rumors for LOR 2011?


scubado

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A leak: One of the skunk works projects is PLC devices. (PLC=Power Line Control) High Speed PLC will eliminate the need for data cables by sending the data signal over the standard, extension cord that you were already using.

I am guessing that you will still have to have one unit hooked up via a data cable or wireless to communicate with the rest of the units?

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toddmoon wrote:

A leak: One of the skunk works projects is PLC devices. (PLC=Power Line Control) High Speed PLC will eliminate the need for data cables by sending the data signal over the standard, extension cord that you were already using.

I am guessing that you will still have to have one unit hooked up via a data cable or wireless to communicate with the rest of the units?


In a post made by LightoRamaJohn on Nov 24, 2010

The attached picture shows the string & prototype controller. You will notice that there are no network jacks on the controller. This is the first LOR controller to use PLC (Power Line Carrier) technology. You just plug these into extension cords and then plug the extension cord into an Injector which places the LOR or DMX data on the power line to the devices. LEDs are so low current that this scheme becomes practical because you can have so many on one 15 amp circuit.

This controller includes a switching power supply so there is no separate power pack.

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I guess I am missing the attachment or picture for the drawing or schematic. Is the injector a wireless device or hooked up by USB or Ethernet?

I have two sub panels for power in my home and wonder how well a signal would carry across the neutral from my main panel that feeds my computer to my sub panels where my lights are plugged into.

Before I went animated I was using four legs of my power system. As I have increased my display and setup to animation I am now using four time the lights and running the entire show on one 15 amp leg. My power bill is way down from four years ago and I am have 4X the lights that I had four years ago.

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toddmoon wrote:

I guess I am missing the attachment or picture for the drawing or schematic. Is the injector a wireless device or hooked up by USB or Ethernet?

I have two sub panels for power in my home and wonder how well a signal would carry across the neutral from my main panel that feeds my computer to my sub panels where my lights are plugged into.

Before I went animated I was using four legs of my power system. As I have increased my display and setup to animation I am now using four time the lights and running the entire show on one 15 amp leg. My power bill is way down from four years ago and I am have 4X the lights that I had four years ago.


The injector will connect something like a POE injector. Your Ext. Cord will come from your wall outlet and plug into the injector. On the injector will be a plug for your RJ45 (Cat5 cable) coming from your computer. Your LOR controller will then plug into the other end of the injector injector unit carrying your 120V power and the signals for your controllers. Thus, eliminating the need for a Cat5 cable to be ran to every controller.

If I'm wrong somewhere, someone please correct me. :)
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The only product I have seen confirmation of working with PLC is the Cosmic Color Bulbs. I would not be surprised if the Gen2 controllers will support PLC, but I don't believe that the existing controllers will support it.

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toddmoon wrote:

I guess I am missing the attachment or picture for the drawing or schematic. Is the injector a wireless device or hooked up by USB or Ethernet?

Here is the missing attachment.

Attached files 232052=12718-Controller_and_Bulbs.JPG
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This looks like a small board I wonder if it could be installed with existing controllers or will the existing controller just be getting left behind for the new technology and upgrades?

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terrypowerz wrote:

dmoore wrote:
Is this some poor me Planet Christmas stuff?
Not sure I get the reference you are trying to make on the above?

If you personally don't agree - then lay it out, say why you don't agree and let others benefit from the knowledge you may have.  If they have issue or disagreement they can say so.  There just isn't much value in a statement of "I personally do not agree with either in part or in whole."  What whole?  What part?

Of course that is just my opinion.

I actually had penned a rather lengthy post regarding what I didn't agree with, but to be honest it ended up sounding like I was bashing other products so before I hit post I highlighted and deleted 7/8ths of my post. I thought it better to just keep it short and let others do their own research if they were interested at all on a possible counterpoint.

I will simply say that I know far more people coming back to LOR then I know that are moving away from it (software).

As far as the cutting edge technology and LOR making changes to embrace that, it is terrific in that the segment of the users that pursue that will most likely have a choice soon that will allow them to have a stable platform and more seamless integration with the legacy hardware and methodology.

As you pointed out, by and large there will still be the majority of users that will not make the step into pixel based lighting. First it is a major investment no matter how you do it (even based on the "normal" budgets in this hobby). Second is the fact that there will be those that will feel that pixel based, RGB lighting is just flat out not very "Christmassy" in the traditional sense.

When you look at creating the most bleeding edge effects and technology with no regard to the more modest needs and wants of a large majority it is a much more simple (and faster) matter to code and design software and hardware without restraint. Unfortunately you then restrict your audience to a very small population.

Now IF you take into account the needs and wants of an already huge base of users that are using spare modest computers and have an investment in existing hardware, and look at integrating the latest technology in such a way that these earlier adopters are still not only served but the experience is actually enhanced for them, yet there is room to scale up as needs, wants, and budgets allow, while still maintaining a level of stability and usability that you have become known for... it becomes a much more involved task that requires thought and creativity to execute successfully. It is that level of commitment that keeps me here.

I seem to sense a lot of doubt and disparaging comments in regards to the vendor that this forum is based on, which makes me wonder why some hang around here if they are not using the products and there are others that are so damn good?
I am not getting the value in that... :?

 


I would not mind hearing what you have to say.

Part of me wonders if you may be referring to one of my post when I said I may be getting some thing from LOR and some things out side of LOR next year.

Honestly I have been rethinking my display for next year almost daily.

There is part of me that wonders if it's best to wait to 2012 to make major updates, and just make minor updates to the display in 2011, with all the new stuff coming out.

It's kind of hard to plan what to buy with so much new stuff coming out, with allot of unknowns yet to be determined. While allot of pre orders for LEDs and stuff are in the first few weeks of january.

Especially for me when Money and Power limits, are pretty big constraints on my display.



This is my view when it comes to LOR vs other products.

On the software side S2 deals with allot of things you may not need to use for your light show, and in reality is a rather complex pice of software to support every thing it does support. I have the full version of S2, and have looked in to some of the other products for sequencing and none seam to really make sequencing any more user friendly then S2 (out side of like the super star editor if you have a CCR matrix). That being said I am working on making my own sequencer. If it works, I complete it, and I release it. I can't see how a free sequencing program could hurt any one.

As for AC and DC control boards LOR current line has me sold completely. I have looked at all the stuff I have scene from competitors and I have yet to see any thing that matches up to the LOR stuff. The new series of control boards have me wondering allot of things. What will happen with the current boards? Will the be gone completely? Will the stay around at the same price? Will there price go down? Will the new board coast more? If so how much? One thing I really like about the new boards is they should be allot more user friendly to LED users. But the unknowns of coast / channel count per board have me waiting on switching to LED lights. By the time these factors are known it my well be the case that the LED pre sales for 2011 will all be over.

As for RGB lighting this is where things can get the most confusing to me.

I started going RGB with rainbow products this past year. I would like to add some more RGB floods to my display for next year (I currently have 10 floods and 15 spots) But due to light pollution from street lights and stuff there just not as effective as I would like them to be. Now due for 2011 Pondude has updates to the rainbow floods and LOR has there own RGB flood coming out. Now in a sense ether way LOR wins since ether I will be buying LOR floods, or more LOR DC boards to control more rainbow floods. But I rather see a side by side comparison of the two before buying ether. I expect that LOR floods will coast more for the same light output as using rainbow products, but how much more will be the question. Example if on rainbow flood comes out to 60$ and one LOR flood is 100$ (assuming light out put is one for one) it may be worth it to use LOR floods if the LOR flood though is 200$ it probably would not be worth it to me. I have the skill to build things my self and last year I got it down to about 30$-40$ per flood when taking in to account the coast of hosings, control cards in power supplies. As much as I like LOR I cant see spending 200$ on something I can get for 40$. I rather use the money to buy more controllers :)

Then you have node based lighting. One of the RGB devices I would like to include in my display next year are 3 feet long rigid RGB light strips. Right now the only way to do that would be to take a CCR and cut it down and then attach it to some thing else. I don't see why I could want to go this way since it would be more then double the price and once I cut a CCR I lose my warrantee on it any way. Then there is also the issue how long of an extensions you can put in a CCR between segments which can be another issue in cutting up CCRs.

Then I was thinking of adding some RGB node string to the display. We stile have no idea when the LOR strings will be coming out for sure and what there price will be. If I start using other RGB products then I will be already running two systems so adding in some RGB strings along with rigid RGB sticks does not really make much of a difference. Also the node strings I am thinking of getting are longer then the CCB strings and have more nodes.

Then there are the PLC 4 channels controllers that to me I fell can change every thing (well at least for me if there can handle 1 amp per channel) but we have no idea if there is even a chance of them coming out in 2011.

Over all I have been a very happy LOR user, and I cannot see my self picking another company over them for a similar product. At the same time though I am rather good at making things and I am not going to spend extra money just to buy the LOR product when I can save money and use the saved money to buy more things.

I would like to hear what you and other have to say cause I am very unsure of what direction to take my display in 2011.

At the end of the day the backbone of my display is LOR and I don't see that ever changing.
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While I do share your concern over the upcoming changes I do not see myself jumping ship.

Technology changes bring new questions and I have no doubt that the answers will come in time. Will LOR come out in time with information for the first of the year sales remains to be see.

It does make me wonder if I should take a wait and see on my controller purchases.

I have been planning on purchasing several new controllers and with all of the changes coming out I think I will take a wait and see before I purchase any new lights or controllers.

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toddmoon wrote:

This looks like a small board I wonder if it could be installed with existing controllers or will the existing controller just be getting left behind for the new technology and upgrades?


From what I remember of the description above, that little card is the power supply, and controller for the Cosmic Color Bulbs. If it were to be a retrofit for the existing controllers, you could cut out the controller part, but you would then most likely have to add circuitry to drive a local RS485 buss. Or maybe emulate the RS-458 chip, and have it plug into the RS-485 chip socket.

But, from the description above, they also intend the PLC to only service one circuit. The injector goes between the outlet, and the powered devices. So it would seem to make the most sense where a number of low power devices can be plugged into the same circuit. For example, a number of CCR, or CCB strings, all plugged into the same outlet.
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From what I have seen before, the Cosmic Color Floods are likely going to have higher output.. They use high enough power LED's that thermal modeling was required in the design.

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LightORamaJohn made this statement in a post on November 25, 2010

Of course we will sell the Injector and it has the same 3 network jacks as controllers. Probably around $40 -- but this is a wild guess. I haven't done any quantity pricing. You need one Injector for every 14 amps CCBs. A 50 bulb string is less than 0.2 amps. You shouldn't plug other stuff into the extension cords with the CCBs

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terrypowerz wrote:

What I really want to know is WTH is "Christmas Lights 3.0"? :?


That's something I actually do have an answer too in all this confusion.

Basically Christmas Lights 3.0 refers to RGB node based lighting.
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csf wrote:

terrypowerz wrote:
What I really want to know is WTH is "Christmas Lights 3.0"? :?


That's something I actually do have an answer too in all this confusion.

Basically Christmas Lights 3.0 refers to RGB node based lighting.


I am on "Christmas Lights 7.1" currently... :P
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terrypowerz wrote:

csf wrote:
terrypowerz wrote:
What I really want to know is WTH is "Christmas Lights 3.0"? :?


That's something I actually do have an answer too in all this confusion.

Basically Christmas Lights 3.0 refers to RGB node based lighting.


I am on "Christmas Lights 7.1" currently... :P

Is that sub millimeter resolution LED chips embedded in your brick and paint? How many servers does it take to drive all that?
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terrypowerz wrote:

csf wrote:
terrypowerz wrote:
What I really want to know is WTH is "Christmas Lights 3.0"? :?


That's something I actually do have an answer too in all this confusion.

Basically Christmas Lights 3.0 refers to RGB node based lighting.


I am on "Christmas Lights 7.1" currently... :P

I was on 7.1, but rolled back to 7.0 because of some strange bugs interacting with my rebar stakes.
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toddmoon wrote:

. . . Will LOR come out in time with information for the first of the year sales remains to be see. . .

I believe the first sale is to reduce surplus stock. I would be very surprised if there were already "too many" of the new items on the shelves.

Regards,

Alan.
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I don't an immediate advantage to have PLC instead of using the cat5 cables.

I also find that using $1 clearance floodlights is just fine, except for the power they consume. Is the main advantage to rainbow floods that they are brighter and can take on any color you want? I guess that would be an advantage, if I could take all my red and green floods and just replace with a single rainbow or other RGB flood.

I have heard that some of the DIY controllers have test buttons which allows you to trigger the channels in the fields for testing. That would be really nice to have.

I agree with others, I'm very happy and sold on LOR products and the software and support are also really good.

I look forward to new technology this year, but its really hard to plan right now now knowing for sure...

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