ogamoga Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 This year I had a fairly simple display with 16 channels and nothing really that special. Next year I want to do more! So with a budget of arround $200-300 what is somthing I should do... At the most I would want to spend $500-600 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 I think mini trees are a good investment. Pretty cheap to make and plenty of bang for the buck. But it's your display and your tastes should be the guide. Watch other people's videos and get ideas and even make a list of what would look good in your yard. Then choose whatever from that list fits your budget. Don't forget to factor in extension cords. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donny M. Carter Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Always more channels. I started this year with 80 channels and I will go to 160 channels in 2011.To me cool big items are the best... Like Mega trees. They take up space, they are easy to sequence, and people love them.Plus what George said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 You'll want to add a couple more controllers. With a small budget and low quantity of lights, I suggest when shopping for lights, stick with one color only for now. This way you can focus on more elements and add aditional color later. Probably plan on going over budget, most of us have already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan C Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 Over budget, do we really have such a thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cray Augsburg Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Dan C wrote: Over budget, do we really have such a thing?It occurs to me the many responses to what we do, based on who the observer is . . .The casual observer might say "Wow! How does he do it?"The enthusiast would say "Wow! How do you do it?"The addict says "Wow! How can I do that?"Your spouse will ask "Wow! How much more are you going to do?" OR "Why do you do it?"Your budget is based on how carefully-worded your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amleer Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 Mini trees are nice and I think they really add to the display. And you can "play" with the number of channels you use. Nice to have each on a separate channel, but you wouldn't have to.And mini trees are really really cheap to make. I make them with PVC. Take a 10' section and cut it in 3 equal pieces. Then take a pvc cap, that all three pieces will easily fit in - let the "legs" splay out; then screw through the cap and legs to secure the tree. You can make a jig so you "splay" all the legs the same distance, etc. And predrilling the hole is easier. Depending on how big you want your "mini" tree, just change the size of the PVC. 3/4" works fine for 3'6" trees. Maybe you want 1 1/2" or 2" for a 6 foot "mini" tree.More channels are good and I'd think you need a few more, but they aren't everything. People do beautiful displays without that many channels.Great that you can add to your display next year!!!!! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogamoga Posted January 2, 2011 Author Share Posted January 2, 2011 What are some thoughts one mabey lawn lights or an arch or two with a cosmic color ribbion...oh and how would I pull that off...Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kzaas Posted January 2, 2011 Share Posted January 2, 2011 ogamoga wrote: What are some thoughts one mabey lawn lights or an arch or two with a cosmic color ribbion...oh and how would I pull that off...ThanksI have my lawn covered with white lights and the viewers seem to really enjoy it. My lawn is on only a single channel while others do thiers on multiple channels, again thats just a personal preference.As far as a Cosmic Color Ribbon goes they are really cool, I have two. They will take a big chunk of your budget, if you wait to get them on sell they are two hundred a piece other wise they are two hundred and fifty. That includes the controller and ribbon.Mini trees are cool also and a real crowd pleaser, I only have five right now but each one has three colors and each color has 300 lights, so 900 lights total on a three foot tree. I made mine from tomato cages. I welded the tips together then wrapped them with chicken wire to round them out better, then I just started winded lights. They turned out real nice and bright. As far as what George said about the minitrees and extension cords, He's right, But it also depends on where you put the controller and how far apart the trees are. My controller is right behind the trees and the trees are only spread out maybe twelve feet, minimal extension for those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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