1st year putting up lights

[Guest guest]

First of all, I want to say that I am using the LOR this year at my parents house since I am in an apartment, so I can't really change anything power related. The only power for the LOR box is in the garage. I was thinking of putting the LOR box outside and running 2 heavy duty outdoor cords to the box. Now, the computer is going to be in the garage, tower only, and there will be an ethernet box to the garage so I can use a computer inside to update/change whatever needs to be done to the computer in the garage and not have a monitor outside, doesn't sound real safe to me, using a Virtual network. Now the question I have is, how do you keep the LOR box outside from getting wet or stolen or anything. I live in Ohio, so I'll have to deal with possible rain, sleet, snow, icestorm, etc. basically anything can happen in Ohio. I am going to be putting it up when I go home over thanksgiving so it will be a quick setup for a first year, but I think I can get it done. *crosses fingers* Do most of you put a stake in the yard and put the box on it or how do you keep it off the ground because of the elements. I don't think I really have to worry about power because I'm not using any more lights then I have with a static display and never had problems. I'll have the computer on a different circuit just in case, not sure how much power a tower takes. So I guess after this looong message I can summarize this in 2 easy questions.

1. I would rather keep the box outside instead of in the garage to only run 2 cords out instead of 16.
2. How do you keep it from getting stolen/wet from the elements. Do you mount them, put bags over the plugs to keep the moisture out, etc? I want to be safe, but can't really do anything like put new outlets in or GFCI and such.

I'm looking forward to my first year. 3 songs done, 1/2 of another one and still have to do 1, but that one is just going to be a slow fading song so I should be able to do it pretty easily. *crosses fingers*

[Guest guest]

Well I'm mounting mine to the outside of the house and having it all wired in on it's own circuit. Originally I had planned on running it from the garage but, didn't want the 16 channels of wire running across the driveway.

I would say in your setup just to run 2 cords out and then build like a little box for it that is staked into the ground. If your just going to have it out sitting in the yard then it should have a shelter or something around it to provide you with some Security. I would think that if you just mounted it to some plywood and staked it to the ground outside that Somebody may be inclined to nick it.

Good luck...and Merry Christmas.

[Guest guest]

I used some big right angle bracket things to make legs for my boxes. Four of them were standing on the porch, and one was in the middle of the yard with a luminaria display stand leaning on it. (The LOR box was basically being used as a leg for the stand.)

I get rain here, but no snow, so the LOR boxes are high enough off the ground to keep from sitting in puddles. The yard is landscaped with bark chips, so even though the plugs are all on the ground, they don't end up sitting in puddles.

So... My answer to your question is: I don't keep the boxes from getting wet. They're weather resistant, so as long as they aren't going to be in a puddle they are probably ok.

I wanted to cover them last year, but never got around to it. My idea was to build little cover boxes for them out of cardboard (yes, cardboard) and then wrap the cardboard boxes in a plastic based wrapping paper that would hold up to the rain.

People have done various things to keep them from getting stolen. (Or, at least, to make it harder to steal them.) These include: staking, chaining, and mounting them to a wall. Lights and noise also seem to be helpful in keeping people out of yards.

[Guest guest]

I mount my boxes on "L" brackets I've atttached to the back of the LOR boxes and scatter them near the loads they are connected to. They are high enough off the ground so that all the sockets are not touching the ground. In addition, I put a big garbage bag around the whole thing as we get lots of rain, snow and ice so the additional protection helps during take down. I've attached a picture of the Halloween wiring of one of the controllers in the front. You can see my use of conduit poles for mounting things. The LOR is in the bag just below the big pumpkin. I hide the controllers in the shrubs.

I don't know why you are running two cords out to the controller. Just run one of sufficient gage to handle the circuit load. Since you said you had a static display prior to LOR, then you are not overloading the garage outlet (I am assuming that the outlet is one circuit and not two). So just get an extension of sufficient gage to handle the circuit load and distance.

Mike


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[Guest guest]

I was under the assumption that since there are 2 plugs that you needed to run power to both of them to run both sides. Maybe I am not understanding what you are saying correctly.

[Guest guest]

The LOR controller can be wired with each half on it's own power source (30 amp), or just run one feed to both sides (15 amp) setting the jumpers inside. Since you are running from one outlet, the maximum is probably 20 amps, more likely a 15 amp circuit. And since you ran the static display from that one outlet in prior years, then you should not need the 30 amp capability.

[Guest guest]

Hey Radioguy

What the heck is the cooking pan looking thing?

[Guest guest]

That was my "lightning simulator". 4 strobes mounted to a baking pan! Made a great reflector keeping the flashes aimed in the right direction.

Mike

[Guest guest]

radioguy1007 wrote:

That was my "lightning simulator". 4 strobes mounted to a baking pan! Made a great reflector keeping the flashes aimed in the right direction.

And here I was hoping for an exotic microwave reflector to give guests that mysterious 'antsy' feeling as their outer skin is excited with waves of energy.