hi all new guy here

[hemiguy]

Hi every ! My name is Kevin Live in canada ( near the falls ) So in the fall i was in Lowes saw this Mr Christmas light and music show controller bang i bought it worked great for bout 2 weeks 1 control unit quit week later another returner whole unit to lowes no problem( thanx lowes )

So now i started to surf net and found L O R O K now i found something but

Do i need to be a computer wizard to program a light show ( keep in mind im a car guy lol )

ive been all over the L O R site saw their demos Were any of you boys and girls in my position .:?

My girl is already ready rolling her eyes but did enjoy the lowes set up .

I think i want to start with the 1602 w as my base can u help with suggestions opinions hope you can thanx Kevin

[dongod]

I'm in the same boat.

Read almost everything there is to read, but I'm very concerned about the actual computer work and making the sequences work.

There's nothing worst than a light show that's "off"

[hemiguy]

i watched the demo im not the best on a laptop but if demo is like i watched it think if we got like a year to figure it out mite just make it by next Dec Some of these guys on here are like amazing

[scubado]

You have plenty of time to learn. You can download the demo version of the software and start playing with it: http://www.lightorama.com/SoftwareDownloadPage.html
Start reading the manuals here: http://www.lightorama.com/Documentation.html
This is not a plug and play hobby, it does require some computer skills and electrical knowledge as well. Sequencing takes lots of time. Welcome aboard!

[Surfing4Dough]

Welcome both of you!

Here is a good thread to start with some similar concerns expressed.

http://forums.lightorama.com/forum80/31657.html

Also, no great need to start with the 1602W higher priced model, when the PC/residential type controller controls lights the exact same way, but costs less: http://store.lightorama.com/ctb16pcpage.html

[Don]

Welcome, both of you, to this hobby.

Kevin,

A really good chart showing the differences between the two controllers (Pro vs. Residential) can be found here: http://www.lightorama.com/ShowtimePC.html

In an overwhelming majority of cases, the Residential line of controllers is perfect for home use.

Do you need to be a computer wizard? Well, it helps, yes, but is not needed. You'll want to go through the documentation and really get a grasp on things. (You can even download the software and run it in Demo mode to further help you along. The "Help" section in the Sequence Editor is loaded with information.)

Just my opinion ... one of the hardest things to do is take what you see in your head and put it on the screen in the Sequence Editor. Once you get a handle on that, the rest of it is (relatively) easy.

[hemiguy]

Thanx guys u are making this less scary already but want real system and not another toy from lowes u guys rock

how do i keep my girl from rolling her eyes lookin at me like im pocessed with this light show she says i dont need new epensive hobbies lol lol

[CKSedg]

kevtam wrote:

Thanx guys u are making this less scary already but want real system and not another toy from lowes u guys rock

how do i keep my girl from rolling her eyes lookin at me like im pocessed with this light show she says i dont need new epensive hobbies lol lol

Well, my wife still "rolls her eyes" to some extent; but lots of wives do that for lots of hobbies. Yes, it can also get expensive, depending on how much you want to do. The problem is that it is extremely addicting. You will find yourself thinking and planning and doing ALL YEAR LONG. Indeed, if you want a great show, you have to do it all year long. I have to watch myself so that I don't neglect other things (like my wife) with this obsession.

Welcome aboard. We will help in anyway we can. We just ask that you do all you can by reading and searching---then asking questions.

[dongod]

Well I have to be very honest, I've picked up more info on here by just reading the posts.

When I find one that's in some kind of foreign lingo, I say to myself I'll be back when I can speak that language.

Something I did pick up on is that homeowner plastic case controllers are about all I'll ever need.

For almost 25 years I've been the Christmas Grinch, my wife saw a display somewhere and took me to see it, how hard can that be said I, so to make up for all those years of almost nothing we will have our own display next year and I'm dedicating it to my wife.

One thing I've got going for me is that I have a digger/derrick truck so my mega pole is going to be a used light pole and my wife will be up in the bucket helping hang lights.


Still concerned with making the lights and music "look right" but with more reading and visting the above mentioned sites I'm in high hopes of making it happen..

[WhitePlainsNY]

kevtam wrote:

Thanx guys u are making this less scary already but want real system and not another toy from lowes u guys rock

how do i keep my girl from rolling her eyes lookin at me like im pocessed with this light show she says i dont need new epensive hobbies lol lol

Get her involved from day one. She might become a fanatic too. Get her to help out wherever you can; planning the yard layout, types of lights, types of props, song selections, sequencing.

[hemiguy]

they say 9000 lights does that mean c 7s as well

and 1 plug is 1 channel how many lights can i run off that just so new at this and havnt ordered mine yet dazed and confused lol

[dgrant]

I'm new here as well and at this moment, now waiting on my first two controllers to arrive. From what I've read here, 8amps on each controller output may be the maximum. So if you are using incandescant lamps, not as many can be run as if you run LED's instead. I've yet to sequence my first musical score so I'm in the learning mode. Now I'm more than a computer person by far but the online LOR tutorials are very good although for a previous level of software. It should be pretty easy for you to learn it from what I can see. Again, I'll be doing my own shortly so I'll know more then.

[Surfing4Dough]

dgrant wrote:

I'm new here as well and at this moment, now waiting on my first two controllers to arrive. From what I've read here, 8amps on each controller output may be the maximum. So if you are using incandescant lamps, not as many can be run as if you run LED's instead. I've yet to sequence my first musical score so I'm in the learning mode. Now I'm more than a computer person by far but the online LOR tutorials are very good although for a previous level of software. It should be pretty easy for you to learn it from what I can see. Again, I'll be doing my own shortly so I'll know more then.

To clarify, yes, 8A max on each channel ("controller output"), but only 15A per bank of channels (ch1-8, and ch9-16). So if you had 8A on both Ch1 and Ch2 and Ch3, you couldn't turn two of them on at the same time or else you would exceed the max for the bank. To quantify how many lights that might be, you can estimate that a 100ct string of mini-incandescent lights uses about 0.33A. (LED's roughly 10% of that).

[bblumka]

So you can basically run a little less then 6 strings of 100ct mini-incandescent lights per channel?

Sorry new here too. Have yet to buy anything. Just tryin to do some homework before I go over board. Would like to go the cheaper route if possible (meaning assembly done on my end). Only problem is I'm not sure I can do that. With that said, best bang for the buck as for as assembly goes. Get rid of the most pain in assembly. Was looking at starting with 32 channels, but I'm thinking that maybe too much. 16 channels maybe a way the way to start in, but I wanna make sure I can have enough lights poppin to the music. Would 16 Channels cover that? I'm thinking yes, maybe, but what are your thoughts? Can anyone point me in the right direction of what to buy? All I would need? And some kinda cost this is gonna run me?

[Surfing4Dough]

bblumka wrote:

So you can basically run a little less then 6 strings of 100ct mini-incandescent lights per channel?

Sorry new here too. Have yet to buy anything. Just tryin to do some homework before I go over board. Would like to go the cheaper route if possible (meaning assembly done on my end). Only problem is I'm not sure I can do that. With that said, best bang for the buck as for as assembly goes. Get rid of the most pain in assembly. Was looking at starting with 32 channels, but I'm thinking that maybe too much. 16 channels maybe a way the way to start in, but I wanna make sure I can have enough lights poppin to the music. Would 16 Channels cover that? I'm thinking yes, maybe, but what are your thoughts? Can anyone point me in the right direction of what to buy? All I would need? And some kinda cost this is gonna run me?

If you had all 16 channels on at a time, yes you are right that it would average to be 5.6 100ct strings per channel (30A per controller divided by 16 channels). HOWEVER, don't turn all 16 on at a time. It is all dependent on your sequencing. For example, say you use red, green, and white lights on all of your elements (ie. bushes). I have seen that some follow the rule that they never sequence both red and green to be turned on at the same time on a single item (ie. bush). So again, say R, G, W in equal numbers of lights, following your logic, you could have a total of 10A of white, 10A Red, and 10A Green per controller. If you decided to never have Red and green on the same item at a time (using my example), then you could have 15A of each color (50% increase). So it all depends on how you sequence.

Get a Kill-a-watt meter to measure your loads on your channels so you can accurately measure your use too. http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202196386/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[Surfing4Dough]

Wow, three 1st time posters all in one thread. Welcome all! Do lots of reading to make sure you learn the basics of this hobby. You will find a lot of willing help by many here if it appears that you have put in some effort on your own to try to read and get some of the basics.

[james campbell]

dongod wrote:

Still concerned with making the lights and music "look right" but with more reading and visting the above mentioned sites I'm in high hopes of making it happen..

don't be concerned about that,it will be clunky and not smooth in the imo) it's not as hard as you think.

[james campbell]

Surfing4Dough wrote:

Welcome both of you!

Here is a good thread to start with some similar concerns expressed.

http://forums.lightorama.com/forum80/31657.html

Also, no great need to start with the 1602W higher priced model, when the PC/residential type controller controls lights the exact same way, but costs less: http://store.lightorama.com/ctb16pcpage.html

totally agree, I have two ctb16 pc for my first year and qwe have had tons of rain,both controllers stayed dry inside,

[scubado]

Just consider this your practice year, it helps relieve the pressure. There have been people that have created fantanstic displays with only 16 channels. My personal opinion is use only a single color. This will give you more elements to work with for the channel count and make sequencing easier. You may find you don't care about your other hobbies anymore too. I used to be an avid scuba diver. I only went once in 2011. Probably going to sell my scuba gear this year for more controllers.
Since you are starting this early you may consider going to 48 channels, just depends on your comfort level.

[George Simmons]

Welcome guys!

I concur with everyone above who recommend reading, reading, reading. There's help files just about everywhere on look on LOR's site, including this forum. The more you use them, the smarter and better you'll get.

I also recommend getting the demo software TODAY if you haven't already and get started doing your first song. (Don't worry about how bad it looks, even if it sucks. There's not very many ordinary humans here who've ever shown their first sequence publicly.) IMHO one of the best ways to learn the software is to look at AND TRY every single drop-down menu item in the Sequence Editor to familiarize yourself with what things you can do.