sirrob28 Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Hey Guys,Well after a few years of Plug and play we decided it was time to get real last December. We live in a Cal-De-Sac of 7 houses and we all go crazy for Christmas(even run power out to the circle and decorate the trees). We also do a food drive which normally brings in about 150 bags of groceries and $100 in cash grew to 750 bags and $700 dollars last year. We also have Santa,Mrs Claus,The Grinch with Cindy Lou and some Elves every Friday and Saturday for pictures which has turned out to be a pretty big event. This year we are adding Elmo and Cookie Monster to the mix. So has you can see its alot of fun and also a lot of work. So here is what we have so far and you guys let me know if I am missing anything.4- Light o rama control boxes1-USB485B converter125 ft of cat5 cables18 songs i have sequenced using the LOR software1-CCR ribbon I am going to use in a large star, and maybe a hint of things to come next year.1-EDM-LCD-CS-EP transmiter150 LED sets of lights and some regular mini lights all planned out included a weber tree design,mini mega trees,arches,star and even a heart.over 1000 ft of extension cordThe only thing i wasn't sure about was the show director. I was going to use my laptop this year and possibly get into the director next year but i am still on the fence about it. The wife is going to kill me cause I went over my budget on this just a little, but hey its for a good cause,right! lol.Let me know if you guys think I need anything, and any tips on how to wrap the CCR around the star,not sure on how to do the bends.These forums have really helped my along, you guys are great!!ThanksRob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spomalley Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 (edited) Will you use the laptop during the holiday season? E.g. Is it a work laptop? If you can say it is dedicated only to the show then you don't need a MiniDirector, if you use it very lightly when the show won't be on you don't need a MiniDirector.If you can't use your existing laptop, then you could always got to a garage sale and pick up a really old one for $30 because the show director dosen't require much firepower (just be sure it meets the OS requirements). Edited August 18, 2012 by spomalley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spomalley Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Sorry I forgot to say: For the CCR: You could always cut it, it would void the warranty but they're are plenty of people who've done it, just remember the CCR dosen't really take kindly to bends unless they're very wide arcs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james campbell Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 what about a tune to sign,so people will know what station you are on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EARLE W. TALLEY Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 (edited) More extension cord, at least another 1000ft., if your controllers are not close to the props. Good choice on the EDM-Great Transmitter. Edited August 19, 2012 by EARLE W. TALLEY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shubb Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 7 years worth of experience brings me to these tips:1. You will need more extension cord. Do some homework and look into SPT-1 or SPT-2 cords and buy extra.2. Don't discuss a budget or cost with the wife, or anyone else for that matter. We all know this isn't a cheap hobby.3. First year use a computer. You will have a lot of testing/ trial and error and it's not as east to diagnose on a director.4. Get building now! It looks like you have the layout and display designed up, so start building.5. Test early and often. Don't feel odd if you are testing Christmas lights while the kids are Trick-Or-Treating. A lot of things can and will come up and you need time to correct them.6. Real life doesn't really look like the animation or visualizer. You might have to make some drastic changes to the layout when you realize that the arches are bigger than you pictured, or the mini tree's get blocked by the mega tree.Enjoy and feel free to ask any questions.Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirrob28 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 Great advice from all you guys. One good thing is that last year when when we did our display we built it with this in mind. We did a 30ft mega tree ,3 mini mega trees, 3 arches , then the usual house lights along with a giant star. At that point we just had the plug and play but we had everything going to 8 channels. We got our tree to spin and our arches to leap and our star to do flash in many ways. Going from 8 channels to 64 is a large jump but we got a pretty idea of where things are going because we aren't going to change to much with locations and all. One thing besides this is that I have 2- 24ft blowups that everyone loves and the location of where to put them could be a issue,lol. Living in a cal-de-sac we all have pie shaped front yards with only so much room to deal with. Last year they blocked out the windows which is now included in the sequences. I will be taking the week after Halloween off from work and my son has told me he would take a week off of school too,lol(thats not happening). One question is which is the wire of choice SPT-1 or SPT-2 wire. i have read about the difference and using mostly LED lights SPT-1 would work fine i think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james campbell Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 spt 1 will be just fine,the only difference between the two is spt 1 has thinner insulation,but both will handle 8- 10 amps depending on the length of run.be sure you get the apropriate plugs ends spt 2 ends will be super loose on spt 1 cord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griswald Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I wish I lived where you do! I'm pretty much the only one on my street that puts up any lights at all. Seems the rest of the neighborhood are a bunch of Bah Humbugs.Would love to see some video of your setup when you have it going... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirrob28 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Its a great bunch of neighbors that all love going crazy for the holidays, its usually are main conversation during our summer circle picnic,lol. You can check out our website, tons of pics and some vids from past Christmas and a few halloweens. Once this "project" gets up and running I will def do some video action!www.colonylanelights.webs.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 When you see a good deal, buy more Cat5 cable. Then invite your neighbors to join your LOR network. Tell them they only need to buy a controller or 2, and then you can have all houses flashing in sync, which really looks impressive.We have a multi-house show here. Last year it was 4 houses, but we may add as many as 3 more this year! I am lending controllers to a couple neighbors in order to get them to join in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirrob28 Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 We actually did something like that for Christmas eve last year. We do a "party on the circle" on Christmas eve. We do 200 luminaries around the circle a light show,last year we dedicated the light show to a 9yr old girl who died in her sleep. We usually get about 150 people that come out and have a lot of christmas cheer,lol. So last year we ran extension cords from all 7 houses to the plug and play box and had all the houses going to the music, it was actually very cool then we threw some fireworks in to make it really cool. We are thinking of doing a tribute to the troops this Christmas eve. I just don't want to turn it into a 4th of july type show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts