Ted W Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I was reading a post about MT's usually being 8 to maybe 16 channels. I tink I may have screwed up again. My MT is roughly 12 feet tall with a base diameter of about 6 feet. I found that 1, 100 light set folded in half is theperfect length for one channel. I have 19 light sets, so I have 19 channels. I control each set separately. Is there something else I can be doing that would save channels? My whole display is 112 channels, and each channel controls one set of lights or one feature. What am I missing????????????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Hvasta Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 (edited) Ted, 112channels to work with? Nineteen, 100ct strings? Put 7 of those strings somewhere else.. start that megatree off with 12 (or even 8) channels, run the strings up, then down, either same side like a wedge, or up/over, like a vertical slice... that will give you a good spinning effect. then use a channel or two for the star.. lastly, use a channel, maybe two, for strobes. Thats either 16 channels total, or (if you used 8) leaves 4 left for other props. If you have a real desire to change colors, use one controller (16ch) for 8 red, 8 green strings. You can use multi-color strings for the MT also. Lots of us have done it for our first one. You're going to have a difficult time hanging more that 12-14 strings on the top, forget 19 strings..each string of 100ct incandescent lights is .33amp, so 3 strings is 1amp. each channel can handle approx 8 amps (approx 24strings) so the thinking would be, cool, 24strings/channel, 16 channels.. LOTSA lights.. but there is the 20/30 or 40amp TOTAL limit per board (depending on board type and heat sinks), Conservative rule of thumb, (and I'm jus wingin' it here.. was an English major), you should be able to safely run 4-6 strings per channel.. throw over 8 strings of red, 8 strings of green then another controller can do the star /strobes/ spiral strings. Or 7 reds, 7 greens and a channel or two for the star and strobes. Edited September 18, 2012 by TJ Hvasta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I'm doing a solid 32 channels on the megatree this first year out. 16 are spiraled one direction, then alternating 16 strings spiraled the other direction. All strings on it are multi LED's rather than changing colors. Also on more channels are a multi-ball on top of the tree and another to fire curtain 25 strobes that will be hung inside of the tree. Hopefully it'll look nice. If it does, cool and if not, there's always next year. BTW, '15 tall, '8 base. So for 34 channels, it should look good, I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Ford Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Last year was my first with lor and I'm hooked:) my mt had 6300 lights and 3 different colors. Ref, white and green I and didn't "fold"the strings over or run them up and over to the other side. However, I did hook 4 strings I'd same color to a chanel and made sure that 2 were beside each other and other 2 were directly across from previous 2. 15 channels, 5j of each color and 1 for the star.....worked great.....especially for my first year. This year the city had asked me to do the local park where theyve had the same display forever. This years tree is gonna be a hybrid mt with red white and green for the mt and red white green and blue for the spiral part. the blue will only be used for special times as a tribute to my mother who passed away last year from cancer. Oh, and btw, my tree last year was 24 feet tall and was built on an existing flagpole....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Very cool that the city asked you to do the park for them. Nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 ditto on the city request.I would love to do our small town light display. But then too, I have not been advertising my display and I live a few miles out of town. But you can tell each year there are a few more cars out front. Part of the reason I have not advertise is that we live on a dead end street and traffic could become a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Hvasta Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 (edited) Aye, 'avin' unmanagable traffic is th' bane o' advertized shows.. Only traffic we get is from neighbors and word o' mouth.. after seein' wot Kevin went thru (2000/night), I'm 'appy wit' th' 20-some cars a night.. Edited September 20, 2012 by TJ Hvasta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Ford Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Thanks guys! Did I read that right? 2000 cars per night? Wow, I thought my 300\night was good.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 Wow, 2000 cars per night...this association which I'm a member of will shut me down for sure. This first year out, only a few people know what I'm going to do but in the years to come, traffic could become an issue. What would be better here though is if the other neighbors got into it and many started doing shows! I've only been here two years and each of holiday seasons, I've noticed people doing more and more. LOL, we were and are doing a nice Halloween static display as well as ramping up Christmas. This year, with LOR, Christmas is taking a quantum leap. I know of a street in S. Calif. where everyone on the whole street is using controllers and this was several years ago. It was so popular, the Police had to direct traffic to keep it flowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 LOL dgrant,Ifn more people on your street or several on several streets would do LOR light shows. Then word is going to get around a little faster and things will really get interesting. Back 20 some years when everything was static or twinkle. I remember one neighborhood that had a high ratio of decorated houses. Needless to say that there was a lot of cruising of that neighborhood. Same would apply to the above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I think it would be fun if we all or many of us, synced up together using the wireless. Traffic would be a zoo such as the street in Calif. that I've been too, but it sure would be fun to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 I hate getting old, memory fails me. But I think that there was or is still someone here that sequences for what was it about 14 houses on his street. Who was that guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ Hvasta Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 (edited) I'm tryin' to remember tha' too.. I dont remember if it's Brian McNamara, out hre in AZ or someone someplace else.. I remember Brian doing like.. 6, 8 houses on his street..Naught 2000 cars.. 2000 people, that woz for th' LMFAO KIA commercial, shot in front o' 'is 'ouse. You've seen 'is talkin' faces on th' front o' th' 'ouse on TV and th' GMA's.. advertize by word o' mouth to start.. for unless you plan / budget for crowd & traffic control, you'll get shut down faster than you can say Davy Jones. Edited September 21, 2012 by TJ Hvasta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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