Complete newbie trying to understand the basics

[Donl1150]

I am a complete newbie to this area although I do currently have a 5 year old stand-alone controller box with built in music that has room for 6 channels. It is not at all programmable. Got it from one of the big box stores for about $40. Since I have some degree of home automation inside the house using Home Seer and X-10 technology, I thought I would try to learn about expanding my horizons for future outside Christmas lights. It seems there is a vast new world out here using LOR technology.

I must admit though, even after perusing the web site and the forums, I am still somewhat confused by how it works and what is really needed to get started. If I understand things correctly, to control things wirelessly from my laptop, at a minimum I would need:

Inside the house:

1. Showtime Software Suite S3 for the laptop
   
2. An output serial cable to a Converter
   
3. A LAN cable from the Converter to an Easy Light Linker
   

Outside the house:

1. An Easy Light Linker and LAN cable connected to
   
2. A Controller such as the ShowTime PC Residential Light Controller.
   
3. Up to 16 potential different zones of lights and finally
   
4. At least one 30 amp electrical outlet.
   

Sorry if this seems elementary but I want to make sure I understand before I jump in. Then one quick question….I think this has the ability to fade lights from one color to another? Are there special lights needed for this? Thanks

Don

[George Simmons]

Hi Don,

Welcome!

You're on the right track. As far as lights go, you can use incandescents or LEDs and almost anything in between. Color-changing lights are a different thing. If you're talking about RGB pixels or strips, Yes the LOR softweare can control those.

If you ever get to Clearwater, I can give you a behind the scenes look.

[MCas4380]

Sounds like you have the basic idea down. but to change light colurs you would need to go about it one of 2 ways. First have mulitiple stings of lights on the same element and switch between them second use RGB lighting which takes a different controler and stuff i don't understand yet, but many here do.

Sorry posted this at the same time as Goerge.

Edited December 20, 2012 by MCas4380

[Don]

The only correction I have is "Inside the house" #2.

Make sure you use a USB485B for the adapter. The "B" in the product name stands for Booster, which is what gives you enough power to power up the ELL in the house.

[Gilrock]

You probably don't need 30 amps...especially if you use LEDs. I lot of us run a 15 amp extension cord to the controller and use a splitter pigtail to plug in both outlets.

[pdowns]

I'd offer a couple clarifications ...

Inside the House #2 - the cable is actually a USB cable that runs to a converter. The converter software driver will appear to be a com: port on your PC, but you don't connect to it with a serial cable.

Outside the House #4 - You don't really need a 30 amp circuit. If your light display actually drew 30 amps you'd probably supply the power through two 15 amp circuits. Also, if your light display actually drew 30 amps you'd likely find you were using more than one controller. You shouldn't design to 100% load.

[Donl1150]

Thanks!

George, I may take you up on that....I live not too far away, in Paynesville. Looks like you are an expert at this stuff! I would love to get a look at how it all works.

Don

[George Simmons]

I don't know about the "expert" part, but you sure won't have to look very far to find someone who'd call me a$^* know-it-all. :D

Paynesville isn't far if the roads are okay. But it seems like a lifetime when the snow is blowing out there.

You're welcome anytime. Directions are on the website. Call ahead is if you want a tour. My cell phone number is on the website.

[Donl1150]

After a lot of reading on the forums, I am getting a much better idea of it all. Thanks to those who posted here as well. It appears I am on the right track, now just a matter of jumping in and getting started. I do have a question though for which I haven't found an answer in the forums. My plan would still be to start with a single CTB16PC controller- wirelessly. It seems there is the potential to daisy chain additional controllers but I wonder how MANY can be chained in this fashion? Also, I haven't read much about going the wireless route. Are there any performance or other issues when compared to hard wired?

Don

P.s. - We did stop by George's display in Clearwater. All I can say is WOW!

[shfr26]

After a lot of reading on the forums, I am getting a much better idea of it all. Thanks to those who posted here as well. It appears I am on the right track, now just a matter of jumping in and getting started. I do have a question though for which I haven't found an answer in the forums. My plan would still be to start with a single CTB16PC controller- wirelessly. It seems there is the potential to daisy chain additional controllers but I wonder how MANY can be chained in this fashion? Also, I haven't read much about going the wireless route. Are there any performance or other issues when compared to hard wired?

Don

P.s. - We did stop by George's display in Clearwater. All I can say is WOW!

Well there goes Georges head getting bigger again!!!

[dgrant]

I was a newbie this year myself and I jumped in with both feet. I guess technically I'm no longer a newbie now since the show is ready to shut down in a couple of days. You are wise to figure out the comm paths, electrical needs and so on and the advice to go with LED's is very good. Be careful on LED string selection as some don't dim/fade. Stay away from "Martha" LED strings from Home Depot....hint, hint. Your communication planning and electrical might very well change during the year based upon whatever "plan" that you are creating. I would start with a good plan, allow for extras, as your plan may change and probably will. Just saying as this is what happened with me. I ran 95 channels this year and already doing a new plan for next year based upon all I learned from the experts here and my own lessons learned as such.

[Max-Paul]

One other minor correction that will save your bacon later if you get this in your mind set now. The cable from the adapter and will be running all over your yard is not a LAN cable. LAN is Local Area Network which is a common term used with Ethernet in your home or workplace. This is a totally different animal than what the LOR network is made up of. The LOR network using RS-485, which is a different voltage and speaks a different protocol (language). Putting a Cat5 cable (used for LOR and Ethernet) between a LOR product and a Ethernet device can lead up to damage for one or both items. So, please start thinking now that these are two different animals that both use a Cat5 cable with RJ-45 connectors and that is the only things similar between the two networks.