How to control RGB Leds with LOR

[Mdl]

Hi everyone,

As it's my first post I'll start making a little presentation :

My name is Mikaël and I am from France (sorry for my bad english) and with my father we are doing light's show with LOR products since two years.

Last year we have buy a Residential Series 16 Channel Starter Package and for this year we have buy another CTB16PC.

For 2013 we'll want to use RGB led (rgb led string and rgb led projector).

What I need to control this ? Given that I just want to control the color of leds, the intensity and of course the moments when they be shine (for the led string I don't want to control each pixel as cosmic ribbon but only the color of the entire string)

I know how to program RGB in the LOR software but I don't know what hardware I have buy in additional of ours 2 CTB16PC.

Someone can help me ?

Thank's a lot

Mikaël

[Santas Helper]

Hello Mikaël,

Welcome aboard.

If just controlling RGB strips and not the smart (cosmic) strips then LOR has this for you to run them.

http://store.lightor.../cmdedcca2.html

Tom

Edited December 28, 2012 by Santas Helper

[Mdl]

Thank's for your answer

If I understand with this controller I can control (of course ^^) 5 RGB Led strips (16/3) and I have also to buy a power suply 230V (in France it's 230 and not 110V) to 12V.

And for the led projectors ? 12V is not enough for a 50 Watts projector XD

Will I am forced to use a DMX connection for that's ?

Thank's

[digdeepfundraising]

yes i use that controller that tom was on about to control all my rgb`s strips and nodes and the power supply i use is

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/350W-Dual-Output-Switching-Power-Supply-88-264VAC-input-12V-350W-output-CE-and-ROHS-approved/289599951.html

you can see my videos on you tube by visiting dan75buck to see what they look like

[Mdl]

Thank for the power suply ^^ You have cosmics ribbons for yours archs ?

(Nices vidéos )

[lowepg]

Dumb question:

HOW does it control them? I have a couple dumb rgb strips: they have a jack for the dc power, and a small dongle that contains the remote sensor for the color selector remote. I had used them for other purposes, but wouldnt mind re-tasking them into my show for next year,,,,

Can I made these DUMB RGBs, "SMART" by driving them with the DC controller and my LOR box? I mean, I know I cant turn them into cosmic ribbons with individually controlled LEDs, but can I control the COLOR choice for the whole string with this combo?

[spomalley]

Dumb question:

HOW does it control them? I have a couple dumb rgb strips: they have a jack for the dc power, and a small dongle that contains the remote sensor for the color selector remote. I had used them for other purposes, but wouldnt mind re-tasking them into my show for next year,,,,

Can I made these DUMB RGBs, "SMART" by driving them with the DC controller and my LOR box? I mean, I know I cant turn them into cosmic ribbons with individually controlled LEDs, but can I control the COLOR choice for the whole string with this combo?

No you can't change dumb strips to smart strips. The key difference between the two is that smart strips have an IC per controllable section (dotted through the strip) while dumb strips have nothing like this.

You have to control generic (non CCR) strips using either using a protocol convertor (on a regular DMX Network) or using an E1.31 controller (over E1.31) from SanDevices or J1Sys

[Max-Paul]

lowepg,

we refer to dumb strips that only have the LED and maybe a resistor on the strips. They can be controlled provided that they are common anode or 1 wire that is the positive wire and the 3 wires for Red, Green, & Blue as the ground wires. Using 3 channels on a DC controller will allow you to vary the amount of voltage across each of the 3 LED. By increasing or decreasing the brightness of each LED you can mix and get different colors. But you can only make the whole strip the same color.

And the Smart strips as we refer to them are the ones that you can control either each RGB LED or several as what is called a pixel. No way on earth can you make a dumb strip into a smart strip. They lack a chip to control the pixel. But with the smart strip, you can do fades and chases along the whole length.

I am in training right now, but believe at least I have this part straight.

[lowepg]

lowepg,

we refer to dumb strips that only have the LED and maybe a resistor on the strips. They can be controlled provided that they are common anode or 1 wire that is the positive wire and the 3 wires for Red, Green, & Blue as the ground wires. Using 3 channels on a DC controller will allow you to vary the amount of voltage across each of the 3 LED. By increasing or decreasing the brightness of each LED you can mix and get different colors. But you can only make the whole strip the same color.

And the Smart strips as we refer to them are the ones that you can control either each RGB LED or several as what is called a pixel. No way on earth can you make a dumb strip into a smart strip. They lack a chip to control the pixel. But with the smart strip, you can do fades and chases along the whole length.

I am in training right now, but believe at least I have this part straight.

Yes- that's the part I needed to understand - how the controller could vary the color (understandably of the whole string). I get the difference between the dumb strips and the smart strips. I probably chose my words poorly, I should have said " can I make the dumb strips a little less dumb" :-)

I have several (dumb) strips plugged into my LOR controller now- but the results are sketchy... Obviously I can't change the color but they also seem to respond very slowly.... As if they take longer to light up....

I see now I need the controller to interface between the lor box and the strips.

[Max-Paul]

Sorry but when working with someone via the internet. Nothing can be assumed. So when you mention your controller, I assume you are talking about a DC controller? The AC controllers are more common, so I have to ask what controller are you talking about? Is you dumb strip a common anode as I mentioned above? Why would they respond slowly? I would think that you need to be plugged into your LOR box, is this supposed to mean a computer with LOR loaded into it along with a USB dongle? Sorry, just do not know what your terms mean and trying to get to a common ground that we both know what the other is saying.

[Ken Benedict]

Sounds like he is using AC LED strings, not DC strips, which may be where he's getting a startup lag time.

Might be going down the path of making a "Superstring", instead of a dumb strip.

Lowepg, could you provide more details?

[spomalley]

I'm surprised the strips would work considering the difference in voltages with the AC and DC controllers.

[Santas Helper]

You have to control generic (non CCR) strips using either using a protocol convertor (on a regular DMX Network) or using an E1.31 controller (over E1.31) from SanDevices or J1Sys

If you are talking dumb strips, this is incorrect. You can use the DC controller to control them.

[Santas Helper]

I have several (dumb) strips plugged into my LOR controller now- but the results are sketchy... Obviously I can't change the color but they also seem to respond very slowly.... As if they take longer to light up....

I see now I need the controller to interface between the lor box and the strips.

Can you please explain what controller you are using? LOR DC controllers work perfectly with LED dumb strips.

[Santas Helper]

I'm surprised the strips would work considering the difference in voltages with the AC and DC controllers.

It's gotta be something else. The AC controller would "blow out" the dumb strips as soon as power was applied if the dumb strips are connected directly to the AC controller (assuming it's a LOR AC controller with the standard AC volts).

[spomalley]

If you are talking dumb strips, this is incorrect. You can use the DC controller to control them.

Yup sorry, I should have been clearer, I meant smart strips.

[lowepg]

Sorry for not being clearer.

I have a 16-channel LOR Showtime PC controller.

On one of the channels I have a few dumb strips running. They have individual DC controllers running each (the DVC adapter is plugged into the LOR ac cord).

I'm am NOT using the LOR DVC controller, just the small power blocks that came with the lights (they resemble computer monitor power blocks)....

Edited December 29, 2012 by lowepg

[jldavis1969]

Sounds like he is using "Wall Warts" for powering the lights from the AC controller.

[spomalley]

Sounds like he is using "Wall Warts" for powering the lights from the AC controller.

And quite possibly one of the Remote Control Modules to change the colour on the strip.

[lowepg]

I should have done this in the first place! Sometimes a picture helps (especially when I'm learning the lingo)

5m 5050 rgb smd 300 led strip with 24-key remote

12v (6a) power brick

I have a couple of these I simple plugged into one of my channels on the controller Im experimenting with

(I plugged the AC power bricks into the AC LOR unit :-) )

I tried running a few of these (understanding I cant change the color from the software/sequence), but I found them to be slow to respond- and if I only had them programmed on for a second or so, them might not light at all. I know for next year to get a DM controller to run them - but I was just trying to use what I had for this first season (I STARTED the whole thing about 10 days before XMAS! :-) )

Does that help?

Edited December 30, 2012 by lowepg