I'm new to this

[Paul61975]

Hi, does this work with regular transcendent lights and led lights that are sold at Walmart? If so how does it work if you string together like 5 connections on 1 channel like on a gutter or do you have to have 1 string per channel? I have the cheap music box that controls the lights now, but want to upgrade to lights-o-rama for next year for sure. I can send a pic of my house now too, maybe get some ideas from you. Thanks

[Don]

Think of the 16 plugs coming out of a controller as 16 plugs on your house, or 16 light switches. Everything plugged into that outlet is going to do the same thing. 

 

You can use regular incandescent lights from the big box stores. While many people have had luck with the LEDs from the big box stores, I would recommend one of the various online vendors. Keep an eye out, their pre-sales are starting very soon.

[scubado]

With using incad. lights, you need to be mindful of your current usage on each channel. There are hundreds of threads that will enlighten you

[dgrant]

The differences between the two systems are huge. Too many to list but you can look at things in an easier way. LOR will allow you access to each of 16 outputs to turn on/off, fades up/down, twinkles, shimmers and so on. You get to sequence whatever "YOU" wish to see happen out in your yard as opposed to something deciding for you. YOU create your own show. Yes, its more expensive but its considerably better in the long run and when you see the smiles of the faces people enjoying YOUR creation, you'll have the warm fuzzy feeling inside of yourself, knowing that YOU created their joy. Its not a plug and play hobby but you can venture into CCR's, CCP's, CCB's, RGB and so on and it all works together in LOR. As for your yard/house, its all in your own vision of what you wish to do.

[dgrant]

Let me add, since I forgot to put it in there, that's access to 16 channels of "Each" controller you have. I have 7 controllers running this year therefore 112 channels. I just acquired two more controllers that someone was selling so next year, I may have 32 more channels running which would be 144 individual strings being commanded by my sequences. As mentioned, if using incandescent lights, do not overload the controllers. LED's are minimul in current draw but I suggest the better quality ones. After christmas sales are the best times to buy strings but before doing so, make a plan of your yard/house and start looking at what you wish to accomplish and what it'll take to accomplish it. Start planning and acquisitions in January....strings before that.

[Paul61975]

So if I have 5 strings connected together on 1 channel, I can still fade them from beginning to end? Or will it fade from each string?I got mostly LED's only a few incad. lights

[scubado]

5 strings together on one channel will fade together as one.  To fade from one end to the other requires each string to be on a separate channel and use a chase pattern, thus the reason for spools of spt wire.

[Paul61975]

How about some of the yards I've seen where like a tree would have multiple colors? Is that special lights or is that part of light o rama?

[Kozville Gallows]

Each color is a different channel

[KStatefan]

Which is why many people have multiple controllers.  My mini megatree uses 38 channels 12 for red, 12 for green, 12 for purple and 2 for the star.

[Paul61975]

What I mean is, if I have a set of multi color lights, with lor, can I make it all blue then green then red and so on?

[mikek2378]

No, you cannot split up an individual strand of multi color lights like that. Like it was said above, you would have to run seperate strands full of each color and have each strand on a seperate channel.

[dgrant]

What I mean is, if I have a set of multi color lights, with lor, can I make it all blue then green then red and so on?

Not at all. Multi's are just that...a string of lights that have different color bulbs. When you see a string that can change colors, its either RGB LED's, CCR's, CCB's or CCP's. There is additional equipment/devices needed to make that happen although CCR's come ready to run other than you have to do the sequencing yourself. This is not a plug and play hobby. Takes time, patience and a lot of planning and effort but the rewards are great.

I suggest that you find one of us who does LOR, close to you, go visit and ask questions and see how it works. I think that most of us would be more than happy to show you how it all works.

[Paul61975]

Thanks! How do I find someone close by tho?

[oilmoney]

Don, could you recommend some of the better online stores to buy lights, my only options up here are the hardware store and they are a terrible rip off...

[dgrant]

Thanks! How do I find someone close by tho?

Well, start with your location info, just shows Mass....list your city. Look for others in the same city or nearby, here in the forum. I don't know if the advanced search function will help or not.

[LORisAwesome]

Hi, does this work with regular transcendent lights and led lights that are sold at Walmart? If so how does it work if you string together like 5 connections on 1 channel like on a gutter or do you have to have 1 string per channel? I have the cheap music box that controls the lights now, but want to upgrade to lights-o-rama for next year for sure. I can send a pic of my house now too, maybe get some ideas from you. Thanks

Each channel of a controller will turn on or off any lights plugged into it.  If you take a multi color string and plug it into channel 1 all the lights on the string will come on when channel 1 is on, and they will be off when channel 1 is off.

 

To control multiple colors, you will need to use single color light strands.  For example, connect an all white strand to channel 1, and a all green strand to channel 2.  Place these two strands together.  When channel 1 is on and channel 2 is off you will see white.  Turn Channel 1 Off and Channel 2 on you will see green.  Turn on both channels 1 and 2 and you will see both white and green.

 

As far as how many strands you can connect to a single channel, well that depends on how much current each strand draws and the limit of the channel.  The limit depends on the controller.  If you have the high power heat sinks, then each channel can handle a maximum of 8 amps.  Each controller is divided into two groups 1-8 and 9-16.  Each group has its own fuse.  The totals amps of each group cannot exceed 15 amps.  So what I'm saying is that you cannot connect 8 amps worth of lighting to each channel and turn them all on, it will exceed the limits and blow the fuse or damage the controller.

 

A good thing to buy is called a Kill-O-Watt meter.  It will tell you how many amps a string uses.  You can get them at Home Depot for about $30.00.

 

I seem to have trouble finding solid color strings in the stores (unless all you want is white), but, they can be found easily online.  I also like to stick with LED strings because they use less power, and you can put more on each channel.

 

Jerry

[Paul61975]

Thanks to all