dc cards

[scubado]

This is my landscape lights, I have six currently.  The main body is 3.5" o.d. aluminum tube with 3/8" thick wall.  Then three layers of 1/2" acrylic.  I have a metal lathe/mill to turn the parts on.  I believe the one pictured has a 30w rgb led, and is very bright.  A 10w rgb led would work fine too.

 

http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l376/scubado65/New%20Elements/005_zps37d732d7.jpg

[nam1956]

Nice look, Just watched a video on bending pvc for lights, the ideas just keep coming one after the other. The problem I will have is staying focused on one project at a time  

[Max-Paul]

Ok your a freak. LOL

As for the control in the out buildings. I would suggest that you get some of that conformal coating on the boards. Masking off connections. And on those I would give them a good coating of a dielectric grease silicone based to keep the contacts from oxidizing. What you have to worry about is condensing moisture on the board and humidity during the summer. Also if you use any chlorine in the pond water. There might be a trace amount in the pump / filter house.

 

Just a thought.

[nam1956]

Ponds are all natural, bio filters equipped with UV lights to kill any growth. I have had good luck with this filter system, My pond in the last house I owned had a pond about 20' across and 3' deep with a bridge and a 3000gph waterfall. with the same but a little smaller filter system and it stayed perfectly clear year round. Taking on a lot more water this time but the increased pump size should keep it clear.

  As I read on both manuals and post by other members I'm thinking I may keep the controllers for the ponds inside, it will be at the shortest 20' and the longest 60' cable runs to the beginning of the light strips. I will still need to protect the outside connections or least some of them. I'm not yet sure what the connectors on the end of RGB strips are but I plan on incasing them in clear plastic tubing. Not to bore you but the water fall will closely resemble a winding stair case with each riser and tread being 6' or about that. Like a staircase there will be side walls on the waterfall because it will be intruding into the wall. I will be drilling a 3/4" or a little larger hole in the side wall (block) at the top of each stair riser. The strip (which needs to be cut down to 30") will with the connectors be placed into a aprox 10' of clear plastic tube and treaded through the drilled hole, the strip will be secured to the top of the riser and the remaining tube with the connectors and wire will be buried and ran to a large junction box at the surface were the splices will be made. This box will have the lights for 10 steps and the feed from the power supply and control leads. The controller/s will be inside about 15 foot away. This water fall drops about 7 foot and will  flow into a rock covered pit which will house the plumbing to the lower pond a 5200 gph pump and a flood light that will need to be water proof and will shine up through the rocks placer across the top of the pit.

  If I read correctly there is light strips that be cut to size, hopefully the are the smart RGB lights. I want to have controls of the lights, every time I type that I think that sounds like a lot of over kill but looking at the prices of standard lighting with little control it won't cost all that much more to invest in total control and be happy in the end. Going to do a little more research on the lights, I need to be able to cut either a string or strip to the right size and splice a piece of wire to it. I am doing the tube in lights to every step so that I can easily replace the entire light and wire to any step by pulling a new wire through the tube from the step to the box so I don't try to pull the light strip through the tube very far.

 

Next is to figure out the number of bulbs/channels along with the flood light in the bottom, which will lead me to the right controller................... Right??

[nam1956]

Forgot to address the seasonal lights, I will be installed pedestals in the yard so the wire is there, and when the time comes I will place the controllers at these locations and wire the elements from there. Will still need to protect the connections but only for a couple of months a year. 

[scubado]

A little tough for me to follow,  If I were you, for the steps, I would use dumb rgb ribbon cut to length.  Smart ribbon or pixel would be overkill and more programing than needed.  Watching pixel control through moving water isn't going to give you the bang for the buck.  The water will just blend it all together as one sort of.  Just my opinion.  Can you post a pic or two?

Edited January 22, 2014 by scubado

[nam1956]

not much to post right now other than a rather large mound of dirt. Waiting for the ground to thaw so I can get a shovel in it. I have the block stacked up waiting. not to mention having trouble posting pics here, but sure I will figure it out soon.

[nam1956]

What do I lose using the dumb strips? I have to have solid colors, twinkle and a few more I'm sure.  Thanks

[movieman4]

With dumb rgb you will lose to control every led.

you still can control the string.

[scubado]

The steps you mentioned  before, the dumb rgb ribbon would be the most ideal.  Doing pixel with water is not going to give you bang for the buck or effort.

[nam1956]

Why do you say that scubado? The lights around the edge of the pond will be hid underneath natural overhanging rocks and be about 1"-2" above the water. I'm thinking that will produce a shimmer of light over the surface of the water. The underwater lights are a dream at this point, I think they would work but may require a bit more work to keep clean, even though the water is clear there is still a little growth in the pond which would require cleaning. Let me know what your thinking scubado, would like to know, thanks 

[scubado]

I just noticed your question in this thread and if it's too late since the other thread is beyond this.  My thought was if you have pixels involved with the steps and water running over them, the water will blend the light together and weaken the effect you try to do with pixels.  I figured it would be a location to save you some money and easier sequencing.  But since you seem to be going pixel everywhere anyhow, this may be a mute point.

 

I would make some sort of makeshift pond to experiment with lights shing down on the water from under a ledge and submerging some lights on battery power to see what effect you like better.  lights in the water help make the water glow better.