Want to do a LOR setup next year, questions.

[Blake32]

Hi everyone, my name is Blake,

 

I'm a sparky from Perth WA

 

Looking at doing a LOR setup next year and want to know some info from people that have used LOR before.

 

I have a bunch of christmas lights from this year with Transformers, some transformers are AC to DC, others are AC to AC stepdown (240/24vAC)

 

can i use lights with transformers with LOR?

 

can 1 LOR controller supply DC and AC voltages? (if not, what would be the best for me to get, AC or DC controller?)

 

if i went with a DC controller, can i cut the plug off my existing DC lights and hardwire them to the controller board?

 

where is the best/cheapest place (preferrably online) to buy RGB lights (ropelights or strips mainly)?

 

thanks in advance for everyones input!

 

Blake

[EmmienLightFan]

There is no LOR controller that can do both DC and AC.

You should get DC, as LEDs are more popular and use much less power, but you could do both.

 

Yes, you can just cut the transformer off some DC lights, wire it into the controller and connect the lights to that, but ensure the transformer is capable of powering all of the lights you have, and a bit more (Just to be safe)

Also, don't mix voltages. If you have 24v power and connect some 12v LEDs, then it will most likely break the LEDs. The other way round is better, but could break the power supply over time.

[Blake32]

Well all of my lights are LED's, just some of them have transformers that are 240-24v, so in that case if i wanted to use them i would need an ac controller for them and a dc controller for the rest??

 

Can you suggest how much gear i will need, as i want to do at least 1 singing face, and i want to do RGD led strips around my door/windows that will change colour and flash to music.

 

Also where is the cheapest place to get RGB leds?

 

and how are people extending their leads to the lights? Cat5 ??

Edited December 21, 2014 by Blake32

[Light Management Productions]

For your question about controlling LED's that have an ac-ac transformer. You can control with DC. LED's that run on AC are really running on DC. They just use half the cycle of ac.

[Light Management Productions]

I'm shopping for rgb at the moment and bout some on alibaba to test for some leaping arch's I'm constructing. Ray Wu on aliexpress is a popular shop for rgb and all things Christmas light controlling

[Blake32]

I'm shopping for rgb at the moment and bout some on alibaba to test for some leaping arch's I'm constructing. Ray Wu on aliexpress is a popular shop for rgb and all things Christmas light controlling

Yeah ive been looking on alibaba today at rgb strips, found some for $1.99 US, need to buy 20 at a time, and $43 postage which i thought was pretty cool as long as the quality is good!

 

Im trying to figure out how many channels im going to need as i want to do at least 1 singing face, do RGB strips around windows and doors and then the rest of my lights will just be controlled.

 

so im going to need an rgb controller and at least 1 maybe 2 dc controllers

[EmmienLightFan]

Wow. RGB strips for 1.99? Link please!

 

You said you wanted singing faces. For them, I recommend rope lights (AC Controller), or LED strips (RGB or non-RGB) (DC Controller). Light strings are OK though.

 

When you say RGB controller, I guess you mean a DC controller. RGB strips are 12v so you can't mix them with your 24v LED lights (Unless you put them on different banks). You will probably need two.

 

It's quite unfortunate that Australia and the UK run on higher voltages. It means that most lights have transformers to get it down to something small. The US lights just go straight to the mains with nothing in between, so they can dim and flash all they want.

[Blake32]

Wow. RGB strips for 1.99? Link please!

 

You said you wanted singing faces. For them, I recommend rope lights (AC Controller), or LED strips (RGB or non-RGB) (DC Controller). Light strings are OK though.

 

When you say RGB controller, I guess you mean a DC controller. RGB strips are 12v so you can't mix them with your 24v LED lights (Unless you put them on different banks). You will probably need two.

 

It's quite unfortunate that Australia and the UK run on higher voltages. It means that most lights have transformers to get it down to something small. The US lights just go straight to the mains with nothing in between, so they can dim and flash all they want.

yeah LOR have a controller specifically for RGB lights so u can program what colour you want them to be at any time.

first link is standard 12v rgb strip for 1.99 /5m length, you have to order 20 at a time but its still only about $40-$50 plus postage so its dirt cheap

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/3528-5m-roll-rgb-flexible-ribbon_60074609414.html?s=p

 

second link is full RGB ribbon which is $3/ metre minimum order 50 metres so thats a bit more expensive