portcity_gt Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I want to add some next year and i have a few basic questions.From yalls experience Should i get 12v or 5v? id like 12v if possible because my dumb rgb is 12v.Is it best to run off an adapter on lor/dmx or e1.31?Do i have to have superstar even if i use vixen,nutcracker ect. How hard is it to import into my lor sequence in se?Im thinking i want to get holiday coro's ribbon tree kit just to simplify that major item, but for the easier things like ridge line and arches ill probably use ray wu and i assume pixelite controllers?Im sure there are several threads on this, but i could find a topic for each side of my questions so it dosnt really help too much.Thanks, nick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KStatefan Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I want to add some next year and i have a few basic questions.From yalls experienceShould i get 12v or 5v? id like 12v if possible because my dumb rgb is 12v. I have a mix of 12v and 5v not sure it makes to much difference. There was not the option to get 12v for everything I have.Is it best to run off an adapter on lor/dmx or e1.31? I think it is better to go ahead with e1.31.Do i have to have superstar even if i use vixen,nutcracker ect. How hard is it to import into my lor sequence in se? No. I have only used nutcracker but was easy to copy and paste besides memory issues.Im thinking i want to get holiday coro's ribbon tree kit just to simplify that major item, but for the easier things like ridge line and arches ill probably use ray wu and i assume pixelite controllers? I have been pleased with everything I have purchased from holidaycoro. I have not purchased from Ray.Im sure there are several threads on this, but i could find a topic for each side of my questions so it dosnt really help too much.Thanks, nick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Yea after i posted that, i was thinking ill probably just get everything from holidaycoro, i have limited experience with them but what i have was great and i think they're just one state over from me because my last order got here in one day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEWTOUR Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Port, I was thinking of doing the same thing. With the research I have done. I will be going with the 12V as I will be going from garage to Yard 50ft to the Pixelite 16. I will send you a PM also, we could share ideas/tips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Boyd Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I'm going to chime in here and put in a plug for Superstar. First, Superstar is not necessary for sequencing RGB, intelligent and dumb. But, if you plan on doing a pixel tree, I think you'll find that it is a great tool to use. Yes, you can sequence it in S3, but there are some effects that take a few minutes in SS and would take hours to create in S3. Think of it this way, if you have a fence to build, you're probably not going to use a hand saw for the posts and such, right? You'll spend the extra money and buy a circular saw. That analogy works with RGB too. A few strings around the windows and outline the house, S3 is fine, but if you're going to add 20 or 30 strings, you need a tool to get the job done. The software you mentioned, does effects at element level and SS does it at the individual pixel level. I like that control, but it also adds time to sequencing. This passed season, I had almost 12K channels. If I were to sequence the 10 songs I did, I would be ready for 2014 show by 2015 time. Play around with the demo and see how easy it is to create a sequence. As far as the 12v vs. 5v, I have a mixture of both. What I see is basically no difference. With 12v, you won't have to power inject as much. That's really the only advantage I see between the two. Since you already have 12v basic, I'd probably stick with it. If memory serves though with Strips,12v pixels are 3 pixels per chip, whereas 5v is 1 pixel per chip. I'm quite sure that is not the only way it is, but the 5v WS2812b (WS2811 protocol) strip is 150 individual pixels and the 12v WS2811 is 3 LEDs per pixel. Just some food for thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxon Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 yes, get the circular saw. I went 12v because most my experience in the past has been with 12v, I felt comfortable with it. In regards to the HC tree kit, I believe that includes the pixlite controller which is a E131 device so, you will be using E131. ~Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 How many pixels can i put on one channel, i assume one universe (512)?Say i bought a pixlite 16 And i need to run six 50 pixel strands for my ridge line= 900 channels.....so i would need to use spot one and two on the control board? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrant Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I don't use the pixlite controller but rather a P12S. Its easy to configure the firmware to handle whatever you wish in regards to the string setup. Personally, I use 3 strings in series, therefore 450 channels out of the 512 available on each universe. Doing that 4 times total, I'm using 1800 channels total out of 6144 available and I'm only using 4 universes of the 12 there. Setting up the firmware for the proper data flow on the individual strings is easy. I'm guessing the SanDevices card works nearly identical and will assume the pixlite has some prevision for this as well. Now doing it this way, I inject power between each 2nd and 3rd string sets and I'm using the 5 volt WS2811's in my case. If I did it over again, I'd probably do the 12 volt ones but wanted the 5 volt to power the card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
viennaxmas Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 How many pixels can i put on one channel, i assume one universe (512)? Say i bought a pixlite 16 And i need to run six 50 pixel strands for my ridge line= 900 channels.....so i would need to use spot one and two on the control board? It depends on the controller: take the J1SYS ECG-P2: it allows four universes per output, so a total of 680 pixels. With two outputs you get 1360 pixels. The ECG-P12S/D currently supports one universe per output but there is a new firmware coming soon for two universes per output, so you get 340 pixels per output for a total of 4080 pixels. When matching pixels to universes, keep in mind each pixel is three channels, so in a Universe you can only use 510 channels or 170 pixels per Universe..... Not sure about pix lite or Sandevices. The J1sys could handle your 300 pixels. Also: with 300 pixels you will need power injection in between.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 See these are the things that have me confused lol. I have to figure out things like what controllers to use BEFORE i start buying things.I dont know, i guess ill just go with whatever holidaycoro sells. They seem to have great service and are only a five hour drive from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portcity_gt Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 I guess i should have read more before asking that question, looks like the pixlite 16 will run 2 universes per spi channel.Here are the specs.http://www.holidaycoro.com/PixLite-E1-31-Pixel-Controller-p/621.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl Lambert Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 How many pixels can i put on one channel, i assume one universe (512)?Say i bought a pixlite 16 And i need to run six 50 pixel strands for my ridge line= 900 channels.....so i would need to use spot one and two on the control board?According to the holiday Coro website the pixlite 16 can handle 32 dmx universes & 2 universes per output. So 340 pixels per output but if you put that many on one output you'll most definitely need to inject power along the way. Sandevice can handle 12 universes & as far as I know it doesn't matter how many are on each output. I haven't had a need to try it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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