About to buy - Quick help! Backyard Setup

[keith5885]

Ok, doing my backyard and I said "why not" light it using LOR. (I do a show with 16 channel controllers in front. NO RGB experience yet) Convinced my wife. Want to buy at Mad Grab Sale. Need quick advice. So here goes!

 

• I want to use RGB Floods and Strips (dumb) 
• Thinking about buying CCRs to maybe use and if not... use them on front of house. hehe

Thoughts:

- Use the mini director inside by my stereo equipment that will hook up to my outdoor speakers 

- Thinking that I could have an SD card that just had the lights always on and we could load that card when we just wanted all lights on. That could work right? 

- Connect mini director to link wireless easy light linker 

- Connect to outside controller 

- Have my landscaper which is building backyard help me run all the wires needed

 

 

Buy:

2 eight backs of RGB Floods with 24 channel Controller

1 eight pack of RGB Strips Dumb with 24 channel controller 

3 power supplies (was just going to get LOR 200 watt ones

1 pair easy link

1 mini director

 

 

HELP! Questions:

1. See attached drawing of backyard. I have a lot of space to space out floods and controllers. How best do I connect these? I can't daisy chain floods/strips to each other right? Alll need a wire back to controller? I read a little on length of that wire could cause lag. worried. Should I be buying a lot of those Flood extension cables from LOR or someone else? 

2. How do I connect controllers together? Long Cat5 cable runs right? Should i worry about lag? Backyard dimensions are about 80 by 65 feet. 

3. Some say mini director can handle 2 CCRs some say it can't. I guess I can try it out and see. Thoughts?

4. Can I buy from sale and return in 30 days even if I try them out?

5. How long did it normally take you guys to receive sale purchases? Are they being conservative with 4-6 weeks?

6. Any advice on make this look great in backyard? SHould i run wire through buried pipe or should I just bury wire in ground?

7. Should I buy the LOR 200 watt power supply or something bigger because of the space between lights and controller? Or just because there is a better value elsewhere than LOR?

 

 

About 4 hours till I buy. Please help answer any of my questions. Thanks! 

With mini director I was thinking of just having an SD Card that has a sequence with all lights on white when we just want all the lights on we insert that card and plug easy link in. 

 

That could work right?

QuickSketchofBackyardDesign.pdf

Edited April 7, 2015 by keith5885

[keith5885]

Should I have my landscaper install an RFI outlet next to each of the 3 controllers to plug in the power supplies? Or just one and then power from one to the next?

[Darryl Lambert]

I don't have a minidirector so I can't advise you there but I've also read that some have used them with ccr's. How many I don't know.

As to some of the other questions I can only give you my experience or what I've read. Take that how you may.

 

Each flood or strip has to run to the controller, unless you want all of them to act the same. You can daisy chain the controllers though with cat5 cable. The distance between controllers can be easily be over 100 feet, I can't remember exactly but somewhere around 400 feet so lag is not an issue.

Someone on here had posted that they used 40 feet of extension cables for there floods with no issues. Could you move your controller to the middle of where your floods go thus using shorter lengths to each flood? 

If this is to be a permanent thing then I would use conduit for your cable runs. You won't remember in a couple of years where everything is buried & this will give you some protection from cutting a cable when you go to plant something ( been there done that!! ) Besides most cat5 cable is not intended for direct burial.

As for the power supply I personally would look elsewhere. Nothing wrong with the product but it is expensive compaired to other places. Check Ray wu on alibaba to see what I mean.

[Darryl Lambert]

Should I have my landscaper install an RFI outlet next to each of the 3 controllers to plug in the power supplies? Or just one and then power from one to the next?

I wouldn't put a RFI outlet but a GFCI instead. As far as I know a RFI will not give you protection from a ground fault. Here in Canada all outside receptacles should be protected with a GFCI outlet or breaker.

[k6ccc]

For permanent landscape lighting, I strongly recommend putting the wiring in conduit.  Are you intending to use the floods to light wash the house and perimeter fences or walls?  If not, what?  Same question about dumb strips.  Off hand, that seems like a large amount of lights for lightscaping.  I have a lot in my front yard, but it's mostly RGB strip and works out very well.  You can see photos on my webpage listed below.

[keith5885]

Yes, mostly to light up trees that are near fences and the fence. Also 4 will shine on parts of the house.

 

If it is too much then I'll use extra for holiday show in frontyard.

[default]

For permanent landscape lighting, I strongly recommend putting the wiring in conduit. 

 

To take this 1 step further I would add extra conduits in your trenches. Conduit is cheap and easy to drop in a trench as compared to trenching and doing more later. If you dead head it to ground boxes, you can always continue it later. Good for speaker wires, Lan cables, etc... just a thought...

 

Alan...

[lightzilla]

I know for sure that you need the Showtime Generation 3 MP3 Director Unit to run ccrs & ccps, & ccbs. This stuff runs at 500 speed.  That is what I use.

I do realize that down the road (like maybe the 2016 season) I may need a really good computer, with a good graphics card

if I continue going the rgb route.

 

The MP3 Director Unit you should get is still on sale here.....   http://store.lightorama.com/g3mp3director1.html

 

Also there are still good controllers on sale.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fstore.lightorama.com%2Fsecretsale.html&ei=QIokVanRHerasATvo4C4Dw&usg=AFQjCNFv9s27jSR8LF4oCWl2_EuYdh8HKg

Edited April 8, 2015 by lightzilla

[keith5885]

I got some CCRs but turns out I will use them for my show in my front yard for halloween and Xmas not in backyard. So the Mini Director should be fine for dumb RGBs and RGB Floods. 

 

Now I need to start looking for containers to mount controllers and power supplies in for outside. 

 

Do you think I should get a rainproof power supply and put it in a container to be safe and have it work year around?

 

For the controllers should I buy this rain proof 400 watt and put it in a box with controllers:

Rain Proof Power Supply - 12v / 33 amps / 400 Watts

http://www.holidaycoro.com/Rainproof-400w-Dual-Output-Power-Supply-p/48.htm

 

or this one:

 Power Supply - 12v / 29 amps / 350 Watts

http://www.holidaycoro.com/350w-Dual-Output-Power-Supply-p/49.htm 

 

 

Then get one of these for each controller and put power supply in with controller. 

http://www.holidaycoro.com/Light-O-Rama-LOR-CMB24D-Mounting-Kit-p/641-kit1.htm

[Darryl Lambert]

I have 4 of the cablegaurd 1500 enclosures & work fine for your power supply and controller. I just use standard supplies ( I'm too cheap to spring for the waterproof ones)

Those enclosures are a little cheaper at diyledexpress though.

[keith5885]

Thanks! 

 

Hey any idea if I could setup a motion detector like the one LOR Sells to a controller and then have it trigger the mini director? Can't tell if it would work with the mini director setup I am planning to use. 

 

http://store.lightorama.com/motiondetector.html

[EmmienLightFan]

Use the InputPUP to connect a motion sensor.