I am Embarrassingly New.....

[Laci2015]

I am actually more embarrassed then I thought I was to write this!  I rarely get embarrassed but this is doing it!  Here goes nothing!

 

I am, as stated above, extremely new to this LOR world and obsession/addiction.  Everyone here is a bunch of enablers!  ;-) I have spent many years priding myself on being pretty intelligent and being able to figure things out, but after doing some searching on making my own show, I’m not re-thinking those years of pride.  I am so lost it’s shameful.  I feel like all of the information is written in a language for super geniuses’ that even google can’t translate.

 

I want to tell you why I want to do this in the first place, hopefully I can redeem myself for my lack of knowledge by having a genuine reason for doing this project.

 

Ever since I can remember my father went all out for Christmas.   Just with lights that is.  But I always thought his work was the best ever.  Fast forward 20 years and my sister and I are grown and out of the house.  My father decided to end his decorating career since there was no one around to appreciate it.  I now have a child of my own who is 3, and also bought the house right up the hill from my parents….I didn’t make it far from the nest….According to my father, now my daughter Ella is old enough to appreciate the beauty and is going to decorate this year.  He told me the only reason he decorated all those years that we were kids was that one moment when he turns all the lights on and our eyes would light up.  That was the magic for him. 

 

For the past 3 years I took it upon myself to pick up the tradition.  I’ve been doing the best I can to make him proud.  I do it completely on my own, my husband has no real interest in helping me.  Thus far I’ve done a decent job, but there is always room for improvement right?  I am the only person in my subdivision that decorates, so I get a little traffic to look at my lights.  It always makes me really happy.  But, this year my father has decided to get back into it.  Suddenly him returning has turned into an all-out competition.  I have to blow him out of the water, I can’t let the old man win!  The only way I can think to do something like that is creating a show. 

 

So that’s when I started ruining my life and confidence with this impossible task.  Just kidding….kind of.

 

I have so many questions but until now I’ve been trying to find answers on my own with no luck.  They are probably such stupid questions that no one thinks they need to actually write it…..which is why I turn to you super geniuses’ for some direction.

 

There are a few things I have my heart set on.  I want to use my own music and my own lights.  However, I am prepared to invest in new lights as well as the system.  I just need to know what would be best for me. 

 

I am also worried about power.  I’ve had this problem since I first started, which is something I’ve just worked around.  I have a small fortune in extension cords.  It’s a real trial and error on where to plug what because I am always flipping breakers.  I could use some advice on this.

 

I’ve been looking at the 16 Channel basic set up to get started, but I have one major question.  Hopefully no one will laugh at me for this but…

What the heck is a channel?!  What does the 16 channel mean exactly?

 

I couldn’t find anything explaining this to save my life.

 

Also, is this system something that I set all my lights up first, then create my show to the music?

 

I think I may be overthinking this entire thing and have given myself a mental block of sorts.

 

I will greatly appreciate any and all advice, tips or tricks that anyone can share with me.  I have really high hopes to conquer this idea, I just hope I’m not biting off more than I can chew.

 

Thank You!

 

Laci

[stewartmatte]

If you buy the 16 channel controller it is what it says, as in you have 16 channels to plug lights into. Ex-if you have 16 strings of lights, plug one into each channel and youll be able to control each of the 16 channels independantly. (You can plug as many lights to each channel as you want, as long as you do not exceed the power rating of each channel/side of the controller) 8amps max on one channel/15 amp max per side.

as far as your setup, you need to figure out how you want your display to look, draw it on paper, then sequence your music accordingly. Tip- if only going with one controller (16channels), to make it easier on yourself first year, try to decorate in even number sections. As in, try to decorate 4 sections of 4 (equals 16). Like 4 small trees, 4 windows, etc etc. Try to keep it simple at first. If not you will get discouraged. Small display with perfectly timed sequencing will look better than huge display with beats that are off and stuff moving all around with no rythme.

You say you keep tripping breakers? Not good, means,of course, youre overloading breakers. You need to find out what exactly your electrical service rating is (200a service,150a service etc.) So you can know what power you have available. If you go with the 30amp controller youll need 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits to plug into, unless your all LED lights then shouldnt have an issue with power.

[Dennis Laff]

The 16 channel setup is what you need to buy to get started , the 16 channel controller has 16 female plugs on it you can plug one string of lights or any prop you have into each plug giving you 16 different channels of lights now you go into the computer program light o Rama S4. And program which channel of lights you want to turn on at specific times to match the music your playing Welcome to the fun !

[Mr. P]

No need to be embarrassed as we all had to start somewhere. The easiest way to describe a channel is an outlet, if you have 16 channels then you have 16 outlets to plug lights in to which you can control when to turn off and on when using ac controllers. RGB DC controllers are a little different.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Mr. P

[LOR Staff]

This is what we normally send to those people who are just starting out.  See if this doesn't answer some of your questions (or most likely- create new ones! )

 

To get a feel for how everything fits together in the new world of show animation, take a look at our typical setups: http://www1.lightorama.com/typical-setups/ 

You may want to download the Light-O-Rama Software demo and try it out to see how you create your personal show. 
http://www1.lightorama.com/sequencing-software-download/ We do require the Microsoft Windows operating system for our software.

You can use your own lights if they are incandescent or LEDs and can be connect to a standard wall plug.  See more information here (including a link to how many lights you can control): http://www1.lightorama.com/your-lights/

Not interested in writing your own shows? No need to worry. We have plenty of pre-built shows (we call them sequences) that will make any venue look great. Checkout our sequence store at http://sequences.LightORama.com

Don't want to dedicate a computer and speaker system to your show? Consider our ShowTime Central. It include a specialized mini-computer just for running LOR shows as well as a small FM transmitter so you can broadcast on the radio. See details at http://store.lightorama.com/shce.html 

You can also join our forum where there are a plenty of helpful LOR users.http://forums.lightorama.com/ (HEY!  You already did!  Good Choice!)

If you want further help, check our list of official Light-O-Rama partners to see if one is in your area: http://www1.lightorama.com/partners/

Thanks for considering Light-O-Rama!

[Eric walls]

This is a great place for information. Take in all you can, it's alot of fun.  The links posed by DevMike are a ton of help.  This is only my second year and I too remember helping my dad do lights. I'm still new but I am catching on pretty quickly.

As far as power if you use LED lights you probably won't have to install new circuits.  Depends on what you do.  Take the year to plan it out and either purchase some sequences or create your own.  What I did was start with the software. I played around for it for a year and then during the summer sale bought my first controller.

There are so many options out there. I don't use a computer to run my show I use the Showtime Director, but that's just me.  Start with 1 controller that has 16 channels, and then each year you can add on.

You'd be amazed how easy it is to make chasing pumpkins for Halloween, or trees for Christmas.  The software has some powerful tools.

 

Lastly read posts in the forums. Many of my questions have been answered on here. Don't be afraid to ask and above all else Have Fun!

Eric

[Dave S]

I was in your exact same position last year....Two bits of advise.... #1 Read ,Read, Read....#2 Find a experienced LOR light person to ask questions...This is the busiest time of the year for most of us so relax and ,though I'm sure this might be disappointing, be prepared to postpone the show til next year when you have a better "handle" on all the different aspects ... FWIW..facebook is a valuable asset in finding real time answers..

                         Dave

[Stephen Blue]

Your questions about channels and sequencing and such are all being answered very well here in this thread, but may I address one of your other issues: Power distribution. Going all out does by no means require a degree in electrical engineering, but it does require knowledge of some simple math and documentation.

 

Your outlets that you plug into are on connected to breakers. Depending on your house, your breakers have a maximum capacity of either 15 amps or 20 amps (I'll get to what those numbers mean in terms of lights in a moment). First and foremost, you need to determine what outlets are on which breakers. Do all of your outdoor outlets connect to the same breaker? Hopefully not, because then you're limited to the capacity of that one breaker. Hopefully you have access to outlets that are connected to a few different breakers, so you can distribute the lights between them.

 

This is why documentation is important: I have a rather large setup, and I distribute lights across 14 different breakers (This is atypical of a conventional home, of course. I have some custom electrical wiring done for the display). I have a spreadsheet that I enter every tree, every bush, every character, etc. into as I plug them in, and what breaker they are plugged into. The spreadsheet uses some simple math to tell me when I've gotten past my safe load level on each breaker. Now, I run over 100,000 lights and distribute across 14 breakers - I need my fancy spreadsheet to keep track of it all. You can get away with a pad of paper with 2 or 3 breakers - no need for the fanciness I have.

 

How do I know how many lights I can put on a breaker? It depends on the type of light! Full power incandescent minis draw 0.33 amps per set of 100 lights. The "energy saving" incan minis you often find draw 0.2 amps per set of 100. LED's draw considerably less - I use a broad calculation on my mini LED's that sets their power usage at 0.06 amps per 100 lights. 

 

Need to account for inflatables and larger lights? 120 watts equals 1 amp, so a 100 watt flood light is going to draw 0.83 amps (Divide whatever wattage you have by 120, and there's your amps). Most inflatable motors are going to have a wattage on them, or perhaps even tell you their amps, so you can make this calculation easily.

 

Add the amp pull all of the things you have into an outlet, and boom, you know how much room you have to spare (or are over).

 

Documentation, documentation!

 

An example, to make it a little easier. Let's say you have 3x 20amp breakers available. We'll call them Breaker 1, Breaker 2, and Breaker 3. (This is the same spreadsheet I use for my setup... just with more breakers.)

 

 

As you can see, I have all of my elements listed, including the number of lights they are, and what type. I put how many amps they draw, and calculate each breakers load.

 

If I had those floodlights plugged in to another breaker, it would overload the 20amp breaker, so I know they have to be on breaker 2. If, for whatever reason, I needed them on breaker 1, I'd need to move something off of breaker 1 (probably the roofline) to breaker 2, to make room for the flood lights on breaker 1.

 

I hope this helps your power distribution problems! 

Edited October 14, 2015 by Stephen Blue

[Mega Arch]

Major great advice already posted.

So mine will be short.

Welcome aboard as the above replies already show, this great group will do whatever it takes to "blow the old man outta the water".

You've practically already won.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Mega Arch

[Mr. P]

One tool that every light enthusiast should invest in is a Kill-A-Watt meter. This meter will measure how much power your lights are pulling so you will know how many you can put on a circuit.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-Kill-A-Watt-Electricity-Monitor-P4400/202196386

[Laci2015]

Thank you Thank you Thank you.
 
I can't believe how helpful everyone has been.  And a huge thanks for not making me feel like a total idiot for asking my questions.  That means a lot to me. 
 
I've only got a second to write this, my boss is screaming for her breakfast....I accept my boss is 3....
 
A few things that came up a few times with my power, my house is a moduler with 15amp breakers.  My father, who is an electrician by trade...actually one of the top dogs in the world...was suppose to update them to 20amp for me but never got to it. I have 3 outdoor outlets.  3, that's it.  2 on my house and one on my unattached garage. 
 
I'm really taking away from what you all are saying that I need to invest in LED's.  All my lights are the old school type that are power suckers.  I think if I make the investment to go all LED or mostly LED this wouldn't be as much of an issue.  I had so many extention cords going to one outlet that it would actually melt all the snow around it.  It scared me.  I won't do that again.  My dad turned a great shade of red when he saw that....I felt like a 7 year old little girl as he lectured me.  So I need to be smarter this year.  Half the problem was that I didn't give myself enough time to set up last year and was in a rush. 
 
I thought that was what the 16 channel meant.  That little tidbit is really helpful.  I think for my first time 16 will be plenty.  Maybe one day I can be like one of you wizards and have an ungodly amount of channels.
 
So just to give everyone an idea of what I'm trying to do here's a really bad picture of my house last year.  I'll be doing pretty much the same thing, but I'll be adding quite a bit.  But I will make the switch to LED for anything new and most likely for some of my old stuff too.

 

I wanted to add a picture of my house but it won't let me.  I wanted to give everyone an idea of what I'm doing this year plus a bit more. 

 

I will get back on here after awhile and get back to everyone.

 

Thanks again, this really means a lot to me.  I've totally got the old man beat.

 

Laci

[Mega Arch]

I have 170 channels and 16,288 lights.

99% LED so total show amps out at 15 amps.

So 3 outlets on separate breakers would be more than enough if/when you invest in LEDs.

[shfr26]

Embarrassed???     You have not seen some of the other question newbies ask have you??      Yours were good questions to start with and you have no reason to feel embarrassed.

[Mr. P]

 

I can't believe how helpful everyone has been.  And a huge thanks for not making me feel like a total idiot for asking my questions.  That means a lot to me. 

 

 

 

Okay, if it will make you feel better:

 

Ha Ha Ha Ha, you don't know what you're doing, you gonna burn your house down, Ha Ha Ha.

 

There, is that more what you were looking for?  

[Santas Helper]

Welcome aboard this crazy hobby Laci.

Some awesome people here.

Sounds like you have been bitten by the bug. No cure for it either. Except buying more controllers and lights.

 

You're in good hands.

 

Tom

[Mr. P]

Welcome aboard this crazy hobby Laci.

Some awesome people here.

Sounds like you have been bitten by the bug. No cure for it either. Except buying more controllers and lights.

 

You're in good hands.

 

Tom

 

Yep, sounds like she's got a serious case of the CLAP and there is no cure.

 

 

Christmas

Light

Addiction

Problem

 

 

Come on people did you really think, get your minds out of the gutter  

Edited October 14, 2015 by Mr. P

[xmaskarl]

Welcome aboard.  I have been a member for a couple years and still learning.  The best part is when you start your show and see all the smiles and happiness in the eyes of the children.  That is why I do it!  Again welcome aboard.

[Darryl Lambert]

The best part is when you start your show and see all the smiles and happiness in the eyes of the children.

More like the shock on her father's face!

BTW welcome

[Laci2015]

Okay, if it will make you feel better:

 

Ha Ha Ha Ha, you don't know what you're doing, you gonna burn your house down, Ha Ha Ha.

 

There, is that more what you were looking for?  

Exactly!!  Thank you for meeting my expectations!!  I was looking for a response like this or maybe a, "For the love of God woman abort this plan immediately!!  Spare your neighborhood!"  I kinda think that would have been appropriate!  :-)

Yep, sounds like she's got a serious case of the CLAP and there is no cure.

 

 

Christmas

Light

Addiction

Problem

 

 

Come on people did you really think, get your minds out of the gutter  

I saw someone else had posted that they had the CLAP....my first thought was...what kind of forum is this?!?!  These people must be pretty close....then I realized what it meant.  I can't wait to tell my husband that I've got it!  ;-)

More like the shock on her father's face!

BTW welcome

I'm going to have someone video his face.  I'll share it with you all for helping me.  I can't wait!

[Santas Helper]

I saw someone else had posted that they had the CLAP....  I can't wait to tell my husband that I've got it!  ;-)

Your fitting in already.