Guest guest Posted February 1, 2006 Share Posted February 1, 2006 Hi folks,I decorate a 26ft tree every year for a neighbor of mine. I suggested a light show this year after finding this site (Have I said I love this site?), and he agreed.Last year we did 15 sets of net lights in a ribbon formation, back & forth (side2side)down the tree. I put 45 lighted snowflakes between ribbons. each net had 150 lights. Each snowflake 75. This year I'd like to do a variation of the same. Instead of snowflakes, I caught a great after christmas sale on lighted red bows. They are not the wired kind, with lights only around the edge. They are FULLY lit with 75 lights on each and VERY intense. My plan is to drape the entire tree with white net lights, do the green nets in the same back and forth pattern down the tree, and place the bows between rows. I want to do a light show to a version of "Deck the halls", but only maybe half the recording. Its my plan to start small, and increase the amounts of lights and the lenght of the show every year. (I already have '07's design in mind but we'll talk about that next Feb.)My questions are, (for this moment, that is)What exactly do I need from LOR to make this happen? aside from 2/16 channel thingys? I need a budget to bring to my neighbor ASAPCan I plug 6 sets of net lights into each other and then run a cord to one channel in this 16 channel thingy and not blow it?Once plugged can I change how the lights appear at different times during the song? ie, dimming for one note of music and flash for another?can I use only half a song?Can I time it so the show comes on every hour?Between shows, can I just have the tree lit? (I was thinking btw shows to just have the green nets and red ribbons on. Save the white nets for showtime only)Will software show me how to get song from cd in program?Once everything is plugged, can I then run everything into a heavy duty extension cord into the house?How do you attach speakers?Has LOR come up with an card that will eliminate the need for a computer sitting outside?Should I be asking all of this or will the product instructions tell me everything?Are there any women on this board?(Just curious)Oh, and let me take a moment now to apologize for being the pain i know I will become by december.Kisses,Moma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 momawreck wrote: >> I decorate a 26ft tree every year for a neighbor of mine. Sounds impressive! I'll ask before everyone else does, got pics?>> What exactly do I need from LOR to make this happen? aside from 2/16 channel thingys? I need a budget to bring to my neighbor ASAPIf you know that you'll be starting with 2 "16 channel thingys" (:laughing: they are commonly refered to as cards) then you will need the 2 cards, either a usb adapter or serial adapter, the software, and lots of lan cable or phone cable to link the cards and computer. Visit the LOR site and talk to Dan and they will get you hooked up!>> Can I plug 6 sets of net lights into each other and then run a cord to one channel in this 16 channel thingy and not blow it?Probably not. It depends on the strings, but chances are that you will have to plug two or three sets in to each plug. Depending on the amps/watts per string, you may be able to put them all on one LOR channel.>> Once plugged can I change how the lights appear at different times during the song? ie, dimming for one note of music and flash for another? Can I time it so the show comes on every hour? Between shows, can I just have the tree lit? (I was thinking btw shows to just have the green nets and red ribbons on. Save the white nets for showtime only)Yes, these are all program variables that can be set with the LOR software package!can I use only half a song? Yes, but you will need to use another program to cut the song into the piece(s) you desire. Will software show me how to get song from cd in program?Once everything is plugged, can I then run everything into a heavy duty extension cord into the house?How do you attach speakers?Has LOR come up with an card that will eliminate the need for a computer sitting outside?Should I be asking all of this or will the product instructions tell me everything?Are there any women on this board?(Just curious)Oh, and let me take a moment now to apologize for being the pain i know I will become by december.Kisses,Moma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Wow, Moma, those are a lot of ??s.1.What exactly do I need from LOR to make this happen? aside from 2/16 channel thingys? I need a budget to bring to my neighbor ASAP. Last time I checked a 16 channel 30 amp controller was about $300.00 US. I hear they usually have a sale in April where you can save some $$..2.Can I plug 6 sets of net lights into each other and then run a cord to one channel in this 16 channel thingy and not blow it? You will have to check the current total of 1 strand of your lights (Current, Amps, Same Thing) If it doesn't list a current draw it SHOULD list wattage. Assuming you are using 120 Volt AC lights use the Ohms law formula, volts by watts. So for an example: say your 1 strand is rated at 15 watts. 120 div into 15 = .125 amps. Multiply that by your 6 sets of lights = 0.75 amps. 1 channel of LOR can handle about 1.85 amps. So your 6 sets of lights would work on 1 channel.3.Once plugged can I change how the lights appear at different times during the song? ie, dimming for one note of music and flash for another? Sure can. You can download a free trial of the LOR software from their web site lightsorama.com and play around with a song of your choice and set animation of your tree and see how it looks.4.can I use only half a song? You can use whatever music you want, BUT, LOR doesn't chop music files or have any pre-installed songs. You have to get your own songs and do the chopping down yourself with a program like audacity.5.Can I time it so the show comes on every hour? LOR has scheduling so you can set your show to come on at anytime through your computer clock. They also have an input where you can turn it on with a signal of some sort to the LOR controller to run a sequence. I personally tore apart an old Genie garage door opener and use the circuit board and remote control to turn on a test sequence. But that's just me.:]6.Between shows, can I just have the tree lit? (I was thinking btw shows to just have the green nets and red ribbons on. Save the white nets for showtime only)I'm pretty sure you can do that, maybe just run another sequence between songs that lite those certain channels.7.Will software show me how to get song from cd in program? Rip the music from the cd to a file on your hard drive. There is a folder in the LOR software called songs, just put the music there.8.Once everything is plugged, can I then run everything into a heavy duty extension cord into the house? You will need a couple 15 or 20 amp dedicated circuits for your 2 LOR boxes. It is nice to have a clean power supply to draw from that way it doesn't interfere with anything in the house or vise versa.9.How do you attach speakers? If you want to run some outside speakers you can attach them to your comp. but you will probably have to have some with a built in amp to boost the sound for being outside. You could by an FM transmitter and hook that up to your comp. and broadcast you music into peoples' radios in their cars.10.Has LOR come up with an card that will eliminate the need for a computer sitting outside? The comp can stay inside, just run an RJ45 connected cat 5 cable from the interface to the LOR box outside.11.Should I be asking all of this or will the product instructions tell me everything?Check ALL of the forums here. ALL the info you will ever need is HERE in this great site.12.Are there any women on this board?(Just curious) Yes, and one of them has a great light show. You can see the video in the "Show and tell section"13.Oh, and let me take a moment now to apologize for being the pain i know I will become by december. We all have to start somewhere.:] People here are VERY, VERY, helpful. Welcome to Planet Christmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 momawreck wrote: What exactly do I need from LOR to make this happen? aside from 2/16 channel thingys? I need a budget to bring to my neighbor ASAP Other than the controllers, software, and adapter, all of which you can get from LOR, you will find your greatest need to be extension cords. They go quick.Can I plug 6 sets of net lights into each other and then run a cord to one channel in this 16 channel thingy and not blow it? I'm not sure how many lights are in a set of net lights (I think either 150 or 300?) But I don't think you can get 6 sets end to end without blowing the fuse on one of the sets. It should say on the box how many can go end to end - my general rule of thumb is 500-600 lights before I risk the fuses going. As for the LOR board - each channel is rated (with heatsinks) at 8amps - this is approx. 2200-2400 lights. The total board capacity depends on the board you get, but assuming you get a 40amp capacity board, you'd be limited to 20amps per side, thus about 6,000 lights per 8 channels (12,000 lights per board) all on at the same time. Now, you can plug more than 12,000 lights into it, you just can't have them all on at the same time.Once plugged can I change how the lights appear at different times during the song? ie, dimming for one note of music and flash for another? Yep. This is where the tapper wizard comes in, along with the seqence editor.can I use only half a song? To my knowledge, LOR software doesn't actually cut songs for you, but there is free software out there for shortening/splicing MP3's together.Can I time it so the show comes on every hour? Yep.Between shows, can I just have the tree lit? (I was thinking btw shows to just have the green nets and red ribbons on. Save the white nets for showtime only) This is exactly what I'm planning on doing. My show will run approximatly 20 minutes, at the top of every hour, and then run a static show for the rest of the hour before cycling again. Just don't go over your AMP limit when you go all on.Will software show me how to get song from cd in program? I'm not sure about the new version of the software, but I don't think the current software actually does that. People here will be happy to walk you through ripping a CD with Windows Media Player or another software that can get the music off.Once everything is plugged, can I then run everything into a heavy duty extension cord into the house? Assuming you use 2x16 Channel Controllers, 40amp version (or 30amp version) - this will be 4 heavy duty extension cords. Most household breakers are either 15 or 20 amps, so they'll need to go into seperate circuits. Because my display site only has 2 outdoor circuits, I do run cords through windows to tap indoor circuits.How do you attach speakers? From the board with the new LOR II features, I don't know how that works exactly. From a computer, you can either run it straight out of a headphone port to powered computer speakers, or from the computer to the input of a stereo, and run the music that way.Has LOR come up with an card that will eliminate the need for a computer sitting outside? I'm not totally up to speed on this, but I think that the LOR II stuff allows music to be loaded in a standalone mode. The computer doesn't have to be outside - most everyone here has the computer inside and runs a data cable (either network CAT5 or telephone line) through a window to the controllers outside. Should I be asking all of this or will the product instructions tell me everything? Questions are great at any point in time - this site is THE best resource there is on LOR (though Don's LOR Wiki that I've been reading about may just become the main basic question resource - it should be good.)Are there any women on this board?(Just curious) Many. Unfortuatly for me the 20-22 year old demographic is a little lacking... oh well lol Oh, and let me take a moment now to apologize for being the pain i know I will become by december. that's quite alright lol.Kisses,Momawow ok.. so there wern't any other replies to this when I first hit the reply button.. then 2 people beat me to it... Must be rush hour on PC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Tried to post pic, but it came out HUGE. Will try to figure something out.Thanks for all the info. I usually plug five sets of nets end2end w/o blowing them.I'll check the wattage using the formula u folks gave me.Downloaded the demo last night but it was 2am and I had to get some sleep. will try to play w/it tonight.Another Q...can I plug the 2 16 channel boards into one heavy duty surge and then run one cord? I use so many cords I like to eliminate where I can, and we may do a "pole Tap" this year.Have you folks seen the 9-12ft cords w/9 plugs separated into 3 sections each? They were great this year with my large displays. Especially when I lit the regular tree branches.Are there any pros on this board? Well, you are ALL pros in my mind, but I mean folks that do this for a living?Moma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Hi....welcome to the group....I see most of your questions have been answered....but I'll chime in...plenty of gals around...and even a few pros...we have a few vendors as well...I hope you get your pic fixed...look forward to seeing it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 2, 2006 Share Posted February 2, 2006 Hi Momma, glad to have you on board! One of the pros that springs to mind is Brad Finkle, although I haven't noticed him posting much lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 3, 2006 Share Posted February 3, 2006 >Should I be asking all of this or will the product instructions tell me everything? There is a specific area for LOR where you may find additional information from the LOR enthusiasts.>Are there any women on this board?(Just curious) There are a LOT of them! I bet that at least a third of the members are female. TED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Another Q...can I plug the 2 16 channel boards into one heavy duty surge and then run one cord? Not advisable. Each 16 channel board uses, depending on the model, 1 or 2 15 or 20-amp circuits. At the most, that'd be the potential to draw 80 amps from one surge - that isn't going to work out too well for you. At the very least it's 30amps, and those circuits arn't typically found behind your standard household recepticle. It's not just limits on what the boards or the extension cords can handle - it's limits on what you're house's electrical system can handle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Stephen Blue wrote: Another Q...can I plug the 2 16 channel boards into one heavy duty surge and then run one cord? Not advisable. Each 16 channel board uses, depending on the model, 1 or 2 15 or 20-amp circuits. At the most, that'd be the potential to draw 80 amps from one surge - that isn't going to work out too well for you. At the very least it's 30amps, and those circuits arn't typically found behind your standard household recepticle. It's not just limits on what the boards or the extension cords can handle - it's limits on what you're house's electrical system can handle.We are considering a pole tap. That's why i wanted one cord. I have to confirm, but I think a city pole would be able to handle it.I still have to do that math formula and figure out just how MUCH power I'll be drawing. 78 sets of nets @ 150 lights per, 48 Ribbons @ 75 lights per. The star is 200 lights. Then the 2/16 channel boards. All lights are minis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 4, 2006 Share Posted February 4, 2006 Hi folks,I've been having WAAAAY to much fun with this demo. I ordered my copy tonight.My questions are.....Can I combine sequences?Can I add events in a sequence already created by the tap wizard (Have I said how much I LOVE the tap wizard?)With the full version can u make the shimmer effect fade in and out?What is a "toggle"?Can you copy a sequence into another channel? I mean once u color one sequence, can you just copy it into another channel.Are there more effects in the full version?Does the full version allow for more than 8 channels?Can I "line up" sequences? so that when show is over it goes back to regular display?moma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 momawreck wrote: Hi folks,I've been having WAAAAY to much fun with this demo. I ordered my copy tonight.My questions are.....Can I combine sequences? Combine them? You mean run specific ones back to back? Sure.Can I add events in a sequence already created by the tap wizard (Have I said how much I LOVE the tap wizard?) You can run the tap wizard over the sequence multiple times, adding taps to specific points each time. You can also add "events" at any point as well.With the full version can u make the shimmer effect fade in and out? You know, I don't know.. that would be a nice feature though...What is a "toggle"? Toggle generally stands for as Turn On/Turn OffCan you copy a sequence into another channel? I mean once u color one sequence, can you just copy it into another channel. I think? I'm not sure...Are there more effects in the full version? Best I know the demo is a full version of LOR I, but as for the coverage of effects for the new LOR II, the software is being revised so no, the demo doesn't represent some new stuff.Does the full version allow for more than 8 channels? Heh heh, oh yea.. I think the limit is in the 4-figures?Can I "line up" sequences? so that when show is over it goes back to regular display? This is where the sequencer comes in.momaOK don't take this as firm because I don't exactly know the draw of your specific lights, but assuming the bulbs are mini's, this should be close.78 strands*150 lights is 11,700 lights. Assuming you have the 40amp version of the 16 channel controller, you should be just barely OK with all on, as long as they were pretty evenly distributed across the 16 channels. Channels 1 and 9 could be 4 strands, and channels 2-8 and 10-16 could be 5 strands, and you would be well within your per-channel limit, and barely within your board limit.On the other board, with 48x75 light strands, you could feasibly split them any way you wanted, in a minimum of 2 channels. (That'd be 1800 lights per channel, 3600 total). The 200 light star is an insignifigant draw.See other question answers above... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 By request from another user (which I agree with) I'm moving this over to the LOR forum.Carry on...-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Are there more effects in the full version? Best I know the demo is a full version of LOR I, but as for the coverage of effects for the new LOR II, the software is being revised so no, the demo doesn't represent some new stuff.OH NO......Do you mean I should wait and order the newer software?Moma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 momawreck wrote: OH NO......Do you mean I should wait and order the newer software?MomaOrder now. The new version of software will cost more than the current version. It will be a free upgrade to current owners when it is released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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