Newbie in need of advice

[emusht]

Ok guys Ive been able to take a photo of the house and take my measurements of the roofline. I also used an xcel spread sheet from holiday coro to sort out the RGB channels and power needed.

 

Summary:

184 linear feet or 56M

280 RGB channels

840 DMX channels 

134 Watts needed

 

Also have a list of necessary hardware:

Pixel controller

RGB pixel strips- waterproof (not sure about density, 30/M?)(not sure if nodes are better)

Power suply

Mounting supplies and wires, etc.

 

Now that I have detailed information, can you guys advise on products and where to purchase. (I recognize that nothing is plug and play. Im willing to put in the time)

[wmilkie]

for me, it boils down to time, money and skill level

 

I've been doing this about 6 years; switched to 25% dmx last year, more this year; first several years all LOR, no ccb or dmx; did that for several years, just adding channels(16 channel controllers)

Added some LOR ccb's then switched to dmx using sandevices e682 dmx/e1.31 controllers

 

 

 

time:

sequencing is going to take up the majority of the time no matter which way you go; but I personally found dmx using SuperStar to work very well, and then import it into the lor sequencer.  To start out with, maybe start small using LOR  hardware and software. Depends on your skill/background levels. I am a very slowwwww sequencer, so it takes me a long time to sequence one song; most people have a much higher skill level here than I do

 

Money;

Light O Rama(LOR) is the easiest way to go overall. They have excellent controllers, standard 16 channel stuff, rgb(CCB's),and the new pixel controller. Their stuff is mostly plug and play with each other, and  easier to setup and use. Plus they have incredible customer service. They have usually 2 sales through out the year; spring and summer

Because of the quality of the hardware and customer support, you are going to pay more for LOR products;

For me, by switching to sandevices controllers, I was able to add more lights with less money, but it took a lot more work on my part

 

skill level;

Computer skills, soldering, wiring, electrical knowledge are allllll very helpful to have.

a lot of this hobby is a diy hobby; the range of experience of people here is all over.  Some of us have electronic/electrical/computer skills, others have less but there is lots of help here

You can go the more diy range which is non-LOR hardware, and just use their software. I'm doing that more and more.

 

I have 5 standard 16 channel LOR controllers I purchased as kits 

3 Sandevices e682 controllers, plus 1- e6804 controllers;; all used for rgb/dmx arches, candy canes, and a pixel tree

1- LOR  ccb for some porch trees

I bought my non-LOR pixels from Todd at     http://diyledexpress.com/;  this is not his full time job, so communications is sometimes spotty, but he has always come thru for me, and I have not had any problems with his pixels;  I use ws2811 12mm , 5 volt round and square pixels

[Ebuechner]

10 pixels per meter should be all you need for a roof line. That gives you control over every 4 inches. You could use the strips and get the aluminum channel with the diffuser cover. You could install the lights and never have to take them down. They would blend right in with your fascia no one would be able to tell they're there until they're lit up.

[emusht]

Thanks guys! I really like the aluminum channel with the strips to just keep them mounted year round. The wife, not so much! LOL! Just need to talk her into it. It looks like to begin with I will spend a bit more money and go with LOR stuff until I get a better feel for the DIY part of this. Its seems like this is hobby with a learning curve, therefore I need to crawl before I can walk. 

 

Im sure I can re-purpose some of the rookie equipment I purchase now as I advance. Thanks so much guys! Everyone here has been so extremely helpful! Time for me to put in some more studying and work on the plan!

[emusht]

Wow things just got interesting and way more complex! Hahahaha! As I poked around the net and learning about my options I realized many things.

1. I am way more of a newbie than I thought

2. There are so many choices out there for lights, controllers, power supplies, software, ways to run shows. Ranging from totally diy to plug and play (for the most part). The price differences were outrageous! Doh!

3. I'm ready to study some more and possibly dive into some different options. I.e. Sandevices controllers, raspberry pi with falcon player, etc.

Please tell me if I'm on the right track or biting off more than I should?

[Ebuechner]

Biting off more than you should? That would depend are your eyes bigger than your stomach. What I'm saying is everybody's different but one thing everybody has in common they learn better when they have the equipment in their hand so they can play with it. If you plan on going with a light show get a starter package from LOR. Download a sequence to to see how things are done. 1 newbie trick when you get started tape padding to your forehead. That way you won't go to work the next day with marks on your forehead from banging your head on the keyboard. (Just kidding usually the marks aren't that bad) you might as well start with an AC controller you are going to use that some place for sure

[bravado67]

emusht,

 

I am in the same boat. I have computer skills and fairly quick at picking things up. This is an entirely new animal and I like that. I'll mind screw this for a few months before ordering any gear. I did purchase 3 controllers, SE Advanced, SS with additional seats and a bunch of pre-sequenced shows for my 2015 show. It was well received. I started using SuperStar and its Instant Sequencing to create new shows until I had 45 songs. Everything synced to music and it was cool. But it didn't tell the story of the song as so many have learned to do with their shows. Lately, I have been playing with SS and sequencing parts with the tools and Instant Sequencing but only using it for sections of the music. Basic things to get a feel for it such as making a large yellow window bounce to the beat of the bass drum and other windows shimmer to the beat of the snare drum. Listening for interesting effects within the music and imagine how I would paint that with lighting effects. I will spend the next 3 months learning all I can about SS while researching the best way for me to go about the hardware. I like the plug and play that LOR offers but am not afraid to branch into DMX. So let's see what you and I learn this year and enjoy the growth.

 

Ron

[emusht]

Well said. We are indeed in the same boat. I'm a pretty savvy guy with electronics and not afraid to learn new things and screw up along the way. Lots to learn but I'm gaining knowledge daily. I'm hoping I can get this pixel thing down. The regular light stuff seems fairly straightforward at this point. Good luck to you.

[emusht]

Hi again everyone,

Sorry to bring this thread back to life, but as I have been learning more, I have more questions. So I will purchase an LOR CTB16 when the sale happens to run all my incans. I also purchased a Falcon F16V2 pixel controller, which should be enough for me to run many pixels since it has a massive capacity. Im purchasing a raspberry pi to run my show soon. 

 

Im at the point of purchasing pixels for the roof outline and Im comparing two choices:

1. Technicolor C9 from Ray Wu (Im asking him to make them for me to the precise length I need each one)

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/LED-C9-addressable-WS2811-DC12V-8mm-technicolor-pixel-string-50nodes-strand-all-black-wire-and-case/701799_32342630541.html

or

2. Holiday Coro Brilliant bulb C9 strawberry rgb pixels

 

Thoughts, input please

Edited January 20, 2016 by emusht

[DisneyMatt10]

From what I've read and researched I'd stay away from Ray Wu. I've not sure if it's what you're looking for but Holiday-light-express.com has a great sale going on right now and their RGB bulbs are on sale to. Might be something to consider, and they come highly recommended.

[emusht]

Thanks for the heads up. I like Rays lights a bit better because they are cheaper and can be made to my exact measurements. They also have these little tabs on the sides to zip tie to pvc pipes, which I really like. Holiday Coro has the same ones as holiday light express for a cheaper price, they also have a sale going on right now.

[Ebuechner]

I've purchased from Ray and had zero problems. And from what I understand he has helped people who have had issues with his products. But this is just been my experience

[dgrant]

Ray is a good businessman. He's stuck with the quality of his suppliers though but most of the time, they are good. He's very good at helping when there are failures or manufacturing issues.

[emusht]

Good to know. Thanks for the advice once again.

[Ebuechner]

Make sure you research before you buy from Ray. For instance the bulbs from holiday Coro have two LEDs per bulb. The ones that come from Ray I think only have one. That could be the difference in price and performance. I see it too often where somebody wants to save a few dollars. Then complains about getting exactly what they paid for. Make sure you have realistic expectations before you order