Where do you mount your controller?

[Soupy8728]

I was thinking of mounting mine in the garage but how do you get all the extension cords outside?

[Orville]

Wireless extension cords! LOL

You either have to run them under your garage door by leaving it slightly cracked just above the cords, you don't want to pinch or cut into them.  Or you drill a hole through the wall or run the cords out through a window if your garage has any windows. 

Leaving windows or garage doors ajar isn't the safest way to do it, cutting a hole in the wall and putting a PVC pipe through it to run cords is the safest way.  But if you're only renting the home, that option is definitely out of the question.  

This is why my controllers are mounted outside.  

Easier to replace a controller that "might" get stolen than a lot of valuables in your home.  And most folks won't even give a controller a second glance because they usually don't even know what it is or does, unless you tell them.

But those are about the only methods I know off-hand.

Edited December 1, 2018 by Orville

[PhilMassey]

4 minutes ago, Orville said:

Wireless extension cords! LOL

No Orville, just no.

[Orville]

2 minutes ago, PhilMassey said:

No Orville, just no.

Don't you remember that from years back Phil?  And some folks really believed there were such things, there were even some websites offering them for sale, but they weren't for real. ROFL

[dibblejr]

2 minutes ago, Orville said:

Don't you remember that from years back Phil?  And some folks really believed there were such things, there were even some websites offering them for sale, but they weren't for real. ROFL

What color is best? LOL Remeber that one too

JR

[PhilMassey]

I remember, April First IIRC.

Next up, orange vs green extension cords.

[PhilMassey]

Nailed It.........

[dibblejr]

10 minutes ago, PhilMassey said:

Nailed It.........

Yeah, prob shouldn’t get that one going. I was a troll back then and if I recall some warnings may have been issued.

JR

[Speedster]

Our town and neighborhood are safe and the crime rate is very low.  So I mount the controllers on stands near the house (2 in front sharing a stand, and 1 on the side).  I cover them with black plastic garbage bags to hide them a little, and to protect them from rain/snow.

If you're putting your controllers in the garage, hopefully it's not too far of a distance to your lights and props, otherwise you'd need a lot of long extension cords.  If running the cords out of a partially-closed garage door or entry door isn't a possibility (due to theft and/or critters), you might have to drill/cut out a small hole in your garage wall that's just big enough for all the cords to fit through.  Then you'd have to figure out how to seal it so nothing can crawl in.  I think others here have suggested installing a dryer vent in a garage wall.

[jfuller8400]

I put mine in covered bins out close to the various props they service.  I've got holes in the sides that are covered with flaps so that I can run cables in/out but still keep out the rain/snow.  It works pretty well for me.

[Orville]

Mine are just mounted on old telephone box stakes, some metal, some plastic, but they work for what I need them for.  And I zip tie cords and things together, so theft is a bit more difficult, as pulling up a controller is going to drag 8-16 items right along with it, and most of those are screwed into a wall, staked into the ground or bolted down in some manner.  They'd have to cut way too many zip ties to snag anything and they'd need 3 to 5 different screwdrivers to take things down since I don't use the same screws in everything either, they get different screws, yes, it's a pain to set up and take down, but I haven't had one single item stolen from my display either.   Oh some have tried, and soon found out real quick it's going to take way too much work and too many different tools to get it! ROFL

BTW J.R.:  My preferred extension cord color is clear. LOL  But watch out for those banded ones, that might be a snake in disguise! LOL

 

Edited December 1, 2018 by Orville

[ericm]

11 hours ago, Soupy8728 said:

I was thinking of mounting mine in the garage but how do you get all the extension cords outside?

I have all my controllers(38) in the garage, I could put them in the yard but its not very big and no place to hid them.  I also don't like the look of all the controllers in the yard.  I grow my grass a bit higher and it hides all the cords.   So all in the garage and run extension cords out under the garage door.  I have cut a piece of 2x4 to the open length and it goes in the gap.  I do have a lot of SPT1 extension cords to run to my 592 channels, but my yard looks a lot cleaner for it.  I can get you 1000' of SPT1 green for $135 shipped to you if you need it, and can get you as much as you would need if you want yours in the garage.  

[TheDucks]

All mine are on 4' closet poles. I have an Eybolt at the top so I can store them overhead (J hook in ceiling joists). During show season, I use 'portable holes (3' 1" angle with 2" rings welded  near the top and a foot down). Vertical mount keeps things (connectors)above the splash zone with all openings facing down.

And I Mount one of those on the Chimney using antenna mount.  Long cords are Network (CAT5) and AC in. This way I keep other cords short , because I place the controller boxes near the props.

[Soupy8728]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I think I’m going to mount them in the garage near a side door and install a small pet door in the door itself to run the extension cords through.  This way I can just block it off when not in use.  

Edited December 1, 2018 by Soupy8728

[dibblejr]

Back on track

I mount my controllers as close to if not on the prop as I can. 

I have security cameras which mean I have hole through the walls. I mount the camera That is closest to My show computer to a junction box that has a hinges cover.

The box has a hole and an outlet for PVC conduit.

I then run the Network cables through the wall itnto and down the box to their perspective locations.

No mess and all cables centralized until they hit the ground then they are a precalculated mess running through 3” pvc conduit that is stakes to the ground to get over the sidewalk.

Probably cheaper than a doggie door and without animals of reptilians getting in.

JR

[Orville]

The reason mine are outside so I don't have to worry about all those cords going out a window, wall or under a door, is because many times I may not be home when the show is set to kick on, so it's easier for me to have the controllers just like J.R. as close to the item{s} it's controlling, as opposed to running more extension cords than necessary.   This year because of making a few changes, I went from using 600-800+ extension cords in my display to using shorter extension cords in the majority of areas, I cut my extension cord number down to around 24-36 cords.  I lost count after about 25-26. LOL    Just know I don't have a huge load of extension cords to cut zip ties and roll up this year when the display comes down.

My RGB Lights and controllers will stay where they are year round.

[Jaynee]

Mine are all stacked (not mounted) in the garage - we have a billion cords that go under our garage door, but we spread them out so we don't have a significant gap of any kind.  

I'm telling you, you bigwig guys that do major displays would be HORRIFIED by how unorganized my stuff is. *lol*  And I only have 72-80 channels!

[kyboy]

I have mine mounted on  a peace of ply wood that sits up behind a big bush on the side of the house which I find it works out great hides all my cords and is coverd from weather

[Lee T.]

Mind are chained to my flag pole and my porch.  They are covered with black trash bags just enough to cover the plugs.

[tlogan]

18 hours ago, kyboy said:

I have mine mounted on  a peace of ply wood that sits up behind a big bush on the side of the house which I find it works out great hides all my cords and is coverd from weather

THAT is EXACTLY what I do. If somebody wants brave the holly bush in the dark, good luck.

[Orville]

2 hours ago, tlogan said:

THAT is EXACTLY what I do. If somebody wants brave the holly bush in the dark, good luck.

The two in front of my house{mounted on plywood, and mounted the plywood mounted controllers to the stakes are behind a Spider Plant and they have nice piercing points on them.  And my cords all lay on the ground behind it and around it{zip tied together and also screwed down along the wall with plastic cable C clamps}.  The one in front of my ramp is also behind two of them and mounted the same way. So it someone wants to brave them, it'll hurt for several days if it pricks you.  I know, I've gotten pricked by them quite a few times, definitely not fun.   And I have another deterrent that I''ll kill off after the Holidays, right now they serve as a nice deterrent too, FIRE ANTS and there's a few mounds around everything out front currently.  They moved in after I set everything up.  Someone gets in there to try and pull something, they're gonna get STUNG by those varmits.  And that hurts for days too and seems to take forever to heal up!

Edited December 5, 2018 by Orville

[tlogan]

And if they try to go around the holly bush, there's always the cut -down-for-the-winter-but-still-thorny rose bushes. Which I just snagged my coat on last night while laying out the snake to the controllers.

[Orville]

14 minutes ago, tlogan said:

And if they try to go around the holly bush, there's always the cut -down-for-the-winter-but-still-thorny rose bushes. Which I just snagged my coat on last night while laying out the snake to the controllers.

I've had rose bushes, so I know that feeling all too well.  When spring rolls in again, hoping to get some to put out front as well.   I love NATURAL DETERRENTS!   They're the best, you don't have to pay them and they are on watch 24/7/365!🤣

[tlogan]

23 minutes ago, Orville said:

I've had rose bushes, so I know that feeling all too well.  When spring rolls in again, hoping to get some to put out front as well.   I love NATURAL DETERRENTS!   They're the best, you don't have to pay them and they are on watch 24/7/365!🤣

And if all else fails, my dog barks at ANYTHING that comes near the house.

[k6ccc]

I'm a little different in that a lot of my stuff is used year round for my year round landscape lighting.  For the year round stuff, there is one AC controller in my attic and another in the garage (because that'w where the conduit to the one light it controls ends).  There are three DC controllers, an InputPup, and a E1.31 controller in a brick column, and one more E1.31 controller in a conduit box behind the roses.  There is enough steel and concrete in those columns that if you hit one with your car, the car would loose.

For Christmas, each pair of arches has it's CCP controller attached to a pair of wooden stakes and covered by a trash bag.

For the pixel tree, the two E1.31 controllers are in a box behind the star (16 feet up).  The box you can see 11 feet up is the power supplies.  The P10 matrix is not in it's permanent location, but the controller is mounted on the back of the matrix.  You can't tell what they are, but the black panel below the bay window is two Coro singing tree faces.  They also are not in their permanent location, but the controller is mounted to a PVC frame that is sitting behind the faces.  Once those move to the roof, the controller will again be behind the faces on the roof.  BTW, the light just below and left of he peak of the roof is the IR illuminators for one of my many security cameras.  You can't move in my yard without being on camera (usually more than one).