Purchasing Lights

[Happy Holley-days]

Hi all....I'm a frustrated Newbie.....

Luckily, I had no problem downloading and working the sequences.  However, I have purchased props and and struggling with my light choices.  I have read and watched so many videos, that I am now totally confused.  I got the Showtime Commercial Controllers....do the lights themselves need to special effect capabilities (dimming, chasing, blinking etc.)  Where is the best place to buy the lights in bulk?

[Mr. P]

Regular string lights on your AC controllers cannot chase. These controllers will turn the light strings on/off, they can also fade, dim or blink as an entire string. You can use cheaper half wave led lights that you can purchase at the big box stores like Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart or you can get the more expensive Full wave, sealed lights from places like Holiday Light Express.

[k6ccc]

I am assuming that you are talking about traditional AC light strings.  If you are going to use incandescent lights, almost anything will do.  If you are going to LED strings, strings with full wave rectification are generally getter than half wave rectification (less flicker).  For Mini lights sealed strings are recommended over removable bulbs (higher reliability).  As Mr.P said, you do NOT want strings that do any fancy functions by themselves.  Also avoid the Martha Stewart brand like the plague - many reports of them catching fire when dimmed.

I have also been very happy with https://www.holiday-light-express.com for LED strings.  More expensive, but high quality.

If you are trying to buy inexpensive, look to the big box stores right after Christmas - they drastically reduce prices in order to clear out stock on them.

 

[dibblejr]

Chasing requires multiple strings of lights, one per port and sections also one per port.

Take an arch. 
 

this statement will get everyone started however I created 8 segment arches because there are 16 channels. Even numbers.  ( that was with my switch to Walmart led lights) when I got them they were 7 segments.

Each small segment had a string of 100 led lights and a port on my ac controller.

I had 6 arches with 3 colors. 18 controllers total.

That’s how you make a chase in AC world.

I never had any problems with my Incans or LED lights. Not sure where the incans were purchased - I bought the arches and controllers in NY.

However the LED lights I used before going RGB were from Walmart/ Blue boxes 

I believe they are Holiday Time

JR

Edited August 20, 2021 by dibblejr

[Happy Holley-days]

Thank you all.