RGB connectors- which end is which

[Dr_Aplet]

LOR gurus,

I am waiting on a shipment of RBG lights and was going to start wiring my CMB24D.  I bought some waterproof connectors but want to know what end goes to the board?  I have a side with a nut and a side with an o-ring.  The pictures of the RGB floods do not show the connector.

[PhilMassey]

The board or controller end is always female. You never want exposed pins on the power side.

 

[dibblejr]

Ensure you unscrew the terminal lug screws up and sandwhich the wire between the metal plates. 

Female end from controller. That will be the one with the nut.

JR

[Dr_Aplet]

So in my field for work its always good when something is standardized.  It causes us to be able to understand what we are talking about find parts fast and cheap.  Does this have a defined standard connector term like a VGA cable, din connector, RS232????

[TheDucks]

4 hours ago, Dr_Aplet said:

So in my field for work its always good when something is standardized.  It causes us to be able to understand what we are talking about find parts fast and cheap.  Does this have a defined standard connector term like a VGA cable, din connector, RS232????

There are no standards. Once you pick a w/p connection system, you are mostly in bed with that source. The 'nut' can be on either M or F contact end. the 'keyway' seems to vary orientation with respect to pins.

ex. LOR 10W floods the pigtail (F) is threaded (and smaller) . HC (both 3 and 4 pin) puts the 'Nuts' on the pigtail. Ray Wu changes things up. They might look similar. Even the wire (pin assignment) colors can change.

[dibblejr]

4 hours ago, Dr_Aplet said:

So in my field for work its always good when something is standardized.  It causes us to be able to understand what we are talking about find parts fast and cheap.  Does this have a defined standard connector term like a VGA cable, din connector, RS232????

What lights did you buy and what connectors?

Keeping it simple.

If you purchased LOR lights and purchaseS LOR pigtails you are good to go.

JR

[dibblejr]

40 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

There are no standards. Once you pick a w/p connection system, you are mostly in bed with that source. The 'nut' can be on either M or F contact end. the 'keyway' seems to vary orientation with respect to pins.

ex. LOR 10W floods the pigtail (F) is threaded (and smaller) . HC (both 3 and 4 pin) puts the 'Nuts' on the pigtail. Ray Wu changes things up. They might look similar. Even the wire (pin assignment) colors can change.

Diameters, wire colors are different as well.

Biggest $ to waste can be pigtails. I purchased a “bunch” and I mean a bunch for my builds only to one day discover he changed them and I scrapped all New ones I had.

Now it’s LOR and xconnect. Nothing else.

JR

[Dr_Aplet]

8 hours ago, dibblejr said:

What lights did you buy and what connectors?

Keeping it simple.

If you purchased LOR lights and purchaseS LOR pigtails you are good to go.

JR

I bought the LOR 10 watt RGB flood (no connector refferenced)

and the pigtails https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCV8LVK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Dr_Aplet]

8 hours ago, dibblejr said:

Diameters, wire colors are different as well.

Biggest $ to waste can be pigtails. I purchased a “bunch” and I mean a bunch for my builds only to one day discover he changed them and I scrapped all New ones I had.

Now it’s LOR and xconnect. Nothing else.

JR

I could not find pigtails on LOR website only extensions.  I have a 250" of wire ready to go so i dont need extensions. i grabbed some pig tails off of amazon.  Are there DMX standard connectors that we could use in the same way?

[PhilMassey]

The last time I bought any LOR 10W floods, they came with a male connector attached and a female dangle loose in the box for connection to the controller. But its been a couple of years.

[dibblejr]

1 hour ago, Dr_Aplet said:

I could not find pigtails on LOR website only extensions.  I have a 250" of wire ready to go so i dont need extensions. i grabbed some pig tails off of amazon.  Are there DMX standard connectors that we could use in the same way?

As my friend Phil said. They may ship with them.

There is no “standard” there are many different types and sizes and different wire colors with and without markings.

With pigtails now a days rgb MFGs  have pigtails already so best to find strings that you like and stick with them.

If you don’t mind soldering you can cut the LOR extensions and as Inused to do , cut the female end off, and that becomes your pigtail and the other end gets soldered to your pixel strings.

JR

 

Edited September 16, 2021 by dibblejr

[TheDucks]

1 hour ago, Dr_Aplet said:

I bought the LOR 10 watt RGB flood (no connector refferenced)

and the pigtails https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LCV8LVK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

The floods COME with matching pigtails. (and yes, they do not sell extras. 🙁 I have 5 CMB with 14 floods split up between them due to isolated areas, and move the floods around by season)

If you Cut the flood extension, be aware the wire colors do NOT match the normal pigtail. Buzz them out and Attach a tag (school of Knocks  )

[Dr_Aplet]

On 9/16/2021 at 1:27 PM, TheDucks said:

The floods COME with matching pigtails. (and yes, they do not sell extras. 🙁 I have 5 CMB with 14 floods split up between them due to isolated areas, and move the floods around by season)

If you Cut the flood extension, be aware the wire colors do NOT match the normal pigtail. Buzz them out and Attach a tag (school of Knocks  )

Thanks MR Duck. When they came the black wire was positive and RGB corresponded to the color wire.  I will look to see if i can find something standard that i can point to and find again and again as far as connectors go.  I would rather not have several connector versions connected to my board.  

[k6ccc]

With DUMB RGB, the wires for the three colors almost always match the light color, and the common positive is almost always Black or White.  With Smart RGB, all bets are off.  In either case, NEVER assume anything about pigtails.  No consistency at all.  ALWAYS measure first.

 

[TheDucks]

I cut an LOR 10w FLOOD EXTENSION as I wanted more pigtails (different locations (w/CMB24's) for different seasons. The colors ARE NOT the same (Off by 1 color.)

I tried to double up on a few ports. Bad plan 🙁. Getting both wires  into a ferrel /or just soldered together. jammed the metal strip  and I ended up breaking it off as it was damaged when changing wires (I use ferrels, so no huge down side).

Why LOR did not use the same system that Pixies use?? Change over would be easy.

[k6ccc]

7 minutes ago, TheDucks said:

Why LOR did not use the same system that Pixies use?? Change over would be easy.

Likely because they are not compatible.  Same reason that the older CCPs and CCRs (which are 5 volts) and the newer CCPs and CCRs (which are 12 volts) use different connectors.