Need Some Help Incorporating Pixels Into my Display

[CrystalLightShow]

Hi there, hoping for some general direction.  We are on year 3 of our display. For the first 2 years we just ran 16 channels of AC which worked well.  This year we added 4 channels of pixels to the display.  All of my sequences are from the LOR Sequence Store. I just have the regular sequences that you can't edit (RTG I believe).  The only way I could figure out to make my pixels work was to set them in "dumb" mode and then I assigned the Pixie controller to one of the RGB controller IDs from the sequences (I believe it's 7).

Everything looks good- the entire strands of pixels change color together and flash and look generally nice.

However- the idea for the pixels is to leave them up year-round so we could turn them on for minor holidays- like have the bulbs alternate RWB for July 4, Pink/White for Valentines, etc.  In order to do that I believe I would need to turn off the "dumb" setting and then make some custom sequences that would control each bulb separately.

Also, next year I want to add a singing tree to the mix, and I am pretty sure that I can't use my existing sequences to do that.

So I think what I need to do for next year is get the RGBPlus Sequences instead of the RTG sequences, and then I should be able to find some type of prop to use for the pixel strands as I have them set up now (rooflines).  Then I'd add the singing tree and set that to the right channels for the tree.  Does that seem like the right plan?  Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Video for reference. Pretty easy to tell where the pixels are.

 

 

[Mr. P]

Getting in to pixels you will need to upgrade to a Pro license. Pixels in LOR mode will require an enhanced (ELOR) network and you will only get that capability with a Pro license.

[Orville]

I second Mr. P's advice.   With an advanced license, you may not be able to do what you're thinking.  PRO license has all the bells and whistles needed for getting the most enjoyment from your RGB Pixels, Smart Pixels especially, as they require the Enhanced ELOR and High Speed network{minimum 500K} to function properly.

Also, if your current pixels are "Dumb" RGB, they will not function on a Smart Controller, but Smart Pixels CAN be used with a "Dumb" Controller in dumb mode, but you can't use their enhanced capabilities such as having each bulb a different color along the strand, only single color for all bulbs among the entire strand, if dumb, orange would be all orange, if smart and a smart controller, then the strand can be multicolored, bulb 1 blue, bulb 2 purple, bulb 3 green, bulb 4 red and bulb 5 teal as an example.  In dumb mode, this isn't possible, and a dumb strand absolutely is incapable of this.  So you need to be certain your strands are the correct voltage and smart bulbs for a smart controller.  Usually goes by the chipset, most common is the WS2811 for smart pixels.

It can get confusing when getting into these things, so make sure you have the correct pixel type and voltage for the controller you'll be using.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Orville

[CrystalLightShow]

Thanks both of you.

I bought all my pixels directly from LOR so I didn't have to worry about compatibility issues.  They are smart pixels that I had to make "dumb" to work with my sequences. Good to know about the chipsets etc. though.