RGB NET Lights

[kornerb]

Looking for a recommendation for net lights (dum preferably) that would work with a Pixie controller. 

Has anyone had any luck finding this?

I have one of these in my cart:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093D5SD4K/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_2?smid=A2VRR1CD4SWCR8&psc=1

but the interface seems to be 2-wire and I am not sure how to adapt that to the 3-wire pixie controller.

I also wonder if a CMB-24D would be better for this application. I assume it would be, but again not sure how to adapt the 2-wire interface to the 4-wire CMB interface. 

Any help is appreciated.

[Mr. P]

Dumb RGB lights will not work with a Pixie controller. Only pixels (smart) will work but you can make them act as dumb RGB lights.

The ones in your link are 110v and will not work with a Pixie or CMB24.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Mr. P

[kornerb]

Thanks @Mr. P that is why I also asked about a CMB24-D which is a dum controller and probably the way I would prefer to go.

Any thoughts on that?

[Mr. P]

Just now, kornerb said:

Thanks @Mr. P that is why I also asked about a CMB24-D which is a dum controller and probably the way I would prefer to go.

Any thoughts on that?

CMB24 is a 12v controller so you will need 12v dumb lights. The ones you posted plug into a standard 110v outlet.

[TheDucks]

19 minutes ago, Mr. P said:

CMB24 is a 12v controller so you will need 12v dumb lights. The ones you posted plug into a standard 110v outlet.

Minor correction: A CMB24 is 5-30V per bank (no need for any LOR DC controller with banks, to be used at the same voltage.

If there is no bank to be above 5V, the you must use a 12V wall wart plugged into the Barrell connector (logic power)

[TheDucks]

Interesting concept: dumb RGB Net ! (can you  imagine trying to code the 3rd one on the left above that thinggy, if they were smart.

💡 Smart Icicles row (stacked to make a net) . HC had them a couple of years back, but no longer listed

[Orville]

59 minutes ago, Mr. P said:

Dumb RGB lights will not work with a Pixie controller. Only pixels (smart) will work but you can make them act as dumb RGB lights.

The ones in your link are 110v and will not work with a Pixie or CMB24.

Those wouldn't even work with an CTB16PC Controller.  The only way those particular net lights function is with the remote that comes with it.  The electrical plug that plugs into the outlet is the receiver the remote talks to to get the lights to change, and they are preprogrammed with specific patterns, these are not usually true RGB lights, each node on these strings usually contain 3 separate LED bulbs, a Red, a Green and a Blue, however some of these two wire versions contain a variation of only 2 LED's that are dual color LED's and this is why it's only two wires, true RGB strings have 3 wire (usually 12V) or 4 wire (most often 5V), but some 12V strands can be 4 wire.  But I doubt you'll ever find a TRUE RGB strand that would only have 2 wire connections, they need an Input Voltage, a Ground and a DATA wire, 5V versions use the CLOCK wire, being the 4th wire needed for lower voltage versions of RGB lights, like the 5V, again, though, some RGB 12V strands can be 4 wire and utilize the Clock wire as well.

That's why a lot of these strings that are touted as RGB, in reality are nothing more than a strand of different variations of a dual color LED controlled by a preprogrammed IC chip to select which color the LED will by using a preprogrammed IC chip and a remote to access the various options.  The LEDs in the strand you're looking at are like RED/BLUE, Green/White, Blue/Green, Red/Green, Yellow/White, Yellow/Red, etc.   Since these LEDs are dual color, that is why they only use 2 wires to control their colors.

These are only workable with the remote that comes with them, they are literally quite useless with any type of AC or RGB Controller.

A neighbor of mine has these type net lights and his are all bi-color {two colors in one LED}, not really an RGB string.  They really shouldn't all them RGB, because in all reality, they are not.

Edited January 11, 2023 by Orville

[kornerb]

thanks @TheDucks the net I posted has a 110v transformer on it, unfortunately I can't read (or find) the output voltage of that transformer. 

I am also learning that 2-wire RGB lights work via pulse in the DC. This may not be possible, but perhaps I can figure out how to DIY a net out of some dumb RGB pixels

 

[kornerb]

@Orville thanks! excellent explanation.

Has anyone ever seen a true RGB net light that they could recommend?

[TheDucks]

19 minutes ago, kornerb said:

thanks @TheDucks the net I posted has a 110v transformer on it, unfortunately I can't read (or find) the output voltage of that transformer. 

I am also learning that 2-wire RGB lights work via pulse in the DC. This may not be possible, but perhaps I can figure out how to DIY a net out of some dumb RGB pixels

 

That is not a transformer/simple power supply. It is also the controller (you can see a button near the output) . Whatever you do. Don't try and DIM or pulse the power.

I have a US Flag with a similar unit (colors don't change, but it does wave and other intensity effects. At least that one remembers its setting, so I use it on a timer. My Halloween Cat resets to the /wrong/ mode 🙁)

[kornerb]

@TheDucks fear not, I would NOT attempt to dim that power transformer. In the setup I was imagining I would bypass the transformer/controller and power/control the lights directly from a CMB24.

alas, I don't think this is possible either.

[Orville]

3 hours ago, kornerb said:

thanks @TheDucks the net I posted has a 110v transformer on it, unfortunately I can't read (or find) the output voltage of that transformer. 

I am also learning that 2-wire RGB lights work via pulse in the DC. This may not be possible, but perhaps I can figure out how to DIY a net out of some dumb RGB pixels

 

You'd need a digital multimeter to find that out if it's not posted on the power supply that the string connects too.  They are most often 24VAC or 24VDC output, without some type of digital test meter, there is no way to really know the tru output or whether it's AC or DC.  I have an old animated Angel that uses a power supply similar to the one on those net lights, it didn't say what the output voltage was on it, since it had a motor I figured probably 12VDC, but when I tested it, found out it was 24VAC, still low voltge, but I'd have prefered DC as opposed to AC.  But you need an oscilloscope to find the actual waveform to determine AC or DC.  I had a friend use his to find out what my animated Angel with color changing LED  bulb was putting out to power it.   If just using a digital multimeter, if it's AC output, and you put it on the DC setting you get some odd voltage readings, then try AC and if you get a reading like 24V that stays between a 23-25 Volt reading, it's AC, I get some really wild fluctuations when I checked its power output on the DC side, thereby letting me know it's output was definitely not DC.  Leastwise, that's been my experience when the only thing I had to check with was a digital multimeter.  The same happens in reverse if the power output is DC, and not AC.  Again, just been my experience with the digital multimeters I've used to test voltage outputs on adapters/power supplies that had no output info on them.

[Orville]

On 1/11/2023 at 12:46 PM, kornerb said:

@Orville thanks! excellent explanation.

Has anyone ever seen a true RGB net light that they could recommend?

I've never seen or heard of one.   Just like recently I was trying to find a 100 count C9 Bulb RGB Strawberry string.  Manufacturers currently only make them in 50 count bulbs according to the source where I bought some 100 count RGB "square nodes".  Square nodes I can get in 50 or 100 bulb node counts, but all the other types are 50 bulb counts.  And I have yet to see any RGB Net Light strands anywhere in my RGB node searches.

However, you could probably weave your own version of an RGB Net Light system by using 2 of the 50 node strands or possibly one of the 100 node strands and some extra strands of wire and form the diamond pattern of the net lights using the strands of wire and tying them together with zip ties.  At least, if I need an RGB net light system, that's probably what I would do.  But I do believe they would be very difficult to program in the sequencer, as you'd have to know which bulb in the net is what number, otherwise, your sequencing of them may look very erratic.   I'd think an RGB net light smart strand would be a nightmare to try and program, and I think that's why you don't see true RGB net lights from manufacturers that construct RGB light strings.   I doubt we'll ever see RGB light strings ever built in a net light configuration because of that.  But you never know, one day it might happen.

[Tonymu1]

I had the same issue wanting RGB net lights for my bushes.  I could not find any.  So I made my own.  I took strings of Dumb RGB pixels and laid them out in up and down rows to match the distance of the front and top of my bushes.  I then experimented with a number of things to tie them together like they do with standard LED net lights.  I found that a thin wire used for electrical fences worked best to tie the pixels together in a net pattern.  I then hooked them up to some CMB24's.  They work great.