"Dumb" RGBs

[Ralph Priest]

Thinking about converting my LED,20' mega tree to RGBs this year. I only want to be able to do color changes and possibly swirls. Is the dumb RGBs the way to go?Also,as a bonus,does anyone here have video of their mega tree doing similar stunts? I definitely do not want smart pixels. Many thanx! Ralph Priest.

[Mr. P]

Why are you staying away from pixels? Pixels are definitely the way to go if you are looking to do swirls as dumb rgb lights the entire string instead of individual lights/pixels. With dumb rgb you can change the color of the entire string so swirls and stuff are impossible to do as the entire string fades or turns off and on the same color.

[TheDucks]

1 hour ago, Ralph Priest said:

Thinking about converting my LED,20' mega tree to RGBs this year. I only want to be able to do color changes and possibly swirls. Is the dumb RGBs the way to go?Also,as a bonus,does anyone here have video of their mega tree doing similar stunts? I definitely do not want smart pixels. Many thanx! Ralph Priest.

Swirls? Dumb RGB is basically 1  strip of 1 color  per port. You can do a 'fan' where the color moves from strip to strip.

My tree now has 16 (uses 2 CMB24) of these. It started out as 9 AC spokes (I divided a 1/2 circle up. that = 9 spokes)

a couple were doubled up with white to do a switch color .

the next year, I added 8 more AC. But as you guessed no color changes, so I change 8 to RGB (I only had 1 spare CMB24)

Nice. Next sale, I got another CMB24 and replaced the other 8 AC. "But wait you had 17 spokes?"  That and the simple star stayed AC

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JLtBw56vnz6cICReTBFqVbM2JYfKBTmy/view?usp=drive_link

The latest tree has a Smart RGB spoke in the center  (driven from a Pixie 4 (set in dumb mode for now. A good reason that 2 smaller Pixies are better than 1 bigger one. certain modes apply to the BOARD )

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XssqectruJzV7RgB6YgUAjyPWDy9K_IY/view?usp=drive_link

[PhilMassey]

I changed to dumb RGB in 2013. The next year I went to pixels. i still have many reels of unopened dumb strips left, ten years later.

[Orville]

And if you use dumb pixels, wouldn't any type of graphics be close to improbable, if not impossible, without using Smart Pixels?

That is, if you ever wanted to incorporate graphics using your Mega Tree, I would think smart pixels would be the way to go.

Also, smart pixels aren't any harder to sequence than dumb ones, mainly the difference being you have color control of each pixel on the string, as opposed to the entire string being a single color.   Smart pixels are way more versatile than dumb pixels and can have multiple effects along the string.  Can't do that with dumb pixels.

There are times when I have mu smart pixel string doing different effects and colors, I may have10 pixels shimmering, another 10 twinkling, and  another 10 fading on and off in a song, just a small example.  Pretty certain that isn't possible with a dumb pixel string.

Even when I convert many of my OLD ~AC~ props from old incandescent bulbs to RGB, I settled on Smart Pixels because of how versatile they are, especially when it comes to combining effects, I'd never pull those effects off with dumb RGB strings.

If it were me, I'd go with Smart Pixels, because eventually you'll soon find you can't do a lot of things that you can with Smart Pixels.

However, it's your choice.  I'm just giving my reasoning I went with Smart Pixels over dumb pixels when I started changing over to Pixels in my Display several years ago, which is now about 95% Smart Pixels, eventually will be 100% Smart Pixels in my display.

[tlogan]

I started out all AC and have been slowly switching over to RGB and Pixies. Especially as they are dropping in price. I did pick up a used CMB24 and 8 strings to add some color to my Mega tree. I went from 16 white strands to 8 Dumb RGB. It took a bit of re-programming to simulate the sweeps, fades, etc. of the 16, but once I got into it, it was easier. I had 2 Pixie IIs running 4, 25 smart pixel arches (half arches) which I have now converted to a Pixie 4, running 4, 50 pixel arches (full arches). And I reused the Pixie IIs last year to add two firesticks with 2 ring stars on top. I don't think I'm going to add anything new this year after all the work last year! Although...I noticed last year that the stars on the firestick COULD have three rings....so MAYBE  there's some re-programming to be done. 

If starting now, I would go smart RGB right off the bat. 

[Vince4xmas]

Go with pixels for sure. I started with AC controllers and then to dumb RGB and then to pixels.

I only use dumb RGB for flood lights now.

 

[Steven]

I can think of 2 reasons for using RGB strips instead of pixels:

1. Existing Equipment
   If you already have a bunch of strips, like Phil, and CMB24 controllers to drive them, then you may want to use what you already have.
2. Wireless Connectivity
   In my case, part of my display is across the street, linked with ELLs. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't run an ELOR network over an ELL, and at this distance (over 100 feet), Wi-Fi can get intermittent. A pixel controller needs ELOR or E1.31.

Aside from those issues, there is no reason not to use pixels, as the cost is about the same and the sequencing is easy. If you want to stay with AC, that's a valid choice, as AC has a more classic "look" that you may want. When sequenced with simple effects, pixels look the same as dumb RGB.

[k6ccc]

19 minutes ago, Steven said:

Wireless Connectivity
In my case, part of my display is across the street, linked with ELLs. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't run an ELOR network over an ELL, and at this distance (over 100 feet), Wi-Fi can get intermittent. A pixel controller needs ELOR or E1.31.

Correct that ELLs can't handle ELOR protocol.  However if you are using the newer Directors, you could put a Director across the street and use the Director to Director syncing (sorry, can't remember the proper name), and that can run over ELLs.  Although traditional WiFi may be an issue at 100 feet, it's easy enough to set up a point to point microwave link.  That will give you an Ethernet link that can carry E1.31.  Several years ago I help a guy set up a link of just under a half mile for a commercial application.  Worked fine.

 

[Steven]

If we decide to put pixels across the street, we could use something like this: https://store.ui.com/us/en/pro/collections/wireless-5-ghz-pro-airmax/products/loco5ac?variant=Loco5AC-US

[dgrant]

The only thing I use dumb rgb strips for are my windows. Can't do chases on windows of course but they will change colors which is just fine for my show.

[dgrant]

Let me add something regarding the DC controllers we use for dumb rgb. Those 12volt channels can be used for other things. A good example is something I do with a whole three channels which is just one output from a dc controller. I use the three channels to start, stop and retract relay commands to a motorized video screen. I simply interfaced the screen controls with relays so I can lower, stop and raise a outdoor projection screen at the start and end of my show via LOR software. Three relays, constant +12v to each and supply the -12v to each relay when needed.

So, if an enterprising individual so wished, an unused dc controller could control 24 different relays that could do whatever you wished. So I wouldn't be so fast to toss out those dc controllers if you've stopped used dumb strips.

[k6ccc]

Agreed that there are lots of things that a DC controller can be used for.  I have a bunch - with no expectation of any of these changing to pixels.

I have three brick rings (6 feet in diameter) that each have a dwarf citrus tree in them.  There is RGB dumb strip around the inside edge of the top brick.  There is also a LOR 10W RGB flood pointing up into the tree canopy.  Although most of the time, the RGB strip and floodlight for any given tree ring are the same color, sometimes they are not, so they are controlled separately.  That's 18 channels.

Next is my front porch steps.  There are three steps that each have bullnose brick with RGB dumb strip along the underside of the bullnose.  The strip primarily is there to light up the step below it, but is quite visible from the street.  Each step is three channels so that's 9 channels.

Next is the brick columns on either side of the future walkway to the front porch.  Each column has a light fixture on top that started off life as a standard 120V bulb.  They were gutted and instead of the 120V bulb there is a six inch piece of 2 inch ABS pipe with RGB dumb strip wrapped around it.  One of the columns also has a backlit address sign.  The backlight originally was two little 12V bulbs, but that was replaced with about 3 feet of RGB dumb strip.  So the column lights and address sign can be any color that I want.  That's another 9 channels.

In addition to the 36 RGB channels, I have two channels that are each connected to a white spotlight that points up to my flags.  And there is one channel that powers three small fans that blow a little air through the column lights and address sign.  So currently I am using 39 channels for 12V DC outputs.

[TheDucks]

I have a number of UnGrouped RGB (3 channels).

12V White  only floods, Walmart candy canes converted to LED white strips  (spinner and walk markers), Plastic Skeleton hands (1 ch each), .

I took the Boscoyo Holly berries . Each (Red only) Berry is a channel, The Leaves are (green only) R, L, Center Veins   (2 ports, 6 channels)

Not every LIGHT needs to be used as RGB