How Firefly and LED's could impact LOR Hardware

[dugsterm]

I have been sitting on the fence for a couple of years and finally got pulled off during a sale this summer and now I'm a 16 channel newbie/starter. Reading postings about the d-light Firefly and issues with LED's in these forums confirms my fears that I am getting in at the end of an era and just before a new one has organized.

When one 'set of lights' (the Firefly) for $160 uses 48 channels and can control them without needing three 16 channel LOR boxes that would cost over $600 it's a game changer. Sure, today we are talking 48 pixels, not 48 strings of lights (or trees, or figures, etc.), but it seems pretty clear that the technology of an LOR Controller is often overkill for the needs we have. 16 channels of single strands of LED's will waste a lot of capacity even with a 'smaller' 15 amp unit and having to add snubbers just to help get keep enough current flowing to keep fades fading smoothly demonstrates how things here are changing.

A major frustration that delayed my purchase was the cost of doing even a simple light show when looking at the cost just to start at 16 channels. Heck, many of you are using 10 channels just for one arch! The lower power consumption of LED's and controllers like that used in the Firefly should have a MAJOR impact on the hardware like LOR controllers and will certainly up the ante on demand for different features such as control of multiple colors and software to program them. It appears that the technology is ready to explode at an incredible rate but can producers of the hardware and software keep up? I don't know.

I have no regret in purchasing my LOR Controller and believe it will be a very exciting time to see how the technology explodes and to be part of it as it happens.

--DugsterM

[Gremler]

I compare what we are doing here to building an XT Personal Computer back in the mid 80's. Back then one really needed to know what one was doing, everything had jumpers and heaven help you if shared a interrupt. MSdos commands was a way of life, boy was I happy when I got my first menu. It wasn't like today where everything is plug-n-play.

Anyway the way I see it in a very short time Christmas displays like ours will change just like the PC did. I am talking Light and Sound's of Christmas on steroids, real music, couple hundred of channels and all plug-n-play. Load a song, select fast medium or slow and the sequencing is done. One day in the future a husband will say to the wife "Dear Im going to go buy a Christmas display, can I have $100.00 and another 25 for the FM transmitter module? 500 channels later , and an afternoon hanging lights and walla. Oh, I forgot to mention that the FCC will change CFR47 Part 15 to allow 250 milliwatt FM Transmitters

10 years from now someone on here will write a post, "Remember when we spent a couple year's sequencing, yea that sucked".



Just my humble opinion

Bill

[cenote]

Gremler wrote:

10 years from now someone on here will write a post, "Remember when we spent a couple year's sequencing, yea that sucked".


Bill

You got a time machine to get us there yet? Haven't slept right since Aug because of sequencing every night.

[Gremler]

cenote wrote:

You got a time machine to get us there yet? Haven't slept right since Aug because of sequencing every night.

Nope, that's 236 years from now and by then we will all be worm food.

I hear your pain, - actually I feel your pain, in my newly aquired carpal tunnel.

[dugsterm]

Products like this Mr Christmas Lights and Sounds of Christmas are another example of how the technology (and demand people like us doing holiday light shows are creating) is developing. For under a hundred bucks you can plug in six circuits and immediately have a coordinated light and sound show. Not good enough for me since like a true LOR'er I want MORE CIRUCITS and MORE CONTROL but it's opening door for many who are just starting to dabble in such things. It's quite incredible what kinds of light sets with variable colors and motion now exist.--Dugsterm


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130271393018

[VetteNut72]

The change to LED's has caused many in the industry to rethink controller technology. Firefly is just the beginning and when you consider the resources of a single channel dedicated only to a single color in a single led, it's not as amazing as it may seem. Yes it's cool and a nice product but will be passed by soon with the things to come. The future is not only LED's, but the technology to drive them effeciently and effectively.

I put my money in Dan and LOR to revolutionize the industry with new products in 2009 specifically dedicated to LED control.



Craig

[Rafter Bar R]

Lights and Sounds of Christmas is a lightshow in a box, it does not require any user input other than connecting a few strings of lights. I have seen these used and they are rather boring. Most of the time the lights are out of sync with the canned music. The sound quality is rather poor and the music rotation gets pretty boring. Most of these units are available for less than $80 dollars and are even cheaper now, for around a couple hundred dollars one could get an 8 channel LOR board (hobby kit), software, use the music that they like, and spend a little time sequencing.

Light-O-Rama the way, you choose the songs and control the lighting patterns.

[dugsterm]

lonewolvie wrote:

I have seen these used and they are rather boring.  Most of the time the lights are out of sync with the canned music.  The sound quality is rather poor and the music rotation gets pretty boring.

Sadly in the rush to get things like this to market and cut as many costs as possible to make them cheap but profitable many products come out that have potential but fail miserably. I have only seem a mini demo model of a unit like this in a store but it was quite clear that they'd missed the boat! I expect big companies with big budgets like GE and Phillips have lots of research and development going in this area but sadly they are driven less by quality than profitability. I trust a company like Light-o-Rama to care a lot more but sadly they don't have a lot of cash to throw around and staff time available but hopefully they can keep up as things quickly evolve. I know they are trying their best and I FULLY support them with this. --DugsterM