Easy way to connect controllers?

[Wynell Lewis]

First question

This year I went from 16 channels to 48 channels. I daisy chained my controllers together with CAT 5 cable. I have purchased 3 more 1602W controllers to add next year. Is there a better way to connect them?

Second question

What is the best way to add the additional channels to my sequences?

Thanks.

[-klb-]

Best, or cheapest? I consider cat 5 to be the gold standard for connecting the controllers. I've got an entire storage tote of cat 5 that links together some 40+ controllers on a fire house and park.

Phone cord will work, but I don't consider it as durable, and it is not as resistant to electrical interference. But it is cheaper.

As for adding channels, I have become a firm believer in keeping a master base file for each season, with all sequences based off of that master.

I keep all channels in the base track. I'll add the tracks I expect to be useful after that. When I add new channels, I add them below the existing ones in the first track. I keep the display elements in that first track in their original sequence. If I move some elements off of existing controllers, and onto new ones, I leave those elements where they are, and add the new ones, on the old channel ID's below.

This results in an out of order channel layout, even in the first track, but optimizes the ability to take this years channel layout, import it into last years sequences, and have everything look as close to expected as possible.

[pdowns]

You have one other option, it's called the Easy Light Linker. I use them and like them a lot. They cost $125 each but you don't have to run any signal cable at all.

http://store.lightorama.com/ealili.html

[Wynell Lewis]

Thanks so much for the info. I am going to look into the easy light linker, since my display is wide spread. I am not very good with the technical aspect of this operation, but I am trying to learn as I go.