New member as of today

Hi guys and girls. I am new to this and have absolutely no idea where to start. After decorating my house for many years with normal string lights LEDs and the odd couple of lasers I have decided to give the computerised display a go. Unfortunatly I have absolutely no idea where to start or what I will even need. Is it possible to alter lights I already have to work or do I have to buy a complete new set. Hoping someone can clear this fogginess up for me. Thanks

1st welcome to acl, l too am a newbie, since last jan, but th
rew the help of some good peeps on here, xlights and falcon fb sites, l have been learning in leaps and bounds, so enjoy , u will get it lam sure

Hi there, welcome!!! I'm not sure about reusing your lights, I'm a newbie and didn't really do Chrissy lights before this so have bought all smart controllable lights. There is heaps of info on the posts here and ask for help on the forum, everyone is very helpful

Hello vickieflee from another South Australian!

You can usually keep most of your existing light sets. Sort the low voltage light sets into two groups and I'll help you from there. One group will have 2 wires between the 8 function controller and the first LED. The other group will be your light sets that either have more than 2 wires going to the first LED or do not have an 8 function controller. Lights from each of these two groups can't share the same controller type.

The low voltage light sets are controlled with DC controllers that replace the 8 function unit and you'll use central power supplies. Unfortunately it can get a little bit technical and quite time consuming to convert static light sets to computer control. This is because (despite what the plugpacks say) the required voltage for each light set varies so you may need to modify some of them or run multiple voltages.

There is a list of controller options here https://auschristmaslighting.com/wiki/Controllers

If you have ropelights or anything that isn't low voltage then these are different to work with.

I converted my static display to computer control in 2013 and kept about 90% of the existing lights. I chose to modify them to all use the same voltage and despite the time it took, I have no regrets there because it makes the setup simpler each year. I had only very basic understanding of current and voltage when I started.

Although they can't share the same type of controller, a setup with store bought lights can include pixel lights. These can let you have individual control of the colour and brightness of every LED. These also run at different voltages which are typically 5V and 12V exactly and that is convenient. 5V and 12V suit different applications so I use both.

Keep reading, asking questions and visiting chat. A good document to read is here https://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php/topic,1889.0.html

Thanks for your info. My powerpoint is down on this computer so I am trying to send it to another one so I can actually read it. i13 Thanks for your info, would be great if I didnt have to spend a fortune on new lights. Once I can read it I can move on from there.

The 101 manual is a PDF. PowerPoint is not the right program to open it.

have loaded it up on my other pc....all good. Will grab a cuppa and sit, relax and read. HoHoHo computer with an el cheapo windows program....time for an upgrade.

Welcome to ACL,

There is a steep learning curve at first but there are lots of resources, members and additional info that will help you and then eventually the pieces will start to fall in place.
But as I13 mentioned, start with the ACL 101 manual as there is a wealth of info in there

welcome to acl the forum of fun