Megatree BoM feedback

zerhoe · Oct 13, 2024

Hi All

I've been into the Christmas light hobby the past few years as have 3 little ones (plus myself) that get a kick out of it. The street gets into it a little bit too, and it's slowly been escalating... I have lots of lights from the big green shed and online, but this year I'm looking to add my first pixel lights.

I wanted to put up a 180 degree megatree, somewhere between 2.5 - 3m tall. I was wanting to put some scrolling text across it, and maybe some images. From my reading, looking at 24 strings 50 nodes.

I've read through the manual a couple of times, done a bit of light research, and put together a small bill of material so I can budget accurately and then bite the bullet. Was hoping I could get a pair of eyes on it from seasoned veterans, and then had a few questions to follow.

Function	Part	Description	Shop	Quantity	Cost per item	Total Cost
Controller	HE123 Mk2 16-48 output pixel board	E1.31 Pixel Controller - 16 fuses only	Hanson Electronics	1	120	120
Scheduler	BeagleBone Black		Hanson Electronics	1	97	97
External Box	Waterproof Box-290x190x140 dimensions 290190140mm		Hanson Electronics	1	34	34
External Box glands	4 hole gland		Hanson Electronics	3	2.8	8.4
Tooling	Pixel pliers		Hanson Electronics	1	12	12
Sundry	M2.5x18 standoff kit		Hanson Electronics	1	2.3	2.3
Sundry	M3x25 standoff kit		Hanson Electronics	1	2.5	2.5
Sundry	M3x8 Screw (Pk10)		Hanson Electronics	1	1	1
Sundry	M2.5x8 Screw (Pk10)		Hanson Electronics	1	1	1
Mounting Strip	Pixel Mounting strip (50m roll)		Hanson Electronics	2	125	250
Sundry	3 core waterproof 13.5mm 40cm femail pigtails (pk 5)		Hanson Electronics	2	10	20
Pixel Light pigtails	HE123 > Lights, 10 pack	1 Metre	Ray wu Aliexpress	1	15.49	15.49
Pixel Light	4inch spacing DC12V/50pcs/strand/bullet resistor type/RGB addressable WS2811 led pixel node 18AWG IP68 0.24w	order xconnect 24 for tree 3 for star http://spikerlights.com/calcpower.aspx - 4 nodes per string/fuse	Ray wu Aliexpress	27	12.29	331.83
Pixel Light pigtails	xConnect type BLACK round 18AWG 3 core waterproof femaile 1M long	10 pieces	Ray wu Aliexpress	1	15.49	15.49
Pixel Light Shipping	Ray Wu shipping		Ray wu Aliexpress	1	189.45	189.45
Power Supply	Meanwell LRS-350-12 dimensions 21511530mm		RS online	1	65	65
Software	FPP 6 software		Falconchristmas.com	1	80	80
Chromastar	Chromastar 36 3 ring kit 150 nodes		Extremelightingdisplays.com.au			0
Chromastar	Chromastar 23inch 59cm 3 ring kit 40-30-20 nodes ring	https://www.extremelightingdisplays.com.au/sku/star23/	Extremelightingdisplays.com.au	1	35	35
Network Switch	Existing Cisco 3750x Guest VLAN/FW segment		NA			0
Megatree topper	Small 48 hole	https://piptree-designs-108285.squa...true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=4	Piptree	1	71.5	71.5
						1351.96

Some questions:
1. Will the single PSU be underpowered for my requirements, by my calcs .24W per pixel, 12W per 50 string = 12W * 27 strings = 324W max, plus the boards themselves will have some nominal draw?
2. Is it feasible the external box shall fit everything, if not are there better options?
3. Should I account for some fan venting or will drilling some holes be sufficient in the external box.
4. For the star, it seems I would need to customize and cut the strings, Are there any other materials or tools I need for that type of work?
5. Excluding the tree mechanical structure, do I need to procure any additional items, eg
- GPO power plug for PSU
- wiring for PSU > controller
6. Please do let me know if what I am looking at is also overspecced or unnecessary to spend or do.
7. I live in WA in the northern suburbs (Jindalee), if there was anyone willing in that area to have me visit for half hour and ask some silly questions and look at their setup, I would appreciate it greatly!

Anyway looking forward to some feedback and any suggestions.

Thanks
SM

merryoncherry · Oct 13, 2024

The single PSU is probably not underpowered for your requirements, but if you put a second one in now it will save you time as you expand.

Don't get just 27 light strings, get a few spares. My first year, I got a tree not far off what you're proposing... 32 strings of 50, but those pixels weren't common to anything else I got and of course one died.

It's not completely clear to me how many controller ports you are proposing to use, is it 12 for the tree, 50 up and turn around and go back down, so 100 per port, or something else? Or 200 per port? That would give more information about how many extensions you need.

There may be some other odds and ends you need, but if you have ways to get them in a hurry it may not matter.

Skymaster · Oct 13, 2024

Hi Zerhoe,

Looks like you've got a good handle on the majority of what's required already.
Some comments / answers to your questions:

zerhoe said:
3 core waterproof 13.5mm 40cm femail pigtails (pk 5)

zerhoe said:
xConnect type BLACK round 18AWG 3 core waterproof femaile 1M long

zerhoe said:
order xconnect

These connectors are incompatible. 13.5mm are commonly known as Ray Wu connectors, and xConnect is an alternative type. The latter (xConnect) is more common these days. I would suggest sticking with it for your purchases.

zerhoe said:
FPP 6 software

FPP 8.1 is now the most recent one - it is downloadable from https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/ -> although the suggested method is to use Raspberry Pi Imager (even for a beagle)

zerhoe said:
1. Will the single PSU be underpowered for my requirements, by my calcs .24W per pixel, 12W per 50 string = 12W * 27 strings = 324W max, plus the boards themselves will have some nominal draw?

For the 1350 pixels you are ordering, that's fine. The wattage is quoted at full white, 100% brightness, all pixels on. When running effects and standard operating, you never go full white over the whole tree. Not only that, but it's likely you'll turn the brightness down to at least 60%, if not lower, thereby reducing this requirement.

zerhoe said:
2. Is it feasible the external box shall fit everything, if not are there better options?

zerhoe said:
Waterproof Box-290x190x140 dimensions 290*190*140mm

It'd be a tight squeeze in this box. I'd suggest the larger one that Alan has: https://www.hansonelectronics.com.au/product/box-390x290x160/
This is my new megatree controller - a few more outputs, but much more room to move. In your case, you wouldn't need to double-stack the PSU and the controller. It also means if you want to expand later there's room to do so.

zerhoe said:
3. Should I account for some fan venting or will drilling some holes be sufficient in the external box.

I would suggest using vents rather than just drilling, as that will help keep the weatherproof nature you'd require for outdoor use.
Something like this. https://www.hansonelectronics.com.au/product/vent_60mm/
Two would be sufficient. A fan to move air might also be required.

zerhoe said:
5. Excluding the tree mechanical structure, do I need to procure any additional items, eg
- GPO power plug for PSU
- wiring for PSU > controller

For PSU to controller, I'd suggest some 12 or 14 gauge wire. The Hanson board has four main pixel inputs which means unlike other controllers you dont need as massive wiring as it's spread out more.
For the power into the box, it's easiest to get yourself a 3m extension cable and cut it up, keeping the moulded 240V connector. I'd suggest engaging a professional with the mains wiring (and might also be legally required in your state)

zerhoe said:
Existing Cisco 3750x Guest VLAN/FW segment

If you've got this setup, put the lights on its own new segment.

One last thing - dont forget an SD card for the Beaglebone!

Skymaster · Oct 13, 2024

One other thing you'll require for the Beagle / HE123 is an FPP license - https://shop.falconplayer.com/
You purchase based on the number of outputs you need active. You can start with a 16 port license for $15 USD, and to upgrade to the 48 port (should you put expansions on it later), you just need to pay the difference (another $15USD) rather than buy the more expensive ones.

AAH · Oct 13, 2024

I would look at using the 12V 500W supplies that are also on my site. Because they mount on the outside of the enclosure there is no need for fans, filters and vents. There's nothing to really stop you from running 1, 2, 4 or more of them if you need the power.
The ready to run Baldrick is a very easy option and with up 6000 pixels controlled it would be enough for your megatree and some extras. Unlike the HE123 it can be expanded upon directly but more outputs are easily had by adding another controller. No building required with the RTR version and you can be controlling pixels within minutes.

zerhoe · Oct 14, 2024

merryoncherry said:
The single PSU is probably not underpowered for your requirements, but if you put a second one in now it will save you time as you expand.

Don't get just 27 light strings, get a few spares. My first year, I got a tree not far off what you're proposing... 32 strings of 50, but those pixels weren't common to anything else I got and of course one died.

It's not completely clear to me how many controller ports you are proposing to use, is it 12 for the tree, 50 up and turn around and go back down, so 100 per port, or something else? Or 200 per port? That would give more information about how many extensions you need.

There may be some other odds and ends you need, but if you have ways to get them in a hurry it may not matter.

That's a great idea on the extra strings. I'll add x2 in.

I was thinking 4 strings, 200 per port based on the voltage drop from the online spikerlights spreadsheet. Would you recommend to go less?

Also is it a matter of splicing and shrink tube to join the strings, or recommend to use special greased terminal connectors common to the industry for outdoor waterproof use?

merryoncherry · Oct 14, 2024

zerhoe said:
I was thinking 4 strings, 200 per port based on the voltage drop from the online spikerlights spreadsheet. Would you recommend to go less?

12V resistor pixels, 200 per port is just fine. You may plug the far end of the string back into a tee at the beginning to help with voltage drop, but with only 200 you don't really need to do this.
The Spiker calculator is quite incorrect, I'm afraid to say. It does not account for the fact that resistor pixels use less power as the voltage drops. Nor does it seem to show that the drop from one pixel to the next is greater at the beginning of the string than at the end (where there is less current). But fear not, the 12V resistor pixel is battle tested, so practical experience says 200 is fine, even if you run at 100%.

While these pixels are a sure bet and I have a 5-figure number of them, I do expect their popularity to decline in coming years. Or at least they will in my show. They are bulky, inefficient, don't reproduce color well at low brightness, and if one light goes out all the ones past it stay on whatever color they had at the time of the failure. Also, the manufacturing complexity leads to bad batches every now and then. There are new(er) products on the market that address these things... if you're feeling adventurous.

zerhoe said:
Also is it a matter of splicing and shrink tube to join the strings, or recommend to use special greased terminal connectors common to the industry for outdoor waterproof use?

Well, all those things work, and someone here has experience with / preference for each of those methods. But if you are going to buy premade strings of 50 xConnect, you won't need any of that. You can just plug them into each other, they have O-rings built into the connector and are waterproof. The extra lead between one string and the next should be long enough to hop across from one strand of your tree to the next, and they will come apart for storage. Easy enough, right?

That reminds me of a couple other things you should have in your everyday carry if you are going with 12V xConnect:
Data amps. In case you have a lot of pixels on a longer extension, you may find a bit of data glitching. This is caused by voltage drop and can be addressed as such, but the quick fix is to screw a data amp into the line.
Plugs for the ends of your strings. xConnect has nice male plugs that screw into the female end of the string and seal against the O-ring, waterproofing any loose ends.

Yes, if water gets into the 12V connections, they will corrode, as it is 12VDC and plenty to turn rain water into a nice greenish blue juice. Grease is theoretically not necessary if you get each connection right, but if you like a "belt and suspenders" approach, go for it.

zerhoe · Oct 14, 2024

Skymaster said:
Hi Zerhoe,

Looks like you've got a good handle on the majority of what's required already.
Some comments / answers to your questions:

These connectors are incompatible. 13.5mm are commonly known as Ray Wu connectors, and xConnect is an alternative type. The latter (xConnect) is more common these days. I would suggest sticking with it for your purchases.
View attachment 27321

FPP 8.1 is now the most recent one - it is downloadable from https://github.com/FalconChristmas/fpp/releases/ -> although the suggested method is to use Raspberry Pi Imager (even for a beagle)

For the 1350 pixels you are ordering, that's fine. The wattage is quoted at full white, 100% brightness, all pixels on. When running effects and standard operating, you never go full white over the whole tree. Not only that, but it's likely you'll turn the brightness down to at least 60%, if not lower, thereby reducing this requirement.

It'd be a tight squeeze in this box. I'd suggest the larger one that Alan has: https://www.hansonelectronics.com.au/product/box-390x290x160/
This is my new megatree controller - a few more outputs, but much more room to move. In your case, you wouldn't need to double-stack the PSU and the controller. It also means if you want to expand later there's room to do so.
View attachment 27322

I would suggest using vents rather than just drilling, as that will help keep the weatherproof nature you'd require for outdoor use.
Something like this. https://www.hansonelectronics.com.au/product/vent_60mm/
Two would be sufficient. A fan to move air might also be required.

For PSU to controller, I'd suggest some 12 or 14 gauge wire. The Hanson board has four main pixel inputs which means unlike other controllers you dont need as massive wiring as it's spread out more.
For the power into the box, it's easiest to get yourself a 3m extension cable and cut it up, keeping the moulded 240V connector. I'd suggest engaging a professional with the mains wiring (and might also be legally required in your state)

If you've got this setup, put the lights on its own new segment.

One last thing - dont forget an SD card for the Beaglebone!

Thanks Skymaster for the detailed feedback.

That looks a very neat setup.

Noted on the pigtails xconnect.

Will add SD card too.

I'll pickup the bigger external box and 2 of the vents.

Will look at some fans too, are there any 12v dc fans that you recommend, or just whatever is available at the local Jaycar?

Regarding dimming the lights, is that common due to excessive brightness? I'll still be putting out a lot of the bunnings string lights so would try to maybe align their brightness. Do I require any extra part to have this functionality? If I recall from the manual brightness can be controlled from the data channel from the controller?

Many thanks!

zerhoe · Oct 14, 2024

merryoncherry said:
12V resistor pixels, 200 per port is just fine. You may plug the far end of the string back into a tee at the beginning to help with voltage drop, but with only 200 you don't really need to do this.
The Spiker calculator is quite incorrect, I'm afraid to say. It does not account for the fact that resistor pixels use less power as the voltage drops. Nor does it seem to show that the drop from one pixel to the next is greater at the beginning of the string than at the end (where there is less current). But fear not, the 12V resistor pixel is battle tested, so practical experience says 200 is fine, even if you run at 100%.

While these pixels are a sure bet and I have a 5-figure number of them, I do expect their popularity to decline in coming years. Or at least they will in my show. They are bulky, inefficient, don't reproduce color well at low brightness, and if one light goes out all the ones past it stay on whatever color they had at the time of the failure. Also, the manufacturing complexity leads to bad batches every now and then. There are new(er) products on the market that address these things... if you're feeling adventurous.

Well, all those things work, and someone here has experience with / preference for each of those methods. But if you are going to buy premade strings of 50 xConnect, you won't need any of that. You can just plug them into each other, they have O-rings built into the connector and are waterproof. The extra lead between one string and the next should be long enough to hop across from one strand of your tree to the next, and they will come apart for storage. Easy enough, right?

That reminds me of a couple other things you should have in your everyday carry if you are going with 12V xConnect:
Data amps. In case you have a lot of pixels on a longer extension, you may find a bit of data glitching. This is caused by voltage drop and can be addressed as such, but the quick fix is to screw a data amp into the line.
Plugs for the ends of your strings. xConnect has nice male plugs that screw into the female end of the string and seal against the O-ring, waterproofing any loose ends.

Yes, if water gets into the 12V connections, they will corrode, as it is 12VDC and plenty to turn rain water into a nice greenish blue juice. Grease is theoretically not necessary if you get each connection right, but if you like a "belt and suspenders" approach, go for it.

Thanks Merryoncherry!

That makes sense with the connectors for joining.

I will pickup some plugs for the loose ends, and pickup som data amps at the same time if they are inexpensive.

What are the new lights like, probably by the sounds of things I'll just need to ease myself into the hobby with these pre made strings, but curious to see what is on the horizon...

Thanks!

zerhoe · Oct 14, 2024

AAH said:
I would look at using the 12V 500W supplies that are also on my site. Because they mount on the outside of the enclosure there is no need for fans, filters and vents. There's nothing to really stop you from running 1, 2, 4 or more of them if you need the power.
The ready to run Baldrick is a very easy option and with up 6000 pixels controlled it would be enough for your megatree and some extras. Unlike the HE123 it can be expanded upon directly but more outputs are easily had by adding another controller. No building required with the RTR version and you can be controlling pixels within minutes.

Thanks AAH.

Will look at the Baldrick in more detail, part of me wants to do it for the DIY experience.

With the external power supply, would there be any concerns around direct heat from sun? I live near the coast and the front of the house where the tree would go is subject to both north and west sun, it would take the sun and heat directly exposed right up to sunset, when I would look to power it up.

Although perhaps that's a problem regardless and better to store the box somewhere in shade and run just the cables out to the tree, what do you think?

Thanks
SM

merryoncherry · Oct 14, 2024

zerhoe said:
What are the new lights like, probably by the sounds of things I'll just need to ease myself into the hobby with these pre made strings, but curious to see what is on the horizon...

So the first complaint I made about the WS2811 resistor design is the power waste. Each LED color, red, green, blue, has a forward voltage of 2-3.5V. These are run in parallel, so the "resistor" is used to turn the extra volts into heat... theoretical efficiency must be well under 30% before even considering the PSU and LED itself. The improved design there is to run the 3 colors in series, off the same current. Chips such as the GS8208 do this, as do a lot of other things that I'll get to in a bit. This cuts down power requirements, which is good, but it also cuts down on wire requirements, which is arguably more important.

There are bullet pixel and other products based on GS8208 that have been out for several years, one example: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804892704274.html Some of these designs also have built-in gamma correction, which gives better color at low brightness, and a redundant data line, which (in many cases) covers for dead chips. So that's 2 more problems on the run.

The other issues, the size / weight / tendency for manufacturing defects are addressed by starting with a combined circuit/LED module, instead of a discrete chip, LED, and passive components soldered to a little circuit board. This video is pretty cool IMO:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMjhJ9kcaU4

So you get "seed pixel" designs, which have those chips just soldered to wires, with a glob of UV cure epoxy over it. It's much cheaper to make, a lot less components, a lot more manufacturing automation. While the longevity has yet to be proven out, it seems like something that would work well once "dialed in", if it isn't already. So a lot of community members @Mark_M have megatrees made just from strands of seed pixels, while others are looking at wires or HDPE support strips. (I've been putting them into 1600-pixel HDPE mini trees for my show this year, 6 running now, 4 more coming for Xmas). I am sure the community will keep refining the methods for using these pixel strings. Sounds like there's a whole lot of crimping them into phone jack connectors in progress in Aus.

Coming at it from another angle, the same approach of using the LED module has been retrofitted for use in 12mm holes. It's all a matter of what glob of plastic is molded over the module... https://mattosdesigns.com/products/evo-pixels for one.

thewanderingpine · Oct 14, 2024

Especially because you're in Perth -- you might want to look at cross-checking some of your prices (with shipping and GST added) against https://www.lightitupleds-xmas.com.au/ (They may or may not have stock - might be worth reaching out to Paul about it - I think they were getting some new pixels in any day).

Skymaster · Oct 14, 2024

zerhoe said:
Regarding dimming the lights, is that common due to excessive brightness? I'll still be putting out a lot of the bunnings string lights so would try to maybe align their brightness. Do I require any extra part to have this functionality? If I recall from the manual brightness can be controlled from the data channel from the controller?

This is all done with the data that's sent to the LED. Rather than 0-255 (off to full brightness) being sent, it scales it - 0-127 for example, if you set 50%.

AAH · Oct 15, 2024

zerhoe said:
Thanks AAH.

Will look at the Baldrick in more detail, part of me wants to do it for the DIY experience.

With the external power supply, would there be any concerns around direct heat from sun? I live near the coast and the front of the house where the tree would go is subject to both north and west sun, it would take the sun and heat directly exposed right up to sunset, when I would look to power it up.

Although perhaps that's a problem regardless and better to store the box somewhere in shade and run just the cables out to the tree, what do you think?

Thanks
SM

I first tested the 500W supplies on a 30C day with a full 500W load. I suspect that I might have had the power supply in direct sunlight at the time but I can't honestly recall. I also didn't leave the supply in direct sunlight for a few hours before. It's always better to have power supplies in shade if possible. At times my display gets turned on when it's nudging 40C still. There are some people that hide their controllers behind or under "presents" under there tree. That's always an option though if under a present it's best if it's still open to the air.

Megatree BoM feedback

zerhoe

New elf

merryoncherry

Senior elf

Skymaster

Crazy elf

Skymaster

Crazy elf

AAH

I love blinky lights :)

zerhoe

New elf

merryoncherry

Senior elf

zerhoe

New elf

zerhoe

New elf

zerhoe

New elf

merryoncherry

Senior elf

thewanderingpine

Full time elf

Skymaster

Crazy elf

AAH

I love blinky lights :)