Hello from Virginia, USA!

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MTT

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I’ve been decorating the house for Christmas now for about 5 years…a little more each year but with no show. I used a simple “Orchestra of Lights” plug and play box for a few years but now I want something more complex. However, I’m not ready to do it all in one year. I want to start with a 16 channel controller through Light O Rama. Any advice? Do people really share their sequences? Thanks!

PS…the photo is from this past Christmas. 1st year in the house and left out a couple tubs of lights. HOA does not allow lights above the back gutters but I may press the envelope this year. 😉
 

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Thanks! It’s my humble attempt as I know there are people on this forum light years ahead of me, haha! I don’t have it yet. I want to look into options as much as possible and get feedback. I plan on getting it in the next month or two.
 
The reason to do the LoR is so you can make use of the things you already have? Or adding some new things too? If reusing, one of the first experiments to try is to see if they actually respond quickly to being powered on and off... not everything does these days.

If you're still interested in LoR, you won't beat the price of one of the ones collecting dust in my attic.
 
merryoncherry said:
The reason to do the LoR is so you can make use of the things you already have? Or adding some new things too? If reusing, one of the first experiments to try is to see if they actually respond quickly to being powered on and off... not everything does these days.

If you're still interested in LoR, you won't beat the price of one of the ones collecting dust in my attic.
Click to expand...
@MTT If you are serious, seriously take him up on his offer. He is a fine upstanding ELF and has helped many others. Myself included. :D
 
Alternatives to LOR for AC include Renard controllers and there were two complete boxes for sale at doityourselfchristmas.com earlier today for very reasonable money. Looks like they are spoken for but you can keep your eyes out over there and find some good gear. A somewhat inexpensive way to get a "player" for your show is to get a raspberry pi and put FPP on it. That is something you could pick up and start to play with. A 3B+ is good start but the 4 or 5 are nice too.

I think there is a LOR forum that includes some sharing of sequences. It has been years since I was active over there. Over at diychristmas.org, there are some AC sequences including a full show (hour long) from Dirknerkle that is Vixen 2. Not a lot of AC sharing in Vixen 3 or xLights. Mostly pixel stuff there but quite a few shared sequences (especially xLights).
 
merryoncherry said:
The reason to do the LoR is so you can make use of the things you already have? Or adding some new things too? If reusing, one of the first experiments to try is to see if they actually respond quickly to being powered on and off... not everything does these days.

If you're still interested in LoR, you won't beat the price of one of the ones collecting dust in my attic.
Click to expand...
Yep, using what I have. My plug and play system seemed to work well in terms of quickly turning my lights on and off.
 
MikeKrebs said:
Alternatives to LOR for AC include Renard controllers and there were two complete boxes for sale at doityourselfchristmas.com earlier today for very reasonable money. Looks like they are spoken for but you can keep your eyes out over there and find some good gear. A somewhat inexpensive way to get a "player" for your show is to get a raspberry pi and put FPP on it. That is something you could pick up and start to play with. A 3B+ is good start but the 4 or 5 are nice too.

I think there is a LOR forum that includes some sharing of sequences. It has been years since I was active over there. Over at diychristmas.org, there are some AC sequences including a full show (hour long) from Dirknerkle that is Vixen 2. Not a lot of AC sharing in Vixen 3 or xLights. Mostly pixel stuff there but quite a few shared sequences (especially xLights).
Click to expand...
Thank you for the references!
 
Indigogyre said:
@MTT If you are serious, seriously take him up on his offer. He is a fine upstanding ELF and has helped many others. Myself included. :D
Click to expand...
I certainly don’t mind using used gear, but I know with newer items comes new updates and new software. I don’t want to run into a situation where something goes obsolete after a couple of years. Of course I could be way off target as I am just learning. In fact after this chat, I gotta Google all the acronyms that have been thrown out there, 🤣
 
@MTT I made an assumption that since you were on this site, that you have downloaded and read through the 101 manual. You can find it on the home page in the banner under the home icon. It is a good read to get you up to speed to many parts of the hobby. This will save you have from having to read many different wikis, forum posts, etc. After reading it through, come on back as ask any questions you have.

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