Bluey and the beers bug bit me! Is it in budget?

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Brothercj

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Dec 25, 2020
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I’m not the sort of person to bother doing things by halves. My wife has set up a modest lights display but I’ve avoided it like the plague.... until now.
The kids are at the right age, and my neighbours across the road have done a great job this year.... now it’s brought out my competitive side.

I’m guesstimating after a few hours on YouTube and Alibaba... is a $2000 budget realistic to get effects like the blue display, for example?
I’m pretty nerdy; I don’t think wiring or sequencing will be issues. There’s a builder in the family who is in for some light construction. Is my budget fair and realistic?

Bring on 2021!
 
Brothercj said:
I’m not the sort of person to bother doing things by halves. My wife has set up a modest lights display but I’ve avoided it like the plague.... until now.
The kids are at the right age, and my neighbours across the road have done a great job this year.... now it’s brought out my competitive side.

I’m guesstimating after a few hours on YouTube and Alibaba... is a $2000 budget realistic to get effects like the blue display, for example?
I’m pretty nerdy; I don’t think wiring or sequencing will be issues. There’s a builder in the family who is in for some light construction. Is my budget fair and realistic?

Bring on 2021!
Click to expand...
Hi Mate,

Firstly Welcome!

It all comes down to size and how much you want to add, this year was my first display and i estimate i have spent almost 10K Aus on it. I have 10,000 pixels in my display this year. Its is all the small puchases that stacked up this year for me, eg cable ties, conduit, paint etv.

Where are you located?
 
Hi and I also may be responsible a but like Miley with the Bluey sequence :)

Regarding budget it is a tricky one to give a exact price on a display.

The figure that has been used by a lot in the hobby is approx $1 per pixel

You may say, but hey I have seen pixels a lot cheaper than that and yes thats true its all the other other components inc physical props and electrical equipment which adds up and of course freight charges (and multiple trips to bunnings :) )can also add up very quickly.

There is a couple of different approaches I have seen in this hobby so far

Option 1 - Spend extra $ and but spend less time and purchase almost RTR controller boxes / custom pre-made pixel strings to suit your props / pixel connection leads / pre-made sequences etc etc

Option 2 - Spend extra time and save some $ making all you own props / controller boxes / using cheaper pixels / making all your own extension leads / sequences etc.

I would say in reality a $2k AUD budget could get a house outline / some yard props like arches / and maybe some house props like snowflakes etc.
Or you could want to focus on say a larger prop like a Mega Tree etc.

Most people seem to start with a few props and add a couple of extra props / elements each year.

I would suggest conducting lots of research (like you mentioned you have), come up with a plan and then trying to cost it out before committing to purchase anything to see if you can achieve your desired effect within your budget.

However the best thing you can do is download xLights for free and use that to help visualise your display.

There is a few videos also I would suggest you watch;

Keith does a fantastic beginnings / intro zoom presentation (one is scheduled I believe in January 7th 6:00 pm New York time with details given in the xLights Support Facebook group.

Or if you cant wait to then here is a link to Keith's 2019 presentation

View: https://youtu.be/xtemNvNfsMw


There was also a xEssential presentation last year on creating a display on a budget, now this is heavily focused on the practiced most of the USA people do but may also be helpful.

View: https://youtu.be/oDb36Cym3Xc



Also don't forget there is heaps of resources and experienced people in this hobby who are always willing to share information / advice etc.
Grap a copy of the ACL 101, don't be afraid to ask question via forum thread, ACL chat or join in some of the zoom sessions and keep a eye out for any upcoming ACL mini's in your area.

Hope that helps and sorry again for Bluey :)
 
It all depends on what you want to do. A budget of 2K is a start. Consider that Megatrees from Boscoyo run up to 28.5K. You can drop the cost dramatically with DIY.

At any rate. I'd start with downloading xLights, and reading the manual. That will be pre-school for you. Watch the videos, and play with xLights, then start physically planning your display. This is where you'd decide what you can afford to start with. Take a look at some of the free, and commercial sequences. Take them apart to learn some of the techniques used by those with experience to create the effects you like. Take your time, and don't rush in for the best results.
 
I started from scratch this year, controller, house outline, some singing faces and a matrix plus some leaping arches and I think I spent about $2k - props were mostly DIY. Its a starting point and will grow from there.

I found that what I planned and what I actually did were two different things so Im glad i didn't start out with more initially, lets me work out what worked and what didn't before expanding.
 
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