Current best practices for connecting to LED strings

[JNewans]

Hi all and thanks for the great resources.

I got started last year with pixel lights and a Baldrick Board from Hanson Electronics, and this year I was hoping to add some "normal" (2-wire?) strings to the mix. I'm also setting up a display for my church that will similarly be a mixture of pixels and normal strings but over a large property.

Ideally I could easily have them doing similar patterns that the supplied driver provides (various alternating/twinkling/flashing) while also being able to sync them in with the rest of the show - turning whole strings off, pulsing them, etc.

My two questions are:

1. Hardware - It seems like the standard approach for this will be the DMX2-24 then a long Cat5 run to a USB-DMX adapter on the Pi. Otherwise I could use the 2811DC2-30 with a Baldrick or QuinLED controller to go E1.31->WS2811->2-wire. Just checking there's no obvious way to get a bunch of 2-wire outputs responding to a network-based protocol, or "gotchas" with either of those approaches?
2. Software - I've found varying reports on how one would enter these into XLights (Adding every prop twice?), is there a straightforward way that I can add them so that the lights are in the correct positions and respond appropriately to the patterns while still being easy enough to do simple sequences?

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Juddge]

if you already have a baldrick 8 -get the 2811-DC2-30 it will be easier to setup and use - as the 2811-DC2-30 is just extra pixels to setup instead of aldo DMX to setup the 2811is easier to setup than DMX - in my opinion
i have both boards, and i find the 2811-DC2-30 easier to use and connect and setup

 

[JNewans]

if you already have a baldrick 8 -get the 2811-DC2-30 it will be easier to setup and use - as the 2811-DC2-30 is just extra pixels to setup instead of aldo DMX to setup the 2811is easier to setup than DMX - in my opinion
i have both boards, and i find the 2811-DC2-30 easier to use and connect and setup

Thank you, you are probably right re 2811 vs DMX - some of these ones will probably be a long way from the Baldrick so I think I am better off adding a separate controller (I'm assuming a Dig-Uno will handle it ok) so that the run is ethernet rather than 2811 (or even WiFi if I get stuck).

How do you set them up in XLights? One prop with two channels and many lights per channel? (Sorry if I have that terminology wrong).

 

[Skymaster]

How do you set them up in XLights? One prop with two channels and many lights per channel? (Sorry if I have that terminology wrong).

Depends how you want to sequence it. I have some set up as individual single-colour strings for each "colour" within the strand. Another is a single line model with 16 channels for 8 sets in the hedge. That way I can do sweeps across it.

 

[JNewans]

Depends how you want to sequence it. I have some set up as individual single-colour strings for each "colour" within the strand. Another is a single line model with 16 channels for 8 sets in the hedge. That way I can do sweeps across it.

Thank you I will try both and see how I go.

Also does anyone know if the 2811DC2-30 takes a particular voltage for the 2811 signal or will it adapt to whatever?

 

[Skymaster]

The 2811 data pin is always 5V (that is for all pixel power voltages). The board does not use the pixel positive line, it just passes that through to the pixel output connector.
The board is powered by the 31V or whatever you put on to drive the LED strings.

 

[JNewans]

The 2811 data pin is always 5V (that is for all pixel power voltages). The board does not use the pixel positive line, it just passes that through to the pixel output connector.
The board is powered by the 31V or whatever you put on to drive the LED strings.

I'd never given it thought but that makes sense, and helpful to know the power line is just passthrough - thanks! (And thanks for the fast reply!)