Gday from the Whitsundays

O

ozstickman

New elf
Joined
Dec 25, 2015
Messages
24
Location
Proserpine
Gday all.
I've wanted to do a xmas display with music for years and I've been given the go ahead by SWMBO. I've got 12 months to do it all in and have got some great ideas. My kids and the locals will love it. I have been lurking here for a while but finally decided to join.


I know it's late and its xmas eve but some days I can't sleep and thought I'd better join so I can ask dumb questions.


I have a Farley good knowledge of electronics and computers so this can't be that hard and I'm also pretty handy with the tools. I'm thinking of going a light o Rama controller setup to interface with a spare PC I have here. Also thinking of going dumb RGB strips over 16 channels. This will allow me to keep everything low voltage running around outside.


Both my wife and myself have taken a photo of our house a and drawn over it a number of times with layout ideas. After a couple of months and looking at other displays I think we have a layout to run with. And of course will add to it every year!


So that's about it for now and I hope you all have a great day tomorrow
Stickman
 
Firstly Welcome to ACL. Secondly I would download the 101 manual before you purchase anything. I would also take the time to jump into chat and also ask about other peoples displays. A lot of the RGBs that are used are what they call smart pixels and are more than just 3 channels per strip. These types of strips allow individual pixels to be controlled. The strips you are referencing are dumb RGB which you can only control the colour on the strip rather than each "led"
 
Welcome to ACL and merry Christmas

dale82 is spot on. The price difference for the pixels with individual control is quite small. They're not going to be much harder if you have a good knowledge of computers. You'll need a completely different controller type though.

If you stick with dumb RGB, have a look at DC DMX controllers directly from China or produced in Australia. They're significantly cheaper per channel than the ones that Light-O-Rama sells. Something isn't right about your channel count. Each dumb RGB item is 3 channels; one each for the red, green and blue. 16 channels is not a multiple of 3. There are smart pixel controllers with 16 outputs but each output has to support hundreds of channels. A good starting point would be to familiarise yourself with the differences between dumb RGB and pixels. With dumb controllers each output is just one channel.

Keep reading and researching before buying anything. There are no dumb questions. Once you know what to get, post your shopping list on the forums and get feedback. I know it all seems confusing at first but you'll pick it up in time for 2016 if you keep reading and asking.
 
welcome59.gif
 
Welcome to ACL and I echo what the folks above have said.

No disrespect to the LOR controllers, but there are other much less expensive options.
Consider using RGB pixels (strips or strings). I use both - 12V and have a number of controllers - Pixlite 16 , F16v2 , J1sysp2's etc as I added on .

You should also look at running your show on the Raspberry Pi and Falcon player - but that could wait until after you get your lights sorted out.

I use xLights for sequencing - HLS and Vixen are also options to consider.
 
Cheers for the feedback.
I sort of ment 16 light locations of different RGB strips. Aware of the channels per RGB, should of worded it better. My bad.
I am not planning on buying anything just yet, all research first then go from there, that's why I joined here, Aussie site!


I tried downloading the 101 on my iPad but it didn't want to load up. I'll try again later or in another browser.


I do get a bit of time after shift when I'm at camp so I dare say I'll be around a bit.


Cheers
Stickman
 
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