Getting ready to order my first RGB lights!

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swampgator352

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First-timer here and I am getting ready to place my first order in preparation of a light display this Christmas. My main goal for this year is to start relatively small, but give myself enough flexibility to expand in future years. I would love to get some feedback from the group before I place a big order to help me catch any costly beginner mistakes. Thanks so much in advance!

This year I am planning to mostly do some outlining of the roof, windows, porch etc. Altogether I am anticipating to cover roughly 2,000 linear inches. For spacing, I was thinking about ordering 4 inches between nodes, but spacing them at 3 inches using mounting strips attached to pvc/emt conduit. I am comparing the cost of pixels on Ray Wu's aliexpress store and one thing that is puzzling to me is that I can order a 500 node continuous string for $88USD or 1,000 nodes in 20 strands of 50 ct for $270USD. From what I can tell, other than one being a continuous strand these are nearly identical products. It would be significantly more cost-effective to order the continuous string. I feel like I must be missing something?

I feel like December is already quickly approaching, so I would like to start ordering/gathering my supplies ASAP. With all that being said, I am planning to order around 700 pixels, pixel mounting strip, 2 Meanwell LRS-350-12 power supply units, a Falcon F16v3 controller, and raspberry pi (to run FPP). At this point, I'm a little bit unclear on whether I will need a network switch/router as well.

I know that I will need some supplies to build an enclosure for the PSU's and controllers, but was assuming that I would be able to source those closer to Christmas. I would love to hear any thoughts or advice on anything I might be overlooking or if I'm going way overboard on something. Again, many thanks!
 
Hi swampgator, great post and some good questions.

3 inch spacing will work well for a house outline.

No real difference between ordering the 500 continous string or the 50 or 100 count strings, you will find yourself cutting the strings anyway to suit your props.

If you was looking to order 700 pixels and if you are in the USA I would consider using one of the USA re-sellers like;
Wallys Lights
Wired Watts etc

Or as you mentioned Ray Wu is a well known pixel vendor, plus there is also others listed in the ACL Wiki, so you have lots of options in that regard.

The meanwell PSU you can order also from some of those USA vendors, or direct from www.arrow.com or www.mouser.com

If USA based I would personally order the Boscoyo mounting strip

Falcon F16vs is a great controller and would certainly work and have lots of room for expansion, just be aware there is a new Falcon F16v4 coming out soon (no actual dates released).

Yes you will need some extra supplies for example pigtails, I would recommend using the popular xconnect type
Plus the extra supplies you mentioned

A Rasp pi, when loaded with FPP will work as a show player / scheduler, also remember xLights also has xschedular if you have a spare PC / laptop to run your dispaly

You may want to think about FM transmitter to broadcast your music to viewers car radios

Also check out the ACL chat feature as there is normally someone about who may be able to provide some advise also

and or course dont forget to download the ACL 101 manual etc
 
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Thanks so much for the advice and encouragement, LawrenceDriveLights! I am so grateful for it. It is reassuring to hear that I am more or less on the right track.
 
I agree the cost difference you mentioned between a 500 pixel string versus 20 50 pixel strings does not sound right. While there would be a cost savings purchasing longer strings seldom is it that significant. If you post links, individuals here can help point out differences if any.

I prefer Meanwell's RSP supplies rather the their LRS Series. The RSP Series in my opinion are of a better quality and have slightly better specifications. You may also look at using higher wattage supplies as compared to a greater number of smaller supplies; such as a RSP-1000-xx rather than RSP-320-xx supplies. I also, at least so far prefer a Falcon F4 over a F16. And for small displays there is also a RPi with a Pi-Hat. I have a RPi/Pi-Hat presently running a small Easter display; not too large, around a 1000 pixels (5 Volt).

As LDL mentioned, you might consider purchasing from US vendors. RGB Man drop ships direct from China and is competative with Ray Wu. I have also purchased from Wally's Lights and Wired Watts. Other than RGB Man's direct shipping, everything is fairly quick and the few problems I've had were all quickly resolved.

Last comment, I suggest not using the 12 Volt resistor pixels, use regulated pixels instead. They cost a bit more but they are more immune to voltage drop in the power injection cables.
 
Hi Terry, I wasn't sure if posting links to vendors might be frowned upon in this forum. The continuous strand is here and the 50 ct strands are here. I'm really curious to know what the difference is!

I appreciate the tip about the RSP series, I will definitely look into that. Other than what I would imagine is a shorter shipping time, what are the pros/cons of US vendors vs those from China? I've noticed that several of the US vendors that have been recommended don't seem to have many pixels currently in stock. I can't quite tell if I'm too early or too late...

Thanks again!
 
I have a few suggestions:
  • Order a spare power supply. It is possible for a power supply to fail.
  • Add a pixel tester to the order. It saves you from setting up and risking damaging a more expensive controller each time you want to test your wiring https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32261108366.html
I agree with TerryK on the RSP power supplies versus the LRS. I'm assuming that circuit breakers in America are similar to here (Australia) but the RSP power supplies have power factor correction. This means that the circuit breaker shouldn't trip much below its maximum capacity. The number of power supplies to use depends on the size of the area that you want to cover and personal preference. I don't see much of a reason to use multiple power supplies next to each other unless that's the cheapest way to buy them. Spreading them out can make power injection more practical to implement so that you can combat voltage drop.

Choosing pixels with 18 AWG wire is a good move. There's nothing to gain (other than a lower price) from choosing pixels with thinner wire. Most vendors will offer custom wire spacing which is generally a good idea. It is safest to allow for some headroom when mounting them but you don't want the wires to be significantly longer than your mounted spacing because this results in unneccessary voltage drop.

I agree that 12V regulated pixels are a sensible choice for this application. You're spreading a small number of pixels over a large area.

The specifications of the next version of the Falcon controllers are listed here. I think they allow for more future expansion than the current ones, especially if you want to run the display at 40 frames per second. https://falconchristmas.com/forum/index.php/topic,13929/
 
As Dan indicated, no real difference in the pixels; Wire colors in the one, connectors and shipping the other. Doing the math only about a penny difference in cost per pixel between the two.

i13 mentioned wire size. I suggest making sure that the wire size is 18 AWG avoiding anything smaller and if the wire size is not indicated it almost certainly will be smaller. I initially purchased a few strings with smaller AWG size and while they can be made to work, it is a 'pain' to do so.

I use US vendors because for some odd reason my financial entity will not let me purchase China direct. RGB Man drops ships most everything so he has minimal stock, mostly only what is necessary to fix delivery type problems. Depending upon how one looks at advantages, you would have someone in a near time zone with a US phone number to resolve any problems. And perhaps in some cases, a language barrier.
And while it may seem odd, a few China vendors have a presence on Amazon. I purchase (some, not all I use) connectors and 12 Volt WS2815 strip from BTF Lighting. Paul Zhang has 12 Volt WS2811 resistor 18 AWG 4 inch spacing 100 count pixel string there too. Not quite as economical as direct but close.
 
Aha..I was definitely not accounting for the shipping cost for the continuous role. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

I'm planning mostly for house/window outline for the first year; is there a significant advantage to square nodes vs bullets? Are connection types mostly just preference? Looks like the RGBMan site recommends x-connect is you are starting fresh. I didn't even think about wire colors. It would seem color coding might make things clearer, but I don't want wires to be an eyesore. Any general rule of thumb?
 
Square nodes have a flat back so will work better if mounting against a flat surface. The mounting of the house outline will determine what is best for the application. Pick a connector and stick with it. I started with x-connect have stuck with it. I find the typical pixels with red, white and blue wire work best for me. No trying to figure out which wire is V+,V- and data. Color coding has its advantages.
 
No rule of thumb that I know of; personal preference I think. I prefer black wire although for quite a few of my purchases it has been black only. I so far have not tried asking for something different. Having all wires the same color can be (and was) a bit thought provoking at first. But I have since become familiar with the WS2811 pixels I use and can quickly determine the V+, Data In, and Data Out wires. In the case where the wires are twisted in the epoxy I may need to look more closely. Also, at least so far, the Gnd/V- wires have had 'inked' horizontal dashes and the Data is always in the center.

I color code splices in the string and at the connectors (Red V+, Data White, Gnd/V- Black) with hookup wire and/or heat shrink. I started with xConnect connectors but have since moved to different connectors. I use a small 2 pin connector for data (Gnd/V- and Data, no V+) and a 2 pin automotive type for power injection. Both types are waterproof. I try to use marine grade heat shrink (internal adhesive).
 
I have both square and bullet shaped nodes in my display. They both seem to work fine although most of them are 5V. The square nodes that I have are the ones with the wires at the back, not the side. I chose these because I had read that the ones with the wires at the side aren't as waterproof. This is what I have: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32277653753.html

The bullet nodes are available in black. It might be a moot point for you but the outer casing on the black ones doesn't seem to discolour in the Australian sun - not that I'd see it if it did. The discolouring doesn't seem to affect light output but I may as well avoid it if I can. I ask Ray to make them in 5V with 18 AWG coloured wires so that I can see which wire is which. I can tell which way the data flows based on the order of the wires. One side is a mirror image of the other side. The listing shows 12V but doesn't specify whether they are the resistor or regulated type. I suspect that you could ask for either type. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32822044734.html?storeId=701799
 
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