Have yet to purchase a pixel or a controller, but I have watched hours of videos, spent considerable time reading blogs and browsing product sites, and have played with xLights in an effort to decide if I want to replace my mix of mostly incandescent lights with pixels. I appreciate the resources here at AusChristmasLigting. Thanks!
Hello from Kansas
- Thread starter srchase
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2021
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- 518
Hello and welcome!
I just completed my first show and it took me about a year to get things ready. Please read the 101 manual as it is a lot of help. Not to pressure you but the sooner you decide the sooner you can start putting together materials to use. Due to the what not the last 2 years some things are harder to get and or find. So, you have to buy them when you can such as controllers and pixels. Other things are easier to find during the year but run out quickly around October as everyone ramps up to light season.
Of course there is nothing wrong with starting with small controllers and a few props or elements to begin with and slowly growing over time. It's an oddly addicting hobby.
Come visit us in the chat room some time!
Dean
I just completed my first show and it took me about a year to get things ready. Please read the 101 manual as it is a lot of help. Not to pressure you but the sooner you decide the sooner you can start putting together materials to use. Due to the what not the last 2 years some things are harder to get and or find. So, you have to buy them when you can such as controllers and pixels. Other things are easier to find during the year but run out quickly around October as everyone ramps up to light season.
Of course there is nothing wrong with starting with small controllers and a few props or elements to begin with and slowly growing over time. It's an oddly addicting hobby.
Come visit us in the chat room some time!
Dean
- Thread starter
- #3
It's the "addicting" part that scares me! $$$!Hello and welcome!
I just completed my first show and it took me about a year to get things ready. Please read the 101 manual as it is a lot of help. Not to pressure you but the sooner you decide the sooner you can start putting together materials to use. Due to the what not the last 2 years some things are harder to get and or find. So, you have to buy them when you can such as controllers and pixels. Other things are easier to find during the year but run out quickly around October as everyone ramps up to light season.
Of course there is nothing wrong with starting with small controllers and a few props or elements to begin with and slowly growing over time. It's an oddly addicting hobby.
Come visit us in the chat room some time!
Dean
If I do this I will probably keep it somewhat simple and subdued to satisfy my wife. House gutters, rooflines, garage doors and driveways are currently outlined with 12" spaced C7 bulbs. And I would stay with 12" spacing using C9s.
Roofline lights are new in the past few years--they are LED--but everything else is incandescent including the mini-lights in the shrubs. I'm pulling about 28A at 120VAV across two circuits. What got me started on this venture was the desire to reduce current requirements and just started thinking about replacing all the incandescent bulbs with LEDs. If I did that I would stick with warm white bulbs but I haven't seen a warm white LED C7 that I really like, including the ones currently on my roofline. And for the per bulb cost of a C7 replacement LED I can get a C9 pixel. Obviously I have to add the cost of controllers, power supplies, etc., and that's where the addiction has already crept in.
So, exploring pixels. Back to keeping my other half happy, I'm thinking of just periodic color changes with fades and curtains. But also thinking of an 8' or so 180 degree tree at some point.
Thanks for the post and for the advice. I realize I should start buying soon if I plan to do this. Also want time to experiment and put thought into my wiring design with respect to power and data amplifiers.