Laptop vs ???

[everettdale]

Currently I'm using an old laptop to run my show. I've seen people using a raspberry PI as well. What are the other options out there?

The reason I'm asking is that my situation is kinda weird. I'm not running a show for the shows sake. My show is a small production that people see while they are standing in line waiting to go through my Haunted House. So people aren't coming to see a light show, it's just there to keep them entertained while they wait. Example
And I want to add another small production on a building that they will see when they are done going through the Haunted House and waiting for the shuttle to take them back to the parking lot. So I want to run 2 shows but don't really want 2 laptops. Old laptops are cheap enough but really are overkill for the purpose.

What are your thoughts?

P.S. here is the link to the whole playlist of last years show if you are interested. This year I'm going RGB pixels, and adding singing monsters!

 

[Indigogyre]

Honestly, if you can find them, running shows on a Raspberry Pi 3b+ would most likely be the cheapest way to do it. You can really use anything that will install xLights/xSchedule, or Falcon Pi Player to control a show. There are versions for Windows, Linux (Raspberry PI) and Macs. A Pi is rather sturdy and robust and can be put into a simple case to connect and run the show.

 

[merryoncherry]

Depending on the controller, some have show players built in. Anything built as a BBB cape has FPP built in and can play a small show in the same way as the Pi. Falcon, Hinks, etc., also have ways to play shows without a separate player... but it depends what you're trying to do

 

[Notenoughlights]

I installed fpp on a Pi Zero, just for a laugh to see if it would work for my show, and to no surprise it struggles a little but for a small setup and just a simple couple of sequences with say 5000 pixels max, I imagine it would do quite well.

 

[Indigogyre]

I installed fpp on a Pi Zero, just for a laugh to see if it would work for my show, and to no surprise it struggles a little but for a small setup and just a simple couple of sequences with say 5000 pixels max, I imagine it would do quite well.

This is true. I also have installed FPP on a PI Zero and a Pi Zero 2 which has a bit more processing power. The physical connections are limited on a Pi Zero X, so add up all the accessories you might need to compare pricing. These are also limited to WIFI without using some sort of usb network adaptor.

For my testing, I installed a Rpi-p10 to drive a P5 Panel which seemed to work.

 

[Notenoughlights]

This is true. I also have installed FPP on a PI Zero and a Pi Zero 2 which has a bit more processing power. The physical connections are limited on a Pi Zero X, so add up all the accessories you might need to compare pricing. These are also limited to WIFI without using some sort of usb network adaptor.

For my testing, I installed a Rpi-p10 to drive a P5 Panel which seemed to work.

Using an esp32 router or portable router and wled, could result in a very easy and cheap controller setup with the added bonus of wled effects when you aren't running a show. As you won't be running a house load of lights, wifi should be just fine for this situation, also I imagine no music involved just lighting effects?

 

[Indigogyre]

Using an esp32 router or portable router and wled, could result in a very easy and cheap controller setup with the added bonus of wled effects when you aren't running a show. As you won't be running a house load of lights, wifi should be just fine for this situation, also I imagine no music involved just lighting effects?

Baby ghost, do do do da do, baby ghost do do da do, baby ghost do do da do, baby ghost!

 

[MikeKrebs]

ESP32 with sdcard running ESPixelStick V4 could run your show without sound. If you want sound which I assume you do, you will need something with a decent sound card. A RaspberryPi running FPP is really the winner in that department.

 

[everettdale]

ESP32 with sdcard running ESPixelStick V4 could run your show without sound. If you want sound which I assume you do, you will need something with a decent sound card. A RaspberryPi running FPP is really the winner in that department.

interesting. I'm just getting started in this RGB pixel controller stuff, so bare with me.

I was planning on using an wt32-ETH01 as the controller for this display. No music. Are you saying that might be all I need? or will I need both an esp32 and the wt32-eth01 one as the controller and one as the show scheduler?

as an aside, I'm integrating an wt32-eth01 into my "bigger" show running WLED/w Ethernet to control some singing faces this year, so I'm getting a feel for how they work in this situation, but I'm still learning their capabilities.

If you can point me to a video or blog post somewhere that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MikeKrebs]

I would assume based on your examples, that you do have music to go along with the sequences. Otherwise blinking lights without the sound means so very little to the viewer. In that case, you would need a player somewhere in the setup that is providing the music and either the sequence data or the sync signal.

The wt-eth01 modules I have seen do not have sdcards. If yours does, then you can run a basic show from the card. @Martin Mueller have you done a video lately on how to use ESPixelstick? Otherwise without a sdcard, you will have to feed it sequence data from a player or use something like WLED to show "effects".

Google this for ESPixelstick:
using espixelstick

 

[Martin Mueller]

TheChristmasLightGuy on discord has a video series that include setting up and using the ESPixelStick V4 software on a number of platforms.

The ESP V4 SW does not support playing music nor is it intended to work as a show player.

One of your show player guidelines is: Your show player should NEVER use WiFi as its entry point to your show network. That results in unpredictable jitter (seen as lag). It is not the processing power that is getting you, it is the WiFi.

A PI 1,2,3 would all do a great job in your application. You can add a Pixel hat and use it to drive up to 1360 pixels (two 680pixel strings) and then use Ethernet or WiFi to expand using controllers that work as FPP Remotes (Need local SD cards for those controllers). ESP V4 on a platform like the DigUno (or one of the other many supported platforms) would do the trick for you.