New to Flood Lights - How do I start??

D

Dizzy

New elf
Joined
May 31, 2023
Messages
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I want to add floods lights to my display and recently purchased four 10 Watt RGB 12v floods. All my pixels are 12v as well. I know how to add them to xlights, don't have the slightest idea if I need a separate controller to run them. I currently have two Falcon 16v4 and one Falcon 16v5. Questions:

Do I need a separate controller for the flood lights, or can they connect directly to either one of these controllers?
Does each flood light need their own separate connection, or can they be daisy chained to one another?
Can floods be added to end of a pixel string?

Any assistance is greatly appreciated!
 
Depends on how your controller is configured. 10W is a significant power draw, but the typical 12V pixel output port (say on a F16v4) has a 5A fuse and therefore can do 60W. The length of cable (or intervening pixel string) will have an effect here... you can't deliver 5A at 12V 10m away on a 20ga wire without a good bit of voltage drop.

I had been using 5 of these per controller port in 2021, worked fine but I gave up on them because they didn't do much compared to all the pixels (they may put out the same light as 50-100 pixels, but it is not concentrated). (Also they started to corrode / get water intrusion after just a couple weeks. So I gave up.) You might consider aiming them at people as blinders, or using them at relatively close range to a light-colored surface.
 
merryoncherry said:
Depends on how your controller is configured. 10W is a significant power draw, but the typical 12V pixel output port (say on a F16v4) has a 5A fuse and therefore can do 60W. The length of cable (or intervening pixel string) will have an effect here... you can't deliver 5A at 12V 10m away on a 20ga wire without a good bit of voltage drop.

I had been using 5 of these per controller port in 2021, worked fine but I gave up on them because they didn't do much compared to all the pixels (they may put out the same light as 50-100 pixels, but it is not concentrated). (Also they started to corrode / get water intrusion after just a couple weeks. So I gave up.) You might consider aiming them at people as blinders, or using them at relatively close range to a light-colored surface.
Click to expand...
Yes, my plan was to use them at close range. I have a few small areas that I want to enhance with a concentrated flood.
 
merryoncherry said:
Try those first, but if that doesn't work get one of these (or similar) ... https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0DCF1GN46

They seem expensive until you consider how much a handful of the floods costs. One PAR can light up the selfie station from 20-30' because it puts out a lot more light and it is a narrower beam, also the additional colors are useful.
Click to expand...
Wow. That would like up my entire yard! I'm only looking for a splash of color on some walls and against a large tree.
 
I have two beamz fixtures https://bit.ly/4gEZnaI very similar. I used last year as uprights fo trees. This year I'm using them against my garage walls as a highlight. they are heavy and very sturdy. I have used them for an event in the rain and they were reliable. The throw infront is not massive as it is more of a feature light to be used in a group not solo or as blinders - But not to say you couldn't give it a go.

If you get them would be great to report back how you are using it in your show.
 
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