Newbie from Adeaide

H

Homer

New elf
Joined
Dec 22, 2014
Messages
4
Location
Adelaide
Hi Guys,
I thought i would drop in here and say hi, i have been reading the forum for a few weeks now trying to get my head around all of this, i think I'm getting there slowly. But first a little history about me and Christmas lights.


When we bought out first house 8 years ago I always wanted to be one of those houses that had pretty lights. We had always put lights in our front windows, But it took me another 2 years to get to the point of hanging static lights on the front of the house. at this stage i had a multicolored string along the gutter, a few icicle lights, 4 candy canes and a reindeer. this only lasted a year and by the time it came to the following year it all got too hard as they were incandescent lights and some bulbs had blown, and it just became too much work to get it all working again. So it was back to the lights in the windows only.


Now it brings me to finding ACL. I saw a video on facebook in early December 2014 of a house in the USA i believe animated to music, and I thought to myself do people in Australia do that kind of thing? SO onto Google I went. All I managed to find was the LOR website and thought the 240V AC controllers was the only way to go. Then one day searching something about attaching lights this forum came up and I since discovered there are many more options that are better and cheaper that the LOR stuff I originally found. So that brings me to the current day.


My plans are to design and build my first simple system over the next 9 months, so that i have a few months before Christmas in case I have problems.


So my basic plan is all pixel based as i see this is the way of the future and I'm starting from scratch with no existing lights.


1 row of pixels across the front of the house under the gutter line. approx 26m
looking at something like this........
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/100nodes-DC12V-WS2811-LED-technicolor-pixel/701799_922162404.html
and
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/faceted-White-C9-covers-with-screw-for-technicolor-pixel-100pcs-set/701799_1328883482.html


a pixel tree. probably 2D 12 (strands?) and about 4m tall


and expand on this year after year........


controlled with a ECG-P2 and/or ECG-P12R


Running Vixen 3 (because its free, and I'm on a budget)


So if all goes to plan this will be done by Christmas 2015, if the plan fails it will be Christmas 2016.


Well that turned into an essay!!!!!!


Kind Regards
HoMEr (Justin)
 
G'day Justin and welcome to ACL
I don't use the technicolor pixels but I have heard people have been having lots of problems with them so keep reading.

4m tree sounds good. I'd suggest 2.5m or 5m as the strip comes in 5m lengths and this will give you best bang for your buck without wastage.

I don't see any issues with getting that display off the ground, it just takes time and money and some help from the folks on here.
 
HI Justin, Firstly Welcome to ACL, Secondly you seem as if you are on the right track in regards to getting your head around things. One thing that I will note in regards to the lights that you have picked out, There has been many discussions about the Technicolor Pixels and that there has been a few design flaws in them which has led to failures and water ingress. I would jump onto chat and ask around and see what other people use (We all have our Favourite gear) and then decide what you like. I personally like the WS2811 strip but that is my preference. Anyway Ask away.
 
Thanks, ill do a bit more reading regarding the lights. Ill admit i didnt do alot of research on them, just liked the look of them.


and the 2.5m or 5m tree makes sence with the 5m strips.


Regards
HoMEr
 
welcome52.gif
 
Welcome to ACL Justin.
I think you have made a good decision to start out with pixels and to start on a couple of main elements in the first year. There is a lot to get your head around when starting out, or at least that's what I found when I started. Having said that, pixels along the gutter line (26m) and a mega tree will look pretty spectacular come Christmas time. Like Dale I use 2811 strip along the roofline, others prefer 2801 etc so hop into chat and see what people are and are not happy with. As mentioned above, there have been lots of talk about problems with the technicolor pixels but I have never used them so someone with experience with these lights can no doubt tell you the latest on them.
 
Welcome to ACL .

Adding to what the others have said ... suggest 2811 strips (12V) for the house outline. You will most probably need power injection so if using one P2 - it would probably need to be centered (I have a P2 at each side of the house)

For the tree you may need more a few more strands or least factor that in . In addition to the controller you have suggested consider the Pixlite 16 (which also has 4 DMX outputs for say BigW LED lights) or the smaller version ie the Pixlite 4. Everyone has their preference - many use strips for a 2D tree and strings for a 3D.
 
Welcome To ACL Justin.


What part of SA are you located.


I am at Mawson Lakes and have had CLAP for a few years now.


My display is not running at the moment but is still up if you would like a behind the scenes look that may help get your head around a few things.


I use 2801 pixel strings from a P12 and 2 x P2's and run it off Vixen 3.


If you want a look around before it gets pulled down please feel free to drop me a PM.


Rob
 
Welcome.gif

to ACL Justin

First the disclaimer
Joining these forums and entering the chat room can give you CLAP!!! :D
Christmas Lighting Addiction Problem

If you haven't found it yet, the new revised 2nd addition AusChristmasLighting 101 manual is a great resource for all things RGB and more. :)

My suggestion is work on one element at a time. If time or finances interfere with your total plan then you still have something for 2015 and can add for 2016.
 
Karob said:
Welcome To ACL Justin.


What part of SA are you located.


I am at Mawson Lakes and have had CLAP for a few years now.


My display is not running at the moment but is still up if you would like a behind the scenes look that may help get your head around a few things.


I use 2801 pixel strings from a P12 and 2 x P2's and run it off Vixen 3.


If you want a look around before it gets pulled down please feel free to drop me a PM.


Rob
Click to expand...


I'm located in Redwood Park (not too far from the bushfires, been a stressful few days).


Thanks for the offer too come have a look, I don't know if I'll have an opportunity to come see your display or not though, depends on my work commitments.
 
Welcome to ACL, lots of great help and advice to get you started.
I hope those bushfires can be contained quickly
 
Welcome to ACL


It's great to have another member here in Adelaide.


Keep an eye on the wiki and forums to see if we have a mini (meet and greet etc) this year. This is certainly the right community to help you on your way to building your own display. Keep up the good research and ask lots of questions.


i13
 
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