Scribble away, go nuts!

[Rani]

Hey guys,

Been learning a lot here thanks to this great community and the very helpful people within.

I have come up with a design layout for my house (although it keeps changing all the time) but I think I've reached the point I'm happy with for the time being.

I'm still a little undecided if I'm going 12v or 5v. @lithgowlights and @Benslights believe I should go 5v and that I shouldn't fear the dreaded power injections!

I have no clue about pixel controllers etc. So I've uploaded this image of the layout with pixels in each prop. Please feel free to download and scribble away, give me a plan of attack, what do I need and where do I place it??

Even if you think I can do better with different layouts please let me know.

Cheers!

 

[QLDKing(Brad)]

Hi Rani - I wouldn't change anything. You have a lot to do for a first year. Prioritise what you want to have completed first and work through it that way.

Brad

 

[scamper]

Your plan is your plan. As long as you like it, then that is all that matters.
As far as placing controllers etc, that is a little more dependant on what type of enclosure, controller, cable and distance.

Personally I have 3 main box's with power supplies and controllers. 1 is on my verandah, that has 2 x f16's 3 x power supplies the Ethernet switch, Pi and a dumb controller in it. I run 2 Ethernet cables from there, 1 is for a 4 ch receiver board on the roof for all the roof lines, and roof arch's. The other goes out to the yard and is mounted under the mega tree to the pole. that one has 3 power supplies and another f16 and a dumb controller. That runs all the fence line and yard props like arches, spiral trees etc. The f16's in the main box on the verandah runs to all the props closer in such as candy canes and stars, matrix and singing faces that are mounted on the wall. It also has the run that goes over 15 meters to the other side of the driveway and runs lolly pops and has dmx for yet another dumb controller.

So what I am saying, is mount your controllers and supplies wherever is most convenient. Find a central spot between props to keep cables as short as possible.
I use 12v strips, but all 5v pixels. Power injection is more of a mental hurdle as when you realise it is just supplying power, it is a breeze.
For the most part, I don't supply power from the boards. Only data comes from the control boards and power comes in to where it is needed. As an example, I have a mega tree that has 18 strings of 75 pixels per string. The data is fed out of 3 ports of the f16, then power is supplied from a power supply to the bottom of each string. In this way, I can change any port I want and have any prop i want (5v or 12v) on any port of the controller I am not limited to the power on that particular side of the controller. I also don't have to worry about overloading the controller.
Like Brad said, pick a project and start there, you will be surprised at how much time it is going to eat up and before you know it, it will be xmas.
Most of all, don't get too stressed if it is not exactly how you pictured it, The viewing public have no clue what it is meant to look like any way.

 

[Cranzy]

What are those props between the 2 arches, shells?

 

[ICon]

Thanks @scamper I have been reading a lot and playing with test strips and pixels with a esp8266 with espixelstick firmware (and others). You have pretty much confirmed what I was concluding, that injection is not really and issue once you realise that the the best plan is to treat the signal separately from the power.

One of the things I want to play with is 12v transmission with a dcdc converter to 5v for the pixels.

@Rani, if you can build something, learn, refine, and it will all become more clear.

 

[djgra79]

What are those props between the 2 arches, shells?

They look like a bunch of candy canes bunched together to form another shape.

@Rani it looks like a great layout, nice and symmetrical (it pleases my OCD!)
But for a first year it may be a bit much, all depends on how quickly you pick everything up. My advice is pick maybe 2-3 elements that you absolutely want for this year, work on those first and complete them as early as possible this year. Then as time/budget allows, chip away at more elements. Many of us have been adding to your shows every year, so this way you don't feel too disheartened if you set out on doing all of your plan and only get some of it done in time.

 

[Rani]

Apologies for the delayed reply guys and thank you for your advice

They look like a bunch of candy canes bunched together to form another shape.

Like DJ said, planning on getting many traditional hollow candy canes and putting pixels inside and mounting them to create an arch.

Dj, well I was hoping to have all my props planned and order in one big shipment to save on shipping costs, I've also been scouting materials and methods to create my props and honestly I can't see the build not finished in time.

The only thing that I don't know about or how long it will take is building my boxes and wiring/configuring everything and setting up xlights.
But I have a lot of faith in my fellow ACL'ers to help me out. Bear in mind I live very close to Ben who's been amazing help and is now burdened with me

I have prepared myself for the worst case scenario though of not completing the entire setup (like the megatree) this year. But God willing we'll get there

 

[djgra79]

Ordering hundreds/thousands of pixels plus PSUs, connectors etc in one bulk lot may save on shipping, but you will no doubt be well above the $1000 import tax threshold, so you will end up paying more in GST and other taxes via Customs.
Most people split their orders up into smaller amounts and get them shipped/ordered separately (weeks apart) so as to not attract attention.
Regarding xlights setups, there are heaps of videos already on this topic, so do yourself a favour and have a look at videos.xlights.org

 

[Kotche]

Wow. Your plan looks great.
I'm a newbie much as yourself and my line of thinking was starting with just some simple props such as window or roof outlines this year, and have my existing displays (dumb lights) to compliment it. That plan may change depending on how quickly / confident I am in picking up the basics over the next few months, but I figure simple straight lines is the place to start for me.

My hat off to you if you're able to do even a portion of the elements you've pictured, though - I like very much where you're heading!

 

[Danno]

Hey mate, I'm new to this game this year too and had the same question regarding 5v vs 12v.

I had settled on 5v as once you get your head around the power injection concept it's actually easy. In fact, you're going to have to get your head around it anyway as it's likely you will have to do it with 12v. The concepts between doing it with 5 and 12 volts are the same, you will just do it a bit more with 5v... So why avoid the 5v?

BTW - I love your layout! You could have some big coro stars on your left and right roof? That way you can give focus to your outlines and then punch in with some big stars? I've seen a few vids where that looks pretty cool. Though there are quite a few props so may not be needed (and may detract from the cross you have in the middle).... Food for thought anyway

Like you, I initially decided to "keep it simple" for the first year but seem to have come up with quite an elaborate layout!

I look forward to seeing how your plan comes to fruition!