Starting up ... what hardware is needed?

[MazdaDad]

Hi!

So I plan on running my system from a spare PC that I have laying around.

Hardware wise, what do I need?

I have been reading through the 101 and I'm getting so lost so quickly

If I can use some of my current lights that would be great.

I have a bunch of the Mirabella genio icycles and some plain strands. I also have a set of Bluetooth ones that I got from Masters before they shut down.

Will it be possible to use any of those? Or would I be better buying RGB pixels?

 

[Skymaster]

Hardware wise - for the most basic setup-

• You'll need a computer to create your sequences on - a couple of different options, but xLights seems to be the most popular, and is well supported with loads of videos and help on their Facebook site as well as videos.xlights.org - This can run on Windows/Mac/Linux - take your pick. This doesn't need to be the same machine that you run your show from - so you can use your modern PC for designing your display.
• You'll need a computer to run your sequences from - this can either be a Raspberry Pi, running Falcon Player, or a full-blown PC, running xSchedule (part of xLights) - you've mentioned the PC option above.
• You'll need some form of controller that interfaces between the PC and the Lights
  • There are a multitude of pixel controllers out there - Falcon, Kulp, Advatek, to name a few. Right now there are global component shortages to finding something might be difficult, but there are 10 more months to worry about that.
  • DC light controllers can either work with pixel data (emulating a pixel, driven by a pixel controller) or with DMX (serial a lighting control protocol) - You can either hook these up with a pixel controller (most have DMX output) - or you can use a USB DMX adaptor.
• And you'll need a power supply/supplies, rated to deliver the amount that your lights or pixels will need.
• Finally - you'll need props, mounting, conduit, whatever you decide to use - to physically place your lights/pixels around the place.

Starting with Pixels isn't a bad thing. There's no reason you can't start small - say a couple of mini trees, house outline, and snowflakes (as an example) - to get a feel for the pixels and the programming. The other existing lights can remain exactly as you would normally use them. Then you slowly build your show and either add more in the way of pixels, or integrate the existing lights if they work nicely in your place.

If you were to use your existing props and try to technically incorporate them:

• Plain strands - depends on the wiring of them. I
  • f they are the more modern 2 wire ones sold by the likes of BigW, Bunnings, etc (generally 31V), then Hanson Electronics has a DMX controller for them - the DMX2-24.
  • If they are the older style with either 3 or 5 wires, then a regular DC controller would work.
• As for the Mirabella Genio's - I think they are still being investigated as to how they can be integrated. There is a thread here about it: https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/controlling-2-wire-genio-mirabella.14504
• Bluetooth - who knows - more info would be needed on how the controller actually works and communicates with the lights to answer that.

 

[MazdaDad]

Hardware wise - for the most basic setup-

• You'll need a computer to create your sequences on - a couple of different options, but xLights seems to be the most popular, and is well supported with loads of videos and help on their Facebook site as well as videos.xlights.org - This can run on Windows/Mac/Linux - take your pick. This doesn't need to be the same machine that you run your show from - so you can use your modern PC for designing your display.
• You'll need a computer to run your sequences from - this can either be a Raspberry Pi, running Falcon Player, or a full-blown PC, running xSchedule (part of xLights) - you've mentioned the PC option above.
• You'll need some form of controller that interfaces between the PC and the Lights
  • There are a multitude of pixel controllers out there - Falcon, Kulp, Advatek, to name a few. Right now there are global component shortages to finding something might be difficult, but there are 10 more months to worry about that.
  • DC light controllers can either work with pixel data (emulating a pixel, driven by a pixel controller) or with DMX (serial a lighting control protocol) - You can either hook these up with a pixel controller (most have DMX output) - or you can use a USB DMX adaptor.
• And you'll need a power supply/supplies, rated to deliver the amount that your lights or pixels will need.
• Finally - you'll need props, mounting, conduit, whatever you decide to use - to physically place your lights/pixels around the place.

Starting with Pixels isn't a bad thing. There's no reason you can't start small - say a couple of mini trees, house outline, and snowflakes (as an example) - to get a feel for the pixels and the programming. The other existing lights can remain exactly as you would normally use them. Then you slowly build your show and either add more in the way of pixels, or integrate the existing lights if they work nicely in your place.

If you were to use your existing props and try to technically incorporate them:

• Plain strands - depends on the wiring of them. I
  • f they are the more modern 2 wire ones sold by the likes of BigW, Bunnings, etc (generally 31V), then Hanson Electronics has a DMX controller for them - the DMX2-24.
  • If they are the older style with either 3 or 5 wires, then a regular DC controller would work.
• As for the Mirabella Genio's - I think they are still being investigated as to how they can be integrated. There is a thread here about it: https://auschristmaslighting.com/threads/controlling-2-wire-genio-mirabella.14504
• Bluetooth - who knows - more info would be needed on how the controller actually works and communicates with the lights to answer that.

Cheers. Would something like this work? XUNATA LED Pixel Signal Repeater Amplifier Controller for WS2812B WS2811 SK6812 LED Strip Lights, DC5V/12V https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B074TJYJZ5/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_H3ZTG7M8P03MJFH4Y86N

 

[Notenoughlights]

Post a couple of pictures of the power supplies that attach to your lights with the little label clearly visible, bonus points if you can get the label on the string of lights too! this will help us find out what you need to use to get your existing lights to work with a music/animated show.

 

[MazdaDad]

Post a couple of pictures of the power supplies that attach to your lights with the little label clearly visible, bonus points if you can get the label on the string of lights too! this will help us find out what you need to use to get your existing lights to work with a music/animated show.

Can do! I shall get them out tomorrow.

 

[Skymaster]

Would something like this work?

This looks like something that takes in pixel data and replicates it 6 times. It would only be useful if you wanted to set 6x pixel strings to exactly the same colours etc. It would still need input from a controller to generate the data in the first place.


Some Pixel Controllers that are used - Falcon is typically the most popular and easiest to use - these are in no particular order (and not a personal endorsement)

E131 Artnet Pixel Controller - F16V4

E131 Artnet Pixel Controller - F16V4

www.pixelcontroller.com

PixLite 16 MkII Control Board

A high capacity pixel control device running our 2nd generation processor. Drive up to 16,320 pixels using 96 universes over ethernet.

www.advateklights.com

These next two use a BeagleBone small-board computer as it's brains, sold separately.

https://kulplights.com/product/k8-b/

HE123 Mk2 16-48 output pixel board | Hanson Electronics

HE123 48 output pixel board

www.hansonelectronics.com.au

 

[MazdaDad]

This looks like something that takes in pixel data and replicates it 6 times. It would only be useful if you wanted to set 6x pixel strings to exactly the same colours etc. It would still need input from a controller to generate the data in the first place.


Some Pixel Controllers that are used - Falcon is typically the most popular and easiest to use - these are in no particular order (and not a personal endorsement)

E131 Artnet Pixel Controller - F16V4

E131 Artnet Pixel Controller - F16V4

www.pixelcontroller.com

PixLite 16 MkII Control Board

A high capacity pixel control device running our 2nd generation processor. Drive up to 16,320 pixels using 96 universes over ethernet.

www.advateklights.com

These next two use a BeagleBone small-board computer as it's brains, sold separately.

https://kulplights.com/product/k8-b/

HE123 Mk2 16-48 output pixel board | Hanson Electronics

HE123 48 output pixel board

www.hansonelectronics.com.au

Ok I'm kind of understanding.

With the 2nd and 3rd link, says it needs beaglebone, is that like raspberry pi?

Sorry if these are stupid questions, I'm really trying to wrap my head around this, and up until I started looking into doing this I thought I was fairly technical minded. Apparently not

 

[Skymaster]

Correct - Beaglebone is very similar to a RPI, except it has many more GPIO ports, allowing the software to drive more pixel outputs.

You can also use an rPI to drive pixels, with an appropriate hat - those will only do two pixel outputs, so about 800 x 2 pixels (1600 total).
There is also an option of using small boards, known as ESP32 and running software like WLED - however most of these are wifi, which is pretty unreliable for this kind of application.

 

[MazdaDad]

Ok, so do i need beaglebone if i have a pc to run it? just connect the controller to the pc?

 

[MazdaDad]

I also have these laying around.

 

[brando]

I won't bother answering too technical because I'm a noob myself and planning my first display this year.

But what I found handy was getting myself a controller and a couple strings on pixels. I personally learn best when I'm reading (ie. the 101) and doing at the same time. The He123 needs the BeagleBone to run, so negates the use of the PC to run your show. But you can at least get your hands on one right now from @AAH

Once you've got those things, you can play around, I personally got a few hundred pixels and made a few quick knock up coro matrixes and different things to play with both the lights, running multiple strings and needing power injection, as well as learning the show planning side of things.

Doing that then lead to me having a better idea of what I wanted to do to my house, plan that out, and then that gives me 11 months to build different things, source different props and components. I get very time poor through the year, so I've spent most of my spare time playing with different things over Xmas-New Year and was even drilling and painting conduit this afternoon.

The guy at Bunnings thought I was a complete weirdo when I told him I was buying stuff for my Xmas lights in January, but I know I'll get to a point where I don't have any time for weeks or months and time will quickly get away from me. At least this way I can get my head around it, get a few orders through AliExpress and really put it all together come November.

My current plan has 7,040 pixels, so I'll probably order them over a few orders of a couple thousand at a time and get the props and other bits and pieces I need around that, and in the meantime do some of my own sequences as well as download some I want to add to/change.

 

[djgra79]

I know Daryl hates seeing this video pop up often but I think it does a great job at covering the top levels of what components are needed to get a show going, referencing parts of the 101 manual along the way.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N64x5BjtOaM&ab_channel=AusChristmasLighting


But to try and clear up some potential confusion, if you wish to use an old PC to run your show, you can do so by using software such as xSchedule which comes with xLights (the latter used to sequence our displays, the former plays back the sequences in the order of your choosing.)
The computer then spits out the required data and you need to get this data into controller(s). The Controllers then convert this data and you connect the lights to these controllers (along with power of course.)

Instead of using an old PC, many people use something like a Raspberry Pi (small micro computer) that uses different software called FPP (Falcon Player) that sends out the same sequence data to the same controllers.

 

[i13]

I haven't watched the video but I otherwise see a few unanswered points here:

Judging by the output in your second photograph, that is a dumb RGB set of lights that will work with a regular DC controller.

I would not buy a controller specifically for the set of lights from Masters. If it happens to work with a controller that you'e already buying then that's great but it is not worth buying a controller for just one light set.

The HE123 board requires a BeagleBone regardless of whether a computer is running the show. brando is correct that the BeagleBone can take over and run the show instead of the computer BUT you'll need to use a USB sound card with it if you want audio. It is inexpensive but important. The Raspberry Pi option can also do this and it does not need an additional sound card.

xSchedule is a way to run xLights sequences with a computer controlling the display. Unlike xLights itself, xSchedule does not run on MacOS.