Very New - Please be gentle

N

neildallimore

New elf
Joined
Dec 3, 2016
Messages
2
Location
Central Coast
Hi all
First post on here, been looking through a lot of the posts and watched a lot of the videos on YouTube so I am gaining knowledge at a vast rate.


Couple of questions, the street where i live goes nuts with lights and each year is getting to a point of "I have more lights than you" scenario. I swear you could see some of them from space they are that bright. I want to go different for next year, I want to make my lights dance, (said in a high school musical way with spirit fingers)


Things I need,
Raspberry Pi. That seems a given, cool with that
Controller, here it gets trickier, probably going to settle on the pixlite 16. This I believe will give me what I need, from what I have worked out it will give me the ability to control 5440 pixels, Enough for me at this stage.


Probably going to run pixels, smart ones, not dumb ones, just running lines around the garage, Windows, roofline, and then make 2-3 small trees.


Then the software, vixen or X-lights. Both seem straightforward.


I am looking at starting most of this in the new year as my job gives me limited time.


My main questions are...... Channels, I am assuming theses are pixels, and universes, are the number of outputs on my controller.


Thanks for any help in the future, and I hope that I can put on a display that will make everyone jealous.


Neil.
 
Welcome to the madhouse,
1. read the manual.
2. re-read the manual ( there will be a test)
3. spend this time looking at everyone's displays and planning what you would like to do.. be careful it's addictive.
4. if you are starting from a blank slate, then RGB pixels are the way to go.
5. one pixlite 16 will work but you may encounter issues if you want it to do everything. sometimes 2 pixlite 4's may be a better solution.
6. XLights is the leader at the moment ( :p )
7.plan it all first and then jump into chat or post your ideas here and there are people that will gladly offer advice.
8. most of us a flat out with our own displays. You will get more replies and chat after xmas.
9. read the manual.
10.pixels/channels/nodes universes are all straight forward once you have them explained.....
11. we hold Mini expos each year, well worth attending.
12 Read the manual

(where about in NSW are you?)


Cheers
Fing
 
Each pixel uses 3 channels; one each for the red, green and blue within it. The channels are grouped into E1.31 universes as they are sent to the controller.

A Raspberry Pi is not essential if you have a computer with an ethernet port that can run your show. That said, the Raspberry Pi still has its advantages.

The PixLite range is tried and trusted by this community and Advatek offer excellent customer service. The only downside of the PixLites is that the entire controller can only output one pixel signal type at a time. You can still mix nodes and strip and you can still use multiple voltages. It just means that (for example) you can't have WS2811 and WS2801 pixels on the same controller. WS2811 and WS2812B still work together because they use the same signal. It's not a deal breaker but it is something to keep in mind when choosing your first pixels. I suggest considering spending the extra US $30 for the PixLite 16 MKII because it supports much larger numbers of pixels per output. http://www.advateklights.com/shop/pixlite-pixel-mapping/50-pixlite-16-mkii-control-board.html
 
Thanks for the replies. I have read the manual a few times and consequently now have a sore head. I have a plan, and am starting to form the number of pixels needed. I am not going to go mental for the first run, just looking to do a basic setup with all the same type of pixels so as not to confuse things. I will look at other posts and once my plan is fully formed I will post again. Again thanks for the replies, it's nice to know that there is a brains trust to help out.
 
Welcome to the forum and the hobby, lots of info to absorb but over time it all becomes easier. Stick at it and you will have a great show for 2017
 
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