SarahD
Mersey Christmas Lights, maker and breaker
So - I've successfully run my first show this year, with a few thousand pixels. I've run the whole show with 11 raspberry pi Zero W's distributed across the garden, controlling AC via relay boards, and pixels in Alan Hanson's excellent RPi-28D+ 2 port capes. While this is unusual, it made sense for us as we have an Orbi mesh wifi network including an outdoor Orbi, so high speed wifi available right across my layout. (The deal at our place is all Christmas lights must be clear of the lawn so it can be mown through December - this setup only requires power and has worked very well).
But I've got the bug now, and expansion plans for next year will hit the limitations of that system. I'm going to need a bigger controller (or 2) and trying to figure out whether to get a Falcon F16v4 or Falcon F48v4.
I've got one location now where I'll be running 5x100 node trees, 550 nodes of leaping arch LED strip, 1000 node selfie wings, and 500 nodes of fence border. I've got two other locations where I'll also be >1200 nodes across >2 ports. I'd like to be able to talk from a central Falcon board via wifi to daughter boards (RJ45 won't be practical for their locations).
Everything is WS281*, and everything is 12 volts and planning on staying that way for simplicity. Running xLights and FPP from one of the Pi's to control the show over wifi.
Advice very welcome on what questions I need to consider, recommendations, and vendors? Many thanks in advance.
Sarah (Mersey Christmas Lights)
But I've got the bug now, and expansion plans for next year will hit the limitations of that system. I'm going to need a bigger controller (or 2) and trying to figure out whether to get a Falcon F16v4 or Falcon F48v4.
I've got one location now where I'll be running 5x100 node trees, 550 nodes of leaping arch LED strip, 1000 node selfie wings, and 500 nodes of fence border. I've got two other locations where I'll also be >1200 nodes across >2 ports. I'd like to be able to talk from a central Falcon board via wifi to daughter boards (RJ45 won't be practical for their locations).
Everything is WS281*, and everything is 12 volts and planning on staying that way for simplicity. Running xLights and FPP from one of the Pi's to control the show over wifi.
Advice very welcome on what questions I need to consider, recommendations, and vendors? Many thanks in advance.
Sarah (Mersey Christmas Lights)