Lee_N_the_NorthWest

Awesome Job Robert!

Used LOR this last year, but I purchased Light Show Pro and I am learning that right now. It is incredibly more versatile but with that comes a bigger learning curve. That is why I bought it early. Now if you want to stay with LOR and manage some RGB I would suggest Xlights and Nutcracker. Sean has some really cool effects that you can program in Xlights/Nutcracker then export out in LOR compatible sequences. The best part is Xlights/Nutcracker is FREE. and Sean does great tutorials on using it .

What are you replacing? Most the time I add on, I used my old dumb strips to put around my windows and doors then build a new mega tree using 12 smart strips.

The DMX most of us are using is E1.31 (DMX over Ethernet). So if you decide to go that route then you would look at a controller like the J1sys P12x or the San Device E68x. Both are great controllers. I use the P12S model personally. I drive my show with LOR but programming smart pixels a that are not LOR in LOR is very time consuming. So I use Xlights/Nutcracker to make my pixel sequences then copy into LOR. If you decide to go into the smart pixel lighting there are plenty of us to help you. Lere

Ditto on Dave's comment, You do not have to invest in the wire and outlets yet but at least put the conduit in the ground and cap it off if you decide to not use it right away. A drawing of the yard layout would help us, help you!

Those are compatible with that LOR controller. They are the 60 LEDs per meter which are very bright. I use the 30 LEDs per meter and they work great. Are you going to be using these in a full strip or cutting them into small strips to go around window frames and things? If so you may need to get extra end caps for the tubing. Now for the Flood, If you do not want to build one then you will most likely need to buy the LOR flood or buy a LOR to DMX controller. There are many DIY kits available I know David has some at Holiday Coro. I built my own floods using a $10.00 spot from Home Depot and some of these LED modules from Ray Wu. very simple with a hot glue gun, solder iron, and some wiring they would work with the CMB24D controller also.

Dave, I used the ws2811/2812 strips and had no issues other then power. (My own fault). I do know that a friend of mine had a lot of problems with the 12vdc Technicolor square pixels. I believe it was an issue with the 12vdc to 5vdc converter each node has. He has spoken to the vender and is getting them replaced. There is rumor that a bad batch in one of the components that made up the pixel was to blame. He might chime in on here if he sees the post and shed some light on the issue. I will talk with him in the next week or so but he is very busy with his tear down right now.

Louie, Yes I am working on the LSP sequences already for 2014 Christmas. I think what happened the first time is I imported the LOR sequences and then added my pixel tree and the way LSP does the whole channel count I screwed it up and could not get anything to work correctly. It is going much smoother starting from scratch. Cheers, Lee

Louie, Have you played with Xlights/Nutcracker effects? I plan on switching to LSP this year, I wanted to last year but I was having a poor learning curve and with adding the 1800+ pixels and the fact that the LOR sequences where not importing very well into LSP I used Xlights and LOR with a lot of copy/paste going on. I like the way LSP can make an effect on the whole display rather then a single element if you want.

Louie, Your tree is awesome! I think the issue with your network is rebroadcast. If you where sending broadcast data and not unicast then each hub was sending the same data out again and again and flooding the network. I see you got it fixed I was just letting you know what the issue was. Are you using LSP for your programming?

Louie, You are correct a pixel is most commonly used in reference to a smart string or strip. I was simply using the term he did for dumb pixel in the response above mine. My bad!

Wilder Yes, if you get the $110.00 board from LOR you can control 8 RGB channels with LOR software. Superstar is used to make programming easier. It is not required. If you where getting smart pixels and had hundreds if not thousands of pixels then you would want something like Superstar to help program. Your version of LOR just needs to be able to do RGB channels.

You must have bought the 12 vdc ws2811 strips. if you get the 5 vdc strips then they are one LED module to a pixel. I use ws2811 5 vdc with the chip built in to the light. I believe they are now called ws2812.

Thanks Louie, What controller are you using? I use the J1sys P12S, it will handle 12 strings no problem. The cost is around $225 if I remember correctly. That would help keep the cost per tree down if the requirement for more then 6 is there. Cheers, Lee

He will combine orders. You need to get a list of everything you want and send him an email. He should get back to you with in a day or two. The 5 vdc strips/strings are usually smart single controlled pixels. The 12 vdc are either dumb like the link I posted or smart with 3 leds to a pixel. I don't know if that is a hard fast rule but it is what I have observed. The waterproof rating is IP68 is the highest then IP67, IP65, down to IP33 no waterproofing. Make sure you ask the IP rating for each item you buy. The web page can say IP68 in the title then down in the description it may say IP67, so always ask.

Duane, I think for your project you may want to look at these. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/DC12V-input-RGB-12mm-through-hole-LED-node-100pcs-a-string-in-all-black-color-wires/701799_677300261.html from Ray Wu. You can save money on shipping if you get in on a group buy or you order a large amount of products. You will also need power so one of these would work. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/350W-Dual-Output-Switching-Power-Supply-88-264VAC-input-12V-350W-output-CE-and-ROHS-approved/701799_289599951.html To control them you could go with the LOR 24 channel controller it will control 8 separate elements and connect to your LOR network. http://store.lightorama.com/cmdedcca3.html That should get you started.

Well said Bill, when I added my RGB elements it opened up a whole new way to show the feeling or mood of the music.

Let them know right up front what is ok and what is not ok. Then they can make the decision to interview you or not. Just remember to stick to what you feel comfortable with. It sounds like it could be fun and get you some publicity for your local autism program. You should also through in you want a free copy of the video they did on your lights already. I can believe the wouldn't give you a copy.

The name seems to check out. I found this link on line. http://www.wics.com/shared/news/features/illinois-central/stories/vid_8.shtml

Not sure what strips LOR uses. most 12 vdc strips with 30 LEDs per meter use about 36 watts per 5 meter strip or 7.2 watts per meter. 8 strips would require 288 watts that is the max I would use for a 350 watts PS. the floods are 10 watts each so that is another 50 watts. I would use two PS if it was me.

I would also like to see a photo if you have one.

I agree this is a weird post! Like Faiclb said depends on the song. I have Linus and Lucy in my show. the 10 candy canes I have are sequenced to the piano during some of the song. Is this mimicking, sure is. I guess maybe I am a Mouseketeer! I get a lot of compliments on my show.

New Years eve is the final show, that is when I officially start on next Christmas. I now have my controllers out of operation and can use them to create new sequences and elements. I have a better chance of getting more lights and display items if I stretch it out over a long period of time. Then she doesn't think I spend as much.

I agree with Cameron, First off I would not think that a family of that size with limited money would be making a donation. Also I would think that the type of people that visit my display are good people that have the Christmas spirit. If they were to find that kind of money they would have knocked on your door. If I had this happen I would get the ladies Drivers license and phone numbers then check with the local police to see if she has had any problems in the past. I know it sounds cruel but you have to protect your self. If she is on the up and up she will not have a problem if you are trying to help her.

Here is a cut from the Bird dog catalog. Now the repairable rope light I have is the 120v two wire.