DrWizard

So I'm debating buying or building a DMX splitter in order to split my yard into 'zones' and avoid so much wire criss-crossing the yard. I understand the reasoning/advantage behind opto-isolation, but the question is, do I really NEED isolation as it substantially increases the complexity and cost. There are some very cheap RS-485 to TTL converters on fleabay, 5 for $5 (US seller, even cheaper from China) and I was thinking of using 1 as the receiver, and connecting it's TTL data output to the TTL data input of the other 4 (as transmitters), and driving them all from the same 5V power supply that runs my controllers and other stuff. All my controllers are grounded and on the same circuit. Any problem with this?

I think the strips (in the silicon tubes) look better for outlining, and definitely cheaper. Problem is, when you get a bad pixel, they are a real pain to get out of and back into the silicon sleeve. All of my pixel failures appear to have been moisture related, and now I make sure to silicon the heck out of the ends where the wires come out, and I have had no more problems. Don't get the strips that are just epoxy coated. The coating turns yellow and cracks pretty quickly in the sunlight.

I wasn't sold on vamp plugs either, until I finally tried some a few years ago. The electrical engineer in me had a bad gut feeling about them. But now I love them! I can make all my cords the exact length I need them, with multiple outlets exactly where I need them. And far cheaper in the long run. I now have somewhere around 2000' of spt-1 wire, around 60 male and 200 female plugs, and much to my pleasant surprise, I have had absolutely ZERO bad connection problems. Moisture issues have not been any worse than they were with premade cords. The only critique I have with your cord is that perhaps green would have been better aesthetically.