How to Adapt Purchased Sequences to work with E1.31 Pixel Controllers (AlphaPix)

Holiday Lighting Decorators will often wish to purchase pre-sequenced songs for use with their hardware to save time, improve the quality over sequencing themselves or to increase the number of songs in their show and purchasing pre-sequenced songs are a perfect way to do that.  The primary issue when purchasing a pre-made sequence from a third-party vendor is that it often will not be addressed or setup to work with your specific hardware.  Don't worry - nearly all sequences can be adapted or the hardware can be adapted to work with purchased sequences.  You have two options when working with a pre-purchased sequence:

• Adjust/Modify the Sequence - This option works well when you have a pre-designed numbering or addressing system you've devised for your given show and you want all sequences to follow this order.  Often this can mean adjusting hundreds of channels but has the advantage that all the sequences will match your exact preferences.
• Adjust/Modify the Controller - This option works well when your sequence (or sequences) is already setup to work with a given output/channel/universe combination.  Typically, just by adjusting your controller output settings, the sequences require little or no modification.
• Adjust/Modify both the Sequence and Controller - If you've purchased sequences from a number of vendors, it is common that they will each have their own setup or channel layout and you may need to standardized on a single output arrangement or adjust all the sequences to match your hardware channel setup.

The following video shows how to adjust sequences in Light-o-Rama S3 Advanced software by either modification of the controller settings or modification of the sequence:

We hope this helps to better understand the relationship between controller addressing and software addressing.

Thanks,

David

HolidayCoro.com

How to Solder Waterproof Wiring to Pixel Strings (Video)

Worried about how to solder your waterproof extension cables to your pixel strings?  Worry no more, the following video shows how simple it is to solder on wiring to your pixels:

The following products were used in this video:

10ft, 3 core extension cable
12v, WS2811 Pixel String
1/8" Heat Shrink Tubing
3/8" Heat Shrink Tubing

New Customer Projects

We have customers that do some amazing projects with our products - sometimes they are Holiday related and sometimes they go a completely different way.  Here are a few projects our customers have sent in to us this year:

Steven G's Christmas Boat Parade:

Darin D's Pixel Party:

Chris H's Custom Produced Salvation Army Signs:

Valentino D's Dance Party with Singing Monsters:

Soldering Extension Wire onto Strip Light

We have customers that are sometimes concerned about working with strip lighting we sell and how they can extend it and/or attach connectors to it.  The video below shows how simple and quick it can be to solder on extension wiring onto strip lighting:

You can find our extension wire here:

4 Conductor, 18 AWG
3 Conductor, 18 AWG

Is a RGB Pixel Package A Good Choice for My RGB Project?

A very common question we get is - does HolidayCoro have a package or kit of RGB pixel items that can be used for RGB projects.  This blog post hopes to be able to provide you with sound advice about when a "package" or kit is a good choice and when it isn't a good choice for you and your project.  This article is a follow-up to our "Cheap Isn't Free When It Comes To RGB" blog post which talks about the pros and cons of DIY vs vendor developed solutions from a time and cost perspective.  First, let's start off with defining the project you plan to build - while there are many different types of projects that involve RGB and/or pixels - in this article we will use the two most popular uses of pixels today and the ones for which we receive the most questions about:

• Outline a House (soffit, fascia, roof line, windows, etc) with pixels (covered in this blog post)
• Building a pixel MegaTree

Outlining A House with Pixels

Each time we work with a customer on a house outline there are many common items/questions for all installations - length (linear feet) of area to cover, density of control (pixels per meter or inch), budget, controllers and the overall look the customer wants to achieve.  Let's start with these and look at the different options:

• Length of area to cover - There is never a single length for any house type because each house has different lengths and each customer wishes to outline different areas (windows or no windows, roof line or no roof line).  As such, any "package" deal would need to have the specific amount of lighting for that specific installation.  Additionally, other factors such as long run lengths that might need 12v lights instead of 5v lights can also factor into the decision based on the design of the house.
• Density of control - Some displays are viewed from hundreds of feet away, others are viewed from tens of feet - as such, the value of specific pixel density (30 LED/m vs., say 48 LED/m or 60 LED/m) changes from display to display.  Additionally, with different density comes different sequencing and bandwidth requirements, which, depending on the display, can be an important factor.
• Budget - Each person's budget is different and that factors into how they design their display.  Some customers will want nice moulded waterproof connections on lights, others are satisfied by basic, non-waterproof connections.
• Controllers - The number and type of controllers will vary depending on the physical layout of the house.  Sometimes it can be be cheaper and easier to install more controllers than less due to the amount of additional wiring that would be required to support just one controller.

As you can see, even with just this small subset of factors that go into the proper design of a house outline - there will never be the same "package" for each house because there are just too many variables involved.

For house outlines, you'll either need to use a guide like our, how-to blog post on the subject to design your own or use a design service offered by some vendors that look at your specific needs and then can recommend the exact right combination of hardware for your house.  Currently no other vendor other than HolidayCoro offers custom house outline services.  As HolidayCoro attempts to strike a balance as we are a low-margin hardware vendor we offer design services as an additional for fee service which can be found here:  http://www.holidaycoro.com/product-p/design1.htm

For a representation of the hardware in a common house outline, see:  http://www.holidaycoro.com/RGB-House-Outline-Packages-s/1967.htm 

Pixel MegaTree

A pixel MegaTree is a very common project for many displays.  A pixel MegaTree is pretty much just a large matrix of pixels, wrapped around a cone and is used to display effects.  There are a number of inputs into a MegaTree and they are:

• Height and Width of the MegaTree - Typically a "package" MegaTree will be set for a specific height because the diameter of the tree along with the spacing of the pixels in the package determine the final overall height.  If the size of the tree and the mounting method used to build that tree work well for you, a package may be a good choice.  If you have specific spacing requirements, such as the high density needed to display readable, scrolling text, the pixels included with a package may not be the best choice.  Additionally, if you have specific needs such as a smaller tree due to a small yard or close proximity to your audience, or, if your display is huge and you need something more in "scale" with your other display items, a packaged design likely isn't a good choice.
• Pixel Type - The type of pixel used on a MegaTree greatly affects the overall look and functionality of the MegaTree.  Choices can include nodes, strip or even bulbs.  Each physical type of pixel has a pro and con.
• Controller / Power - Since MegaTrees are typically full (360 degree) or half (180 degree) cones, it makes sense to have the power and controller centrally located in the trunk and thus most packages include a controller, power supply(s) and mounting box.

So, while a MegaTree does allow for some level of "standardization" to allow for it to be put into a package, make sure that package meets your pixel type and density requirements - if your specific needs, such as height, spacing or node type differ, you'll likely be better off with a custom solution instead of a package.

HolidayCoro offers common pixel tree formats of 50 pixels x 12 or 50 pixels by 16 in strips and nodes:  http://www.holidaycoro.com/RGB-Pixel-Mega-Tree-Packages-s/1964.htm

If your needs are more specific, HolidayCoro can also design a MegaTree based on your specific project requirements through our consulting service: http://www.holidaycoro.com/product-p/design2.htm

Portable Storage Cases Review (video)

For readers of this blog, you likely find that building your display requires storage of lots of little parts - items like zip ties, SPT plugs, fuses, replacement bulbs, solder, small tools and more.  Keeping all those items separated but together in an easy to use and portable form is important when you go to build your display. Or maybe you just need to organize the garage and get a handle on all those little nuts and bolts so you can finally find them quickly.  The following video review covers seven different cases by four different vendors and aims to narrow down which of these cases are the best value for the job at hand.

Here are links to the products listed in the video:

• Sortimo T-Boxx (corporate site)
• Stack-On DCOG-10
• Stack-On DO-17
• Stanley 014725
• Stanley 014026R
• Harbor Freight Item #93928
• Harbor Freight Item #93927

Customer Question: Should I use a centralized or de-centralized controller for an element?

HolidayCoro sales/support often sees common, open-ended questions from our customers and here on our blog we post detailed responses publicly so that other people will be able to learn from the decision making process we use to answer these questions.

Today's question is:  "I am making 16 pyramids and would like to light them up using 3 or 4 Basic Rectangle RGB LED Waterproof Module per pyramid.  The pyramids will be in the front yard each about a yard apart.  My Question - should I buy 16x Item #30 Basic 3 Channel RGB DMX Controller or should I buy 2x Item #24 Basic RGB 27 Channel DMX Controller.  Is there any advantage to either in this situation?"

For this given project it has already been determined that basic or dumb RGB lights should be used as opposed to pixels and this is often the case when an element doesn't need the control that pixels offer or when there are larger distances between elements.  So the question becomes - should the basic RGB DMX controller be centralized in the form of a 27 channel (9 RGB outputs) DMX controller or individual 3 channel (1 RGB output) DMX controller in each element?  The issue comes down mainly to two factors - cost and complexity:

• Cost - The number of RGB lights won't change between the two methods, so we'll exclude that from the calculations, though what does mainly matter are wiring, power supplies, controllers.  Also, we need to determine he power consumption of the RGB Modules, which in this case consume about 100ma (1/10th of an amp) at 12v DC - or 16 elements x 4 modules is 6.4 amps total.  So, we'll take the number of individual elements here - 16 and do some comparison math with the two options: 
• Centralized - This method allows us to have one (or two in this case) centralized controllers - the costs involved are:
• $114 ($57 x 2) - 27 Channel DMX controllers
• $26 ($13 x 2) - 45w (3.75amps at 12v) power supply.  This solution would power each 27 channel controller with a single power supply.  It's a little tight on the power at 3.2 amps total per controller (32 modules per controller) but it should work.
• $20 ($10 x 2) - Waterproof housing.  The 27 channel controller isn't waterproof, so you'll need a waterproof/resistant housing and this varies by region, water/snow conditions and budget.
• $20 (100ft @ $.10 per foot x 2) - CAT5 wiring.  You'll need to get the output of the controller out to the individual elements and CAT5 would be a good solution here as the current consumption of the lights is below the current carying ability of CAT5 at a bout 3 to 4 amps and it has 8 wires, so you could double up each wire for the 4 wires required for RGB lights.
• ~$180 - Total
• De-Centralized - This method allows us to have an individual, 3 channel DMX controllers in each element - the costs involved are:
• $144 ($9 x 16) - 3 Channel, CAT5 based controllers
• $26 ($13 x 2) - 45w (3.75amps at 12v) power supply.
• $8 (80ft @ $.10 per foot) - CAT5 wiring.  Using the DMX+Power over CAT5 system, it is possible to inject power at the start of the string and again at the 8th element.
• $23 ($1.50 x 16) - 3 Way Splitters for the DMX signal+power.
• ~$201 - Total

Of course there are other minor costs - shrink wrap, solder, tools, shipping, etc and we've not included those in the calculations above.  So, on the surface, they look pretty much about the same from a cost basis, so let's take a closer look and consider all the other factors:

• Complexity
• Interconnections - Left out from above on both are how you'll interconnect the wiring from the element to the controllers.  
• Centralized - With the centralized solution, you could solder the CAT5 wire directly to the lights in the element and then have elements with 20, 15, 10 and 5 ft lengths of cable coming off them and then you'd fish that wire into the controller case and screw it down to the terminals on the controller.  The problems with this solution are that it makes future adjustments in length complicated since you've already set the length of the cable from the element to the controller when you built the element.  Additionally, you'll have to deal with elements that have attached wire and then manually wire up each element to the controller, adding to your display setup time.  An additional down side to this method is that you also have more wire spread out over your display which can present safety/tripping hazards.  The upside to this method is that it doesn't really require any additional connectors - just tin the wires where they go into the controller screw terminals.
• De-Centralized - If you've placed the individual CAT5 controllers in each element, that means that you can simply attach a 3 way splitter to each CAT5 plug, then plug in the necessary CAT5 cable between each element (5ft lengths in this case) in a daisy chain arrangement.  Then you just build a power injector for each of the two bands of 8 elements and this allows you to run the power and the DMX signal from one element to the next.  The amount of wire is limited as it only goes from one element to the next.  The down side is that you need to ensure that you control water ingress in to the CAT5 connectors and use a corrosion control spray - usually mounting the controller up-side down under the element would be more than sufficient to manage water ingress.  The real beauty of the Power+DMX over CAT system is that you can assembly your display quickly just by plugging into each element to the element next to it.