How To Question: Pixel Arches

Legacy technology notice (updated September 2026): This post covers the TinyPix, an RS-485 DMX pixel controller we no longer sell, along with LOR S3 and serial DMX dongles. That is now considered ancient technology. All modern lighting control, including every pixel controller we sell, runs over Ethernet using E1.31.

If you are building or expanding a display today, start with our guide, Where Do I Start When Designing a New RGB Pixel Project. About 80% of our residential customers sequence with xLights, which is free and works with all of our controllers. We have left the original post below for anyone still running legacy hardware.

Today's question comes from Phill who asks:

After reading, and watching several videos on your site, I would like to test an RGB Pixel setup (100 lights per string, using your tinypix controllers). I am using LOR S3 Advanced software, and would like you to verify what I will need (to make sure I don't miss anything).

Currently, I am just using the inexpensive Light-o-Rama USB485 dongle, at 500K (network speed), and it works great - will that work, or do I need to use one of your dongles, and if so which one - Ultimately, I will be using this for 12 arches (50 pixels each).

I know I need a 100 light pixel string, 1-tinypix, programming cable, and power supply - for the testing of the single string, I will just use one I have on hand). other then the possible dongle, is there anything else I will need???

 

So let's break down this issue - Phill would like to make pixel arches and he has indicated that he needs 12 of them at 50 pixels each.  My first question would be - what type of RGB pixel is being used here?  My guess is pixel strip given that the number is 50 pixels and pixel strip commonly comes in 16' lengths that contain 50 pixels (150 DMX channels), so we'll go with that given that pixel strip is a reasonable choice for pixel arches.

 

The next question I'd have is - what type of interface is going to be used here to get the sequencing data to the pixel controller?  50 pixels * 3 DMX channels (Red, Green, Blue) * 12  = 1,800 DMX channels - so that's a fair number of pixels and is comprised of 3 DMX universes (actually 4 because you would likely put 3 arches of 150 pixels each, within a single DMX universe of 512 channels.)  So, I think an RS-485 interface is out of the question here - the customer is going to need to go E1.31 for output of that much data.

 

So, to answer Phills question about LOR - yes, you'd need at a minimum LOR S3 advanced to get enough output and E1.31 support.  Phill would run the LOR network separately of the DMX network, so Phill's LOR settings really don't matter here since they don't impact the DMX E1.31 network.

 

Phill mentions needing a "100 light pixel string" which isn't correct based on my assessment that he has chosen RGB pixel strip, so maybe he is referring to 8mm pixel nodes?  If that is the case, usually 8mm pixel nodes would be a bad choice for this design - they don't mount well, you have to get them pointed in the right direction and they have less light output than the 5050 RGB chips in RGB strip - so we are going to just forget the 100 light pixel string reference and again assume he needs RGB pixel strip.

 

Phill also mentions needing a TinyPix -  I can't say if that is the case because I know nothing about the distances involved.  A centralized controller is great, something like the SanDevices E68x or the J1Sys controllers but they do have limits on distances you can place elements from the controller - yea, you can use null/ghost pixels to span longer distances but I'm not sure if we are talking 2 acres or a 5,000 sq/ft yard.  In the 2 acre, now a distributed pixel controller like the TinyPix really makes sense, if you have them all very close to each other, a centralized controller makes sense.  Now please note that the TinyPix is RS-485 based and thus would require "dongles" for output of each DMX universe as where the centralized controllers would require an Ethernet feed from the show computer.

 

So, to completely answer a question such as those posed by Phill, we need to know other relevant data such as:

• The physical design and layout of the display elements (arches)
• Any additional pixels/DMX channels used in the display
• The method the user will choose to sequence the display (software)
• The budget range for this project
• The skill level of the customer (plug-n-play or DIY)

 

Locating and Repairing Bad Pixels

If you have pixels - be they nodes, modules or strip - at some point you are going to have a failure.  That failure could be when you purchase them or over a period of time due to physical damage or other causes.  So, you'll need to have the ability to locate and then replace the bad pixel.  This video shows how to perform this process on nodes (8mm / 12mm) but it also is the exact same process if you have any other type of pixel. 

As mentioned in the video, if you do pixels, you'll need to solder and it's not nearly as complex as you might expect.  Check YouTube for videos on how to solder.

A Demonstration of the Effects of Power Draw on Long Lengths of RGB Lights

Todays blog post is about the effects that power draw has on RGB lights.  We've taked about it before in our blog post about how wiring affects power distribution and in our demonstration example house where we lined it with pixels and handled the issue of power consumption.

This video is pretty simple - it shows 160 pixels (480 DMX channels) connected to a single power supply and our HolidayCoro pixel controller.  It is intended to show the effects that the gauge of the power wire and the power consumption of the pixels themselves have on the actual light output.


(open in YouTube with High Def for better viewing)

Post any questions below.

Thanks,
David
HolidayCoro.com

I want to control an high power LED - How do I do that?

There are a number of different high output LEDs on the market - they commonly run 1 watt, 10 watts, 30 watts and more.  We will often get the question - can I use your controller to run this LED?  Well, yes and no. 

Think of an LED as an engine in a car.  A modern car has a throttle and a rev limiter (usually controlled by the cars computer.)  So, if you press the gas pedal all the way down (more so for a manual shift car as opposed to an automatic), the car will speed up (if in gear) up to the point where the rev limiter kicks in and it prevents you from running the speed of the engine faster than the engine can handle (and thus destructing itself.)  So, in this example, think of the "bare" LED as an engine - it will take all the current (power) you can give it as long as the power supply can supply it - and it will do so right up until it burns out, which could be seconds, minutes or longer (thermal and voltage issues determine this rate.)  So, just like with a car and its gas pedal and rev limiter, your LED needs the equivalent of the rev limiter and that is called a Constant Current Driver.

In a car we have gasoline that provides the power that keeps the engine going but in an LED it is electricity that provides the power for the LED to operate.  In the same way that a throttle (or some function of the cars rev limiter system) modulates the amount of gasoline that reaches the engine, a Constant Current Driver circuit limits the amount of current that can reach the LED. 

There are two general methods you can use to modulate the current in an LED - a Constant Current Driver circuit or just simple current dropping resistors.  A CC driver circuit is ideal but requires more complex parts, usually an IC plus some other minor components.  A current dropping resistor circuit is either one or several, simple resistors that limit the amount of current that can reach the LED, thus "limiting" it's current.  Each method has it's pros and cons.  The CC driver is ideal because no matter the input voltage (up to a point), the CC driver will still maintain the exact same amount of light output as where a resistor dropping circuit will fluctuate the current level based on the input voltage.  This means that you can have LEDs (using dropping resistors) at the start of a long string be brighter than those at the end of the string as opposed to a CC driver which would produce the same light output along the entire string (generally speaking.)  So, you think - heck, why don't all LEDs have CC drivers?  It's an issue of cost - if you have individual nodes or modules, each one will require a method to control the current and it is generally much cheaper to use resistors than a more complex CC driver.

So, what if you want to make your own constant current supply for your LED?  We'll first you'll need to know the specs that are included with your LED, this will include the voltage of the power supply, the forward voltage of the LED and the forward current of the LED.  If you are using RGB, each color will often have different values.  Next you need to determine if you want to build a resistor dropping solution (cheaper, easier but less tolerant to voltage changes) or a true constant current solution (more expensive, more complex but safer and more consistent light output).

For how to build a dropping resistor solution, see this website - it provides the exact wiring for the resistors and LEDs and the size and values of the resistors.  For how to build a constant current driver, see this website.  While this site refers to an arduino for control over the circuit, you can use the standard, dumb RGB DMX controllers HolidayCoro sells for driving the CC circuit.

This is just but a small part of the overall issues involved with this subject but hopefully it is helpful in explaining some of the basic concepts.

For additional in-depth information on how LEDs are driven, you can see this website or many other websites on the Internet.

The Nearly Famous RGB Video Series - Everything You Wanted To Know About Pixels But Couldn't Find The Answer

When I started researching RGB and pixel solutions in early 2010, there was just about no information on the internet as to what all the teminolgy, protocols, wiring, controllers and other items were.  After extensive research and work with others, I decided to document all the information I knew at the time in the form of a video series.  The focus behind the videos was to simply show each type of lighting, controller, wiring, etc in a non-vendor specific manner so that someone just getting started out could get up to speed on the terminolgy and functions.  This information, while produced in late 2010, early 2011 is older now, every bit of it is still completely relevant.  Since this information is squirrled away on our website, I though I would repost it here for those new to RGB and pixels.

The videos below cover the general topics of RGB as they relate to Holiday Lighting.

Video #1 What is RGB? What are the different type of RGB lighting devices? What is Basic RGB and RGB Pixels? How to Pixels get their addresses? How do you assign channels to pixels? What are controller macros?
Video #2 How do I fix dead pixels? What is the difference between three and four wire pixels?  Does it matter? How do I know which end of my pixels to hook to the controller?  Does it matter? How do I power my pixels? Why are there different voltages for pixels? What is the difference between centralized and de-centralized power distribution of pixels? How many pixels can be on a single controller output? What is color depth in pixels?  Why does it matter?
Video #3 What are the different type of pixel chips? What quality issues should I be aware of when purchasing pixels? What are the drawbacks of RGB over just regular Christmas lights? What advantage do Basic RGB and RGB Pixels give me?
Video #4 What are the different types of Basic RGB controllers? Why would I want to use basic RGB controllers and LEDs instead of pixel based controllers and LEDs? What are the different types of RGB Pixel controllers?

Outlining Your House in RGB Lights - Detailed Design Guide (Updated for 2026)

Updated September 2026. We rewrote this guide around the pixels, mounting and controllers we recommend today. The original 2013 version was built around pixel strip and hardware that has since been replaced.

When you're planning a Christmas display, it's easy to focus on everything going in the yard. But the biggest prop is already there: your house. Outline it, and the house becomes part of the sequence, framing everything you've built in front of it.

Vineyards Lights, Meridian, ID. The rooflines, peaks and garage all become part of the show.

If you want the big picture first (why a mounting system matters and how to pick between seasonal and permanent), start with our house outline primer. This post is the step-by-step design: how to measure, how many pixels you need, how to power them and where the controller goes.

Would you rather have us do the math? Fill out our project design form and we'll send you instructions for sending us one photo of your house and your measurements. We'll put together a recommendation and a complete quote with the controller, mounting, hardware and accessories for your project.

Step 1: Start with a photo

Go outside and take a photo of your house from where your audience will see it, usually the street. You'll sketch your design on this photo and use it to record measurements, where cables will run and where the controller and power supplies will go.

We'll use Nathanial R.'s house as our example throughout. It has 19 separate rooflines, so it's a good example of how a house with complex roof lines can be handled.

Step 2: Measure every run

Get out the ladder and tape measure and record the exact length of every section you want to outline. Write each one on the photo.

Accuracy matters. Every foot you miss is another 4 pixels at 3 inch spacing, which changes your pixel count, your power budget and possibly how many controller outputs you need.

Step 3: Choose seasonal or permanent mounting

Across a whole house, mounting pixels one at a time means a lot of clips, a lot of alignment and a lot of visible black wire. A mounting system lets you build the outline in sections that hold their spacing and aim, snap into a few clips and come down as a unit for repairs.

Want it to come down after Christmas? Use Pixel Pipe. Each aluminum pipe is 7.3 feet long with 88 holes on 1 inch centers, sized for standard 12mm bullet pixel nodes. It's available in black, white or mill-finish grey, mounts with clear, UV-resistant clips that can stay on the house year-round, and rotates in its clips so you can aim the pixels toward your viewing area. Couplers, corners and tees let you follow the roofline.

Want it to stay up? Use PixaTrack. Each track is 6.66 feet long with 80 holes on 1 inch centers and takes 12mm bullet or square-neck nodes. It fully encloses the wiring to protect it from UV and animals, comes in off-white or brown to blend with the house, and is available with front-facing or side/down-facing holes.

Both come as samples, so you can hold one up against your house before you decide.

Step 4: Pick your spacing and count your pixels

Because both systems are drilled on 1 inch centers, you can space pixels at 1, 2, 3 inches or more by skipping holes. Two things set how far apart you can go:

• The wire length between nodes on the pixel string. Our 100-count 12mm node strings reach up to about 3.4 inches between nodes. For wider spacing, our 6 inch strings reach up to about 6.8 inches.
• The look you want. Closer spacing reads as a solid line and gives you more resolution for effects. Wider spacing costs less and gives a more classic bulb-by-bulb look.

The math is simple:

Pixels = run length in inches ÷ spacing in inches
DMX channels = pixels × 3

For Nathanial's house we grouped the 19 measured sections into four continuous runs and used 3 inch spacing:

Run	Length	Pixels (3" spacing)	DMX channels	Watts at full white
Garage front	26 ft	104	312	57
Garage, over the doors	34 ft	136	408	75
Front of house, upper	53 ft	212	636	117
Front of house, lower	31 ft	124	372	68
Total	144 ft	576	1,728	317

At 170 pixels per DMX universe, 576 pixels needs 4 universes. Any current E1.31 pixel controller handles that over a single network cable.

Step 5: Plan your power

Our 12v, 12mm nodes draw about 0.55 watts each at full white (45 milliamps). That's where the watts column above comes from: 576 pixels × 0.55 W = about 317 watts, or roughly 26 amps at 12 volts. Size your power supplies with headroom above that number, since draw varies with temperature, wiring and supply voltage.

The second question is how far the power can travel. As power runs down a string, voltage drops through the LEDs and the wire itself. Our 100-count node strings are designed to run the full 100 nodes with power fed at the start. Past that, plan to inject power. Three of the four runs above are over 100 pixels, so each would get power injection partway along, or be split into two shorter runs fed from separate outputs.

To inject, run heavier-gauge wire (14 AWG is a good start) from the power supply to the injection point and connect it to the power and ground of the string there. The data passes straight through, since each pixel regenerates it. See our guide to wire selection for sizing the injection wire.

Test before it goes on the house. Build a section, set it to full white for 15 to 30 minutes and measure the voltage at the controller output and at the last pixel with a multimeter. A drop of 10 to 20% is usually fine. Much more than that and you'll see dimming or color shift at the end of the run, or random flicker if the voltage falls below what the pixel chips need. Finding that on the ground is a lot easier than finding it on the roof.

Step 6: Place the controller

Look at your photo for where runs start and end. Places where two runs meet, like a garage corner or the peak over a front door, are natural spots to feed two outputs from one location. Current pixel controllers and sequencing software let you reverse a run's direction, so a run can start at either end.

The data signal from a pixel controller output only travels a limited distance to the first pixel, so you have two basic layouts:

• One central controller. An AlphaPix Classic with 4 or 16 outputs, placed somewhere central and close to the runs. It keeps everything in one enclosure, and spare outputs can drive other props in the yard.
• A controller plus long-range receivers. With a Flex system, the controller can sit in the garage and small long-range receivers go near the roofline where the runs start. This is the better fit for large houses, runs that start far apart, or when you want the main controller out of sight.

For Nathanial's four runs and about 317 watts, a single 4-output controller placed near the garage corner would handle the whole outline. Adding props later, or splitting the long runs, is where a 16-output controller or a Flex system with receivers starts to make sense. Our Controller Selection Wizard walks you through the options.

Step 7: Build and test on the ground

One of the biggest advantages of Pixel Pipe and PixaTrack is that you can build each section on the ground, plug it in and test it before it goes up. With connectors between sections, a problem later means unplugging one section, fixing it in the garage and putting it back without disturbing your spacing. With a seasonal install, the sections come down as a unit and go back up next year exactly as they were.

Watch the full process

Our house outline video walks through planning and building an outline with Pixel Pipe and PixaTrack from start to finish:

Let us put it together for you

You don't have to work out every part of the system yourself. Fill out our project design form and we'll send you instructions for sending one photo of your house and your measurements. We'll look at what you're planning and put together a recommendation and a complete quote with the controller, mounting, hardware and accessories you'll need.

Want to see the mounting in person first? Pixel Pipe and PixaTrack samples let you compare colors against your house before choosing a system.

HolidayCoro.com

Which is better for my RGB lighting project - Dumb or Smart RGB Lights? (Updated for 2026)

Updated September 2026.

The short answer today: go with pixels.

When we made the video below, dumb RGB and smart pixels were both reasonable choices depending on the project. That's no longer the case. The cost of pixels has come down so much, and pixels can do so much more than dumb RGB, that dumb RGB is now rarely used in holiday displays. If you are not using dumb RGB now, stick with pixel products.

What's the difference?

Dumb RGB (also called basic RGB) lights can change color, but every light connected to the same controller output changes together. A whole string or strip is always one color at a time.

Smart RGB, or pixels, are individually controlled. Every pixel, or small group of lights, can be a different color at the same moment. That's what makes chases, waves, text, pictures and all the effects you see in modern displays possible.

Why pixels won

• Price. The price gap that once made dumb RGB attractive has all but disappeared, especially once you count the controllers and wiring needed to get the same result.
• Capability. A pixel can do everything a dumb light can, and a dumb light can't do most of what a pixel can. You can always make a string of pixels act like one color; you can never make a dumb string act like pixels.
• Simpler wiring. One pixel controller can drive thousands of pixels over a single network cable. Getting even a fraction of that control with dumb RGB means many more controllers and a lot more wire.
• Software and sequences. Today's sequencing software, like xLights, and nearly all available sequences are built around pixels.
• Room to grow. Everything you buy today works with the next pixel element you add.

Where dumb RGB still fits

There are still a few spots where dumb RGB makes sense, like simple flood lighting that only ever needs to be one color at a time, or expanding a dumb RGB setup you already own. For anything new, choose pixels.

The original video

The video below still does a good job explaining how the two types work, even though the recommendation has changed since it was made.

Ready to start?

See our pixel lights and pixel controllers, read where to start with a new pixel project, or fill out our project design form for a recommendation and quote.

HolidayCoro.com