EDIT: Looks like you may still be able to buy these for $49 from Lowes Hardware at local stores--but not online. Get 'em while you can if they're worthwhile. And don't trust reported local stock availability--call first before you drive. One local store reporting an availbility of 1 unit this morning, I know they have zero since I bought the last two. Unless they got a return. I've found more than once that, generally speaking, online inventory numbers for inventory in local stores, from a variety of Big Box Retailers--Best Buy, Hardware Stores, etc--often aren't accurate. Moral here is *do not* drive very far without calling in advance and having someone In Store visually confirm availability for any product of interest.
Lowes Hardware product link:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_585445-84523-W10I0001_0__?productId=50264225
*Not* my video:
Official manufacturer's product link:
http://www.ishowtree.com/showbox/
I saw the following 6 grounded outlet (6 channel) light controlled at Lowes Hardware; evidently it operated via WiFi from a specific app you download (IOS or Android). I'd noticed it earlier in the season but paid little attention to it till someone at work who's seen my displays told me I should check it out. Especially for tuning the snow machine(s) on/off. While he had no technical knowledge of the unit, I found two of them at a Lowes a few days ago--original price $100, knocked down to $50 each. On speculation, I purchased them both. An employee there was surprised there were any left, since a lot of people, employees included, evidently waited until after Christmas for them to go down in price.
Now, we Halloween Haunters Think Differently. And somehow, I suspect this may not be the el Cheapo 6 channel grounded Light-o-Rama unit of my dreams. The app may not allow individual on/off power control to the sockets, e.g. possibly no way to design one's one detailed light show.
So...
1) Anyone have one or considered grabbing one?
2) If so, what are its limitations?
3) Have you found a work around to those limitations?
Wish it was IR controlled. Then it would be relatively easy, I suspect, to decode the controlling signals.
But this unit operates on WiFi. Suspect it has a wireless router built in, where the Smart Phone is the connecting client.
And so could be much more difficult to accomplish a Showbox hack / Showbox mod, where you gain full control of the unit.
The Gemmy Light and Sound Show 6 channel pre-canned unit got me started decorating for The Other Holiday. So I was hopeful someone out there has already figured out how to mod their Showbox unit.
Again, if it was IR controlled, I bet it wouldn't be to hard to get an IR transmitter module for a Raspberry Pi or Arduino to hack or mod the Showbox for both Halloween light shows and Christmas light shows.
Which, as I'm typing this, leads me to this (to me anyway) intriguing challenge--how about finding 6 of those 80 ft line of site grounded outlet remote control sockets / power strips; looking for units having 6 separate IR "channels". Then using a Raspbery Pi or Arduino with 6 IR transmitters to run the show? Does this seem more feasible than modding a Lowes Showbox unit for anyone familiar with the device?
I'm a "Buy On Spec and Keep All My Receipts" kinda guy. Better to be disappointed by lack of expected functionality, and getting my money back locally, than to miss out on a super deal on a unit that might be "persuaded" to do my holiday decoration bidding.
Happy New Year everyone! I have tons of small cool purchases that I've not gotten round to taking photos of. I was in Orlando all week, checking out artificial snow machine set-ups in the area, e.g. Celebration, FL community, the Dolphin hotel behind Epcot, etc. Got some interesting ideas suitable for a separate thread.
Lowes Hardware product link:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_585445-84523-W10I0001_0__?productId=50264225
*Not* my video:
Official manufacturer's product link:
http://www.ishowtree.com/showbox/
I saw the following 6 grounded outlet (6 channel) light controlled at Lowes Hardware; evidently it operated via WiFi from a specific app you download (IOS or Android). I'd noticed it earlier in the season but paid little attention to it till someone at work who's seen my displays told me I should check it out. Especially for tuning the snow machine(s) on/off. While he had no technical knowledge of the unit, I found two of them at a Lowes a few days ago--original price $100, knocked down to $50 each. On speculation, I purchased them both. An employee there was surprised there were any left, since a lot of people, employees included, evidently waited until after Christmas for them to go down in price.
Now, we Halloween Haunters Think Differently. And somehow, I suspect this may not be the el Cheapo 6 channel grounded Light-o-Rama unit of my dreams. The app may not allow individual on/off power control to the sockets, e.g. possibly no way to design one's one detailed light show.
So...
1) Anyone have one or considered grabbing one?
2) If so, what are its limitations?
3) Have you found a work around to those limitations?
Wish it was IR controlled. Then it would be relatively easy, I suspect, to decode the controlling signals.
But this unit operates on WiFi. Suspect it has a wireless router built in, where the Smart Phone is the connecting client.
And so could be much more difficult to accomplish a Showbox hack / Showbox mod, where you gain full control of the unit.
The Gemmy Light and Sound Show 6 channel pre-canned unit got me started decorating for The Other Holiday. So I was hopeful someone out there has already figured out how to mod their Showbox unit.
Again, if it was IR controlled, I bet it wouldn't be to hard to get an IR transmitter module for a Raspberry Pi or Arduino to hack or mod the Showbox for both Halloween light shows and Christmas light shows.
Which, as I'm typing this, leads me to this (to me anyway) intriguing challenge--how about finding 6 of those 80 ft line of site grounded outlet remote control sockets / power strips; looking for units having 6 separate IR "channels". Then using a Raspbery Pi or Arduino with 6 IR transmitters to run the show? Does this seem more feasible than modding a Lowes Showbox unit for anyone familiar with the device?
I'm a "Buy On Spec and Keep All My Receipts" kinda guy. Better to be disappointed by lack of expected functionality, and getting my money back locally, than to miss out on a super deal on a unit that might be "persuaded" to do my holiday decoration bidding.
Happy New Year everyone! I have tons of small cool purchases that I've not gotten round to taking photos of. I was in Orlando all week, checking out artificial snow machine set-ups in the area, e.g. Celebration, FL community, the Dolphin hotel behind Epcot, etc. Got some interesting ideas suitable for a separate thread.