Not yet for me. Commenting to follow along with you. I've watched it of videos of the pixels and ribbon style as of late for future use. I'm gonna start simple with RGB "dumb" lights first. Hope this thread takes of with useful info.
WS 2811 LED's
Has anyone had any experience using the addressable pixel led's yet? I have a new project in mind that uses these.
Thanks, Pete
Thanks, Pete
1 - 20 of 20 Posts
I bought a 150 led strip and a controller with an SD card to experiment with. I also ordered some individual pixel strings to make a matrix out of.
Lots of possibilities here....
Pete
Lots of possibilities here....
Pete
The Christmas guys have got this figured out the best. Check them out at http://diychristmas.org/vb1/forumdisplay.php?5-How-Do-I-Get-Started
I have checked them out. We Haunters need to catch up!
If you want to control these with a microcontroller, start here at Adafruit:
http://www.adafruit.com/category/168
Tons of info, tutorials, different types available (in a strip, in a ring, etc.)
http://www.adafruit.com/category/168
Tons of info, tutorials, different types available (in a strip, in a ring, etc.)
Ive been using pixal for the last 2 years im using controllers from diylightanimation.com
Thanks Guys! I have some pixel strings running off a T-8000 sd controller using Led Edit software. Set them up for Christmas decorations this year.Ive been using pixal for the last 2 years im using controllers from diylightanimation.com
Cool stuff.
Merry Christmas and Happy Horrordays!
Pete
I highly recommend www.holidaycoro.com
great pricing and even better service from David
great pricing and even better service from David
Tons of different options and people have posted some different places / ideas to look ... will share what else I can...
1st - the lights
There a lot of different places to purchase these... David @ holidaycoro.com has them available. Another place that a lot of us order them from is Ray Wu out of China.... you can spend a lot on shipping though so it is best to get in on a group/bulk buy. I am member over at www.lonestarholidays.com/forums/ and I generally put together 1 bulk buy a year....
2nd - Controlling Lights
As for as actually controlling the lights there are tons of options.
diylightanimation.com
http://www.falconchristmas.com/forum/
http://www.sandevices.com/
etc....
3rd - Programming
Another thing in addition to the hardware is the software.... I personally use xlights/nutcraker (free software) .... there is also Vixen .... as well as many others
In the past I have used the equipment from DLA (diylightanimation.com) but the stuff coming out of falcon lately has been great and I will be going forward it in the future.
Some things I have learned from doing this... the strips seem cool but don't bend well something to keep that in mind.... did house roofline all in strips only to have to replace the next year because the peaks of the house caused issues.... this video shows a create way to do the house in the nodes (as well as a matrix)....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Dy0RlEEw
Essentially it is drilling holes in pvc, fitting the nodes in the holes and then hanging the pvc.
Finally something to keep in mind is the lights.... 2811 works fine with the hardware I mentioned above as does the 1804.
Hopefully all this helps and if need more information just ask or check out those pages.
1st - the lights
There a lot of different places to purchase these... David @ holidaycoro.com has them available. Another place that a lot of us order them from is Ray Wu out of China.... you can spend a lot on shipping though so it is best to get in on a group/bulk buy. I am member over at www.lonestarholidays.com/forums/ and I generally put together 1 bulk buy a year....
2nd - Controlling Lights
As for as actually controlling the lights there are tons of options.
diylightanimation.com
http://www.falconchristmas.com/forum/
http://www.sandevices.com/
etc....
3rd - Programming
Another thing in addition to the hardware is the software.... I personally use xlights/nutcraker (free software) .... there is also Vixen .... as well as many others
In the past I have used the equipment from DLA (diylightanimation.com) but the stuff coming out of falcon lately has been great and I will be going forward it in the future.
Some things I have learned from doing this... the strips seem cool but don't bend well something to keep that in mind.... did house roofline all in strips only to have to replace the next year because the peaks of the house caused issues.... this video shows a create way to do the house in the nodes (as well as a matrix)....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL9Dy0RlEEw
Essentially it is drilling holes in pvc, fitting the nodes in the holes and then hanging the pvc.
Finally something to keep in mind is the lights.... 2811 works fine with the hardware I mentioned above as does the 1804.
Hopefully all this helps and if need more information just ask or check out those pages.
@Icepick If you are going to do dumb you can do smart... the only difference is the channels.Not yet for me. Commenting to follow along with you. I've watched it of videos of the pixels and ribbon style as of late for future use. I'm gonna start simple with RGB "dumb" lights first. Hope this thread takes of with useful info.
a string of 150 "dumb" nodes = 3 channels (1 for red, 1 for green, 1 for blue)
a string of 150 "smart" nodes = 450 channels (each light = 3 channels * 150)
It is the difference in having the whole string only able to light up whatever color you tell it (orange, purple, off, etc..) vs having each one being able to light up... with the "smart" string you can create chases, have different colors on the same string etc....
My main concern is cost of the smart systems. From what I have read, everyone says to just go smart from the get go, but my budget only allows for lower costs. Buying after Christmas lights (stuck with led only) for making trees and the bushes bright. I know in the end I'll probably end up with smart pixels/strips (after a few years), but have to start small. Now if there were a place where they lay it out in laymens for the noobs, that would be awesome. I've looked over at light o ramas forums, and some of them are just downright nasty to people wanting to learn. That's why I love this place! Even if the question has been asked many times, you never see "do a search" for a response. Instead they help you find the topic or outright grab a link to it for you.@Icepick If you are going to do dumb you can do smart... the only difference is the channels.
a string of 150 "dumb" nodes = 3 channels (1 for red, 1 for green, 1 for blue)
a string of 150 "smart" nodes = 450 channels (each light = 3 channels * 150)
It is the difference in having the whole string only able to light up whatever color you tell it (orange, purple, off, etc..) vs having each one being able to light up... with the "smart" string you can create chases, have different colors on the same string etc....
I would second the vote for www.holidaycoro.com That is where I got started with my RGB stuff. As of now, I'm only using "dumb" RGB's but am currently in the process of learning everything I can about "smart" pixels.
Holiday Coro isn't just a store, Dave has unbelievable customer service and an even better video/article library to learn this stuff. Other than that, I would agree with looking at the Christmas forums (see below). That is where I have spent most of my time for the last month or so.
As far as software goes, there are several FREE options out there. Vixen, Xlights/Nutcracker, HLS are a few. I unfortunately don't know much about them because I went the NOT FREE route. I chose Light O Rama, which is very plug and play and pretty user friendly but....well let's just say not free. However it will work with almost all of the "aftermarket" and "DIY" options out there via DMX.
Hardware: For pixels there are a few options here as well. LOR has their own (think expensive) proprietary stuff. Very high quality and very plug and play. Holiday Coro has the Pixlite controller which is an Australian product (I think they just came out with another type as well). SanDevices, J1SYS and Falcon Christmas also have a few options. There's a couple things you could look at to get started. Hope this helps.
www.FalconChristmas.com
www.doityourselfchristmas.com
www.auschristmaslighting.com
Holiday Coro isn't just a store, Dave has unbelievable customer service and an even better video/article library to learn this stuff. Other than that, I would agree with looking at the Christmas forums (see below). That is where I have spent most of my time for the last month or so.
As far as software goes, there are several FREE options out there. Vixen, Xlights/Nutcracker, HLS are a few. I unfortunately don't know much about them because I went the NOT FREE route. I chose Light O Rama, which is very plug and play and pretty user friendly but....well let's just say not free. However it will work with almost all of the "aftermarket" and "DIY" options out there via DMX.
Hardware: For pixels there are a few options here as well. LOR has their own (think expensive) proprietary stuff. Very high quality and very plug and play. Holiday Coro has the Pixlite controller which is an Australian product (I think they just came out with another type as well). SanDevices, J1SYS and Falcon Christmas also have a few options. There's a couple things you could look at to get started. Hope this helps.
www.FalconChristmas.com
www.doityourselfchristmas.com
www.auschristmaslighting.com
Thanks for all the replies. I am designing a new prop that uses the smart pixels. I think I want a hardware solution like the T-8000 SD card controller.
This will be more of a stand alone solution and won't need a computer to run:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N9T46XG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Here are the pixels I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LYR6RL4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Still looking for the best deal, because I will need a bunch.
Pete
This will be more of a stand alone solution and won't need a computer to run:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N9T46XG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Here are the pixels I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LYR6RL4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Still looking for the best deal, because I will need a bunch.
Pete
Sites like www.lonestarholidays.com & www.auschristmaslighting.com are great for those that are wanting to ask questions and get help. Most (i can't speak for everyone) will help and won't be like (go search and find it).... Just like this forum is great about that!
At the end of the day it is a passionate hobby for most of us and we love sharing our passion!
At the end of the day it is a passionate hobby for most of us and we love sharing our passion!
Another site that has awesome folks is www.diychristmas.org Where some communities may seem a bit nasty and turn their nose up to beginners, this site embraces them. You won't go wrong there!!
Looking into this myself for haunting and christmas decorating. I've been loving the guy from Holidaycoro, but sadly he won't take my money - he will not ship outside the US, and I'm in Canada. Looking for other places that will and still has quality stuff.
I have been looking into these for Christmas. Would love to see how people are using them for Halloween!
captpete, I was wondering if you’ve found some better and cheaper alternatives. I have recently thought of making a new project for my department in university and I need a huge quantity of pixels, I’ll have to make them smart ones. If possible you can share the images of your project so that we can have a better idea of your project. I’ll be sharing the details of my project soon.
prototype pcb
prototype pcb
I have been checking all the sources for best price/quality. Have not purchased the lot yet.
Still in planning stages.
Pete
Still in planning stages.
Pete
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