Got my first set of Pixels from Amazon last week & getting my 1st controller this week from Falcon & some strips from Boscoyo.....so I’m pretty excited to see how it all comes together and work. Got a small inline controller so far, so for the first time I actually saw how pixels work, in person !!!.....so I guess you know how “overly impressed, I am !?!”
Yeah, it's very exciting getting them going the first time - actually every time. LOL! I think only my expectations change from "will it work" to "it should work." Then there's "why isn't this working." You learn a lot from the last one. Haha.
So I was watching this 1 to think of Ideas for my box that I am building, and to get the links for some of the items you were using, like the cable gland joints. Now what I was wondering is for things like the electrical plugs and such that you have facing the outside of the box, have you tired using things like Dielectric grease so that the connections do not get water and are protected?
Quick question, at 9:09 I see you running power trough the fuse block and straight to the pigtails, and I also see you running power just through the f16v3 to the pigtails on the bottom Left. What is the difference between the two? Thanks!
It's an older video and I've become wiser since then, but I believe the ones I powered directly from the fuse block draw way over 5-amps so I just bypassed the controller's power distribution. Injecting power is all about maintaining voltage all the way down the string so there's not really one way to do it.
The more I learn about pixels, their data length limitations, about power injection, the more I wonder why people buy something like the falcon f16 v3. If you can only go roughly 20ft with the pixel data, why aren’t more people going the differential/receiver route? I have a small yard but even I can’t centrally locate everything to do a box like this. Am I missing something?
Many factors. Controller to first pixel distance depends on several things (pixels, voltage, wire size, connectors, brightness...). There are techniques to increase the distance (amplifiers, ethernet cable for the data line) and I've gone 30ft with nothing special. Some people hate power injection and want more ports. The value proposition is an F16, but I agree that an F48 is a lot easier to spread out - it's also more expensive when you factor in the receivers and cable and power supplies. I ran an F48 last year and loved it. Whatever works best for you and your budget. :)
I'm guessing you don't have to worry about this as much in Texas, but have you ever ran into humidity issues? I'm in Missouri and I've been nervous about having my controllers outside and condensation killing them.
Winters are usually less humid, but we also get rain. I've not had a problem with mine, but I do make sure if moisture accumulates, there is enough room in the bottom to catch it vs letting it short out the boards. I usually put 1/2" plywood in the bottom of my sealed boxes and cover them with a trashbag. I also turn my controllers off after the show. Some folks in colder areas may leave theirs on for the heat which may help prevent moisture accumulation. Honestly, I haven't had a problem with it, but you might want to ping the Facebook group to see if anyone else has had trouble and what they did.
It's an older video. I believe this was before he had those or at least before I knew about them. Either one will work. I don't use this box anymore. The F48 and differential receivers are a better fit for me. I still use the F16 tho.
It's generally do-able, but depends on the supplies. I stick with the 350-watt variety, but some are using old server power supplies that pull a lot more current so you have to manage the mains side to make sure you stay under the max for a typical circuit home circuit which is ~1700-watts. As far as wiring them, just get one done and jumper to the next supply with the same size wire or leave enough wire to get to the 2nd supply and carefully shave off the insulation for the 1st supply without breaking the copper. There isn't one right way to do it. I like to put electrical tape on the mains terminals to keep from touching it when it's on.
I really like the design of this controller box. in fact I will steal a lot of your ideas. could you please do a detailed video of how you set this up?
I hate to ask but a full walk through of the controller box and the wiring would be great. what fuses are used , what gauge of wiring, anything would be of great help. I am new to this hobby as of January 2018, this year will be my first. I plan on doing just the house outline, the garage , a large window and maybe a large matrix. the matrix being the last. i figure i will expand some each year. Thanks for the help and info
What are your thoughts on ventilation? Doesn't look like you use any fans or vents. Any worry about your power supplies getting too hot (I think you are in Texas. Me too!)
It's usually cool enough in December to keep things cool. I've not had a problem with overheating. I do turn things off during the day to conserve, but components don't really heat up unless the show is running.Plus this is an old video and I'm much more decentralized now so the heat is spread around. Basically, keep an eye on it, take measurements and if it gets too hot for your liking, cool it, but I haven't needed to. Now, if you're running a show in September, it's an entirely different story. :)
Canispater Christmas aka Jeff Thanks for the quick reply. If you power down things how do you keep your timer in FFP accurate? Doesn’t it reset? The enclosures I’m making now are strictly for power injection so I could probably put them on their own timer. P.S. Thanks for all your videos. They have helped me so much. I’m just in my second year.
Thanks! Glad to hear it. The computers are the only things that stay on (it's inside), but all the power supplies and controllers are powered off. The sign stays on all the time since I can't separate those components, but it isn't running so stays cool.
Ok cheers will have to upload a video of my first micro pixel as soon as I get the tree out of storage and record a short video using my 5 VOLT Neo Pixels god bless and keep making the VIDEOS!!!
Jeff, thank you for your service to our country. I do appreciate that greatly as I too am a retired serviceman. Now, can I ask a quick question: Did you tie all power supplies into one 110 outlet plug?
Thanks! Yes. ~30 amps at 12V does not equal 30 amps at 110 or 220. I have no problem running the whole show from one plug. You can invest in one of those Kil-A-Watt AC meters to make sure you don't pull too much from one circuit. Amazon has them (amzn.to/2yGMEyP), but I think my last one was from Home Depot. Been a while since I checked it (and I can't find my meter anymore) so I can't tell you how much it's pulling, but I can tell you it's much less than when I was running AC lights.
CanispaterChristmas are your power supplies ran to a switch inside the box and then to a single plug or all tied together then to plug? I noticed you go into the box and turn your lights on.....
Do you know where I a get me a DIY LED tree kit that will ship to England UK I already got a load of neo pixels just starting you into led for Christmas I already made one small pixels with one string on them and one of the led testers that works great, many thanks and keep up the video's
None that I'm aware of, but they could be out there. I have a beginner playlist of videos that goes through the basics and I would spend some time in videos.xlights.org to gain a better understanding of all the parts involved so you can build your own setup. That way, you can source as much as possible locally rather than having everything shipped from the US. You really only need the controller (pixelcontroller.com) from the US (possibly pixel holders from boscoyostudio.com) and most everything else you can get in the UK. Pixels are made in China and you can order them directly or possibly find a local source for them. I talk about that in the basics series too.
And its was because of you and the first video I watched on led lighting I decided to nod my electric wheelchair with 5 volt LEDS powered from a powered from a power bank as well as a desk too !!!
So, re-watching this again... my tree is 800 pixels, I have the availability to use "output" ports 1-4 from my Falcon F16v3. I was thinking I could theoretically run this from the internal Meanwell PSU at 30% Brightness and not need any power injection. Sound about right? 200 Pixels per output. But I do have it available if needed. Thoughts?
It's possible, but test it. 30% reduces power needs down to 1/3rd so you do get more bang for your buck. If you see the pixels toward the 200-end fading, you can still inject power from the same power supply, but don't do that until you test. If it looks OK, then you won't need to inject.
Jeff, I noticed that you tied the grounds together on your power supplies, i did the same thing for my two power supplies in my controller box but I am being told this is incorrect and can cause a fire. What are your thoughts?
FYI I need to get the Falcon Controller, but is out of stock , I can't get it. Please send me the address or link to get it. Thanks for the help and support. I love you video. Everything I know is because of yours video
Thanks! You should be able to get one from pixelcontroller.com, however this time of year, inventories are usually low because a lot of people bought them for their holiday displays before October. Best time to get one around mid-July.
Thank you for sharing your expertise here. You mention this box is for your tree and that it is located inside the tree itself. How far can the box be from the first lights? Do you use other falcons for other displays? Thanks
Not an easy answer because everything affects it, but I have several props 30-feet away. I have heard people using CAT5 cable (and a mysterious combination of wires) getting 60-70 feet. I'll have to do some tests and make a video. :) There ARE signal boosters available, but I have no experience with them. Yes, I use one controller for the garage outline (plenty of expansion room available on that one) and the other one is in the box.
Thanks for help, getting a noobie start to next year. The Falcon controller sounds great. Not sure I'm ready to get into power injection yet. How many pixels can each channel take before losing power? Thanks again, love the videos
Do you mean why I use them or where I got them? The why is safety for power injection. The where is amzn.to/2Gdl8jg or amzn.to/2GdcFME if you only need one. There's also www.hansonelectronics.com.au/product/hexfuse/?v=7516fd43adaa and it's also available in kit form if you want to save a little money and build it yourself.
Jeff, I’m interested in finding out the socket you used on the case to power the 4 power supplies, as well as the cord you’re plugging into that to go to your wall outlet ?
Hey Robert, The socket is on my affiliate page (www.amazon.com/shop/canispaterchristmas?listId=ZBY2EIQPNUJO) under random electronics. It's a standard plug so you can use a standard extension cord.
CanispaterChristmas Jeff, what’s your opinion of this one for protection in off season: Journeyman-Pro 5278 15 Amp 125 Volt, Flanged Inlet, Black Commercial Grade, 2 Pole-3 Wire, Straight Blade, Nema 5-15 (With Cover/Cap) www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6N0XFI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lZOFCbAP9CJZ8
Those long white terminal blocks that you use to attach all your grounds together -- where did you get those? Another awesome video, btw...gives me great ideas for my enclosure(s)!
Not in Canada. I have checked both my local Lowes and Home Depot, and when you ask about them you get a funny look. They have no idea. Just for everyone's information. I ended up getting mine from Amazon.
@@CanispaterChristmas Thanks! I'm running my first year of pixels this year and finishing up my controller boxes using your build as inspiration for my main controller!
In one box I’m planning to put in one (1) f16v3, one(1) 16 port expansion board & one(1) differential receiver board.....with four(4) Meanwell 350 power supplies......if using all the ports, is there anything left over to do “power injection” ?
Cool! To power inject or not depends on so many things, but mainly the length of the strings. If you are going over what the fuse can handle, then inject power for that string. Running at a lower brightness can help a lot so you need to factor that into the equation.
Yeah, Clyde was suggesting “not” to run at full power and use as many ports as possible, before delving into power injection just yet. To try and keep it as straight forward as possible for my first year.
I stayed under 50 nodes per string my first year and changed everything the next year. People start at varying levels of electronics expertise so it's an individual thing. If you're scared of it, then don't worry about it, but if you know how to do it, then by all means, string away! :)
I get all my pigtails from Ray though I believe others have them too now. He sells them in batches of 10 I believe. I usually buy a few with every order so I don't run out. :)
OK. I believe the size is 15mm (specs should be on Ray's web site). The length is less of a concern since you'll probably need to add some wire somewhere, but I think they're roughly a foot to 15".
You mentioned running your 1200 pixel mega tree off of one power supply at 30%. How many power injections did you do? What does the wiring look like out of the power supply to the fuse block?
I injected power at the end of each 100-pixel line, but I didn't take voltage measurements to see if that much was actually needed. I split it into 4 segments of 300, but could have gone with 2 and probably will if I need the extra ports. The power supply has 3 output terminals so I came out with one line to the controller and 8 lines to the fuse block (so 3 lines per terminal). Of course, this could all change with the F48 as one differential receiver could run the entire tree easily with a much smaller box at the tree. As the display expands, I'll need to push the power out to more props and a central box starts to loose it's appeal. I already had to run one differential receiver this year and only see that expanding in the coming years. Really, it's whatever makes sense for your display.
Follow up question. I still don't understand how 8 output lines does the injection for essentially 12 strands of 100 pixels. Wouldn't you need 11-12 connections from the power supply?
4 come from the controller. The other 8 are additional "power injection" from the power supply. Voltage drops at each node so keeping it as close to 5V or 12V (depending on the pixels) at both ends is what you want to measure and achieve. As always, let the lights be your guide. Try without worrying about power injection first. If the colors start to fade toward the end of the string, that's a good indication you need more power. Measure with a volt meter to be sure that is the problem and inject as needed. Based on previous years, I knew I'd need to inject and just put pigtails on all the strings to keep from having to keep track of which strings did what. That will also be handy if I reconfigure for 600 nodes per string vs 300 I have now. I think I did tape up the ones I didn't inject just to be safe. :)
That makes sense. Thank you for the clarification. I am planning on using a SanDevices E6804 to run my 1200 node tree and having it be basically a self contained element instead of running the lines to a large central controller setup.
The spacers or risers under your controller, do you know what those are called or where to get them? I’m thinking about building my own box and like how the controllers are spaced away from the mounting surface.
Check out my Amazon affiliate page and look at the "Random Electronics & Hardware" list. They call them risers. I believe the M3 screws on that list go with them.
Yep. I believe used 18AWG power cords (thicker insulation) to the power supplies on the AC/mains side. You can always use larger wire if you are unsure, but a single power supply isn't a huge draw at the higher voltage. I am planning to measure the power consumption for the entire display this year just to see.
I never do, but I won't laugh at you if you do. The pixels are protected by the fuses on the controller, but if you tend to drop screwdrivers or other metal objects into powered electronics, you might want a fuse. 😀
@@darrenrichards2264 My methods have evolved. I try to use board power if at all possible as it's so convenient. If I see that a string is going over 5amps (or plan one that way), I inject (through a fuse).
Ok so this might be a dumb question, I know from watching your videos that you need to connect the grounds when you power inject, is that what that common strip is for? Do you still connect the grounds at the end? I was planning on getting the T-cables from Ray for power injections since i'm still new to this and a little nervous that i might screw something up and ruin my controller..
Haha. This was before I understood it better. I have a prop with a lot of pixels and completely bypassed the power on the controller. Yes, the bar is for a common ground inside the box. Connect the grounds at the end of what? If it's the last pixel in a string and you aren't injecting power, no connection, but if you are injecting power, inject both positive and negative - basically just another wire from the power supply. If different power supplies, grounds yes, I recommend breaking the positive connection somewhere so the two supplies aren't tied together, but some have said as long as there is a load between, it's ok. I haven't found a way to reliably test it so I say break the positive if you are using 2 supplies.
CanispaterChristmas yeah sorry I did mean after the last pixel. And I think I was getting confused about needing to connect the grounds when using 2 different power supplies as opposed to use using one power supply. Pretty sure that I will only need 1 supply since I’m not planning on running at full power. Thanks for the response.
Quick question. I just bought a falcon pixel controller, a power supply, and a few strands of smart pixels. I have no experience with this what so ever, very green. Where would you say I should start on how to set up, wire the pixels, network, music, and a beginners guide on programming the pixels. And setting up a layout for my house.
I would start here: ru-vid.com/group/PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW for a basic understanding of how everything fits together. Also, check out the forums and/or Facebook groups I have listed in the descriptions. They will give you ideas as to what to do with your canvass. :) Honestly, with the exception of 2 videos, all of my videos cover some aspect of RGB pixels. Feel free to start at the beginning and binge them all. :) Welcome to the hobby!
Hey Jeff, what are your thoughts on using these: StarTech.com 6-32 Brass Motherboard Standoffs for ATX Computer Case - 15 Pack www.amazon.com/dp/B00213KL5I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_eCMFCbBSAAN4N
@@robertbates2747 Oh! Those might work. If I understand the sizing correctly, those are about 3.5mm. I think I used 3mm, but they weren't tight. I have the ones I used listed on my affiliate page (www.amazon.com/ideas/amzn1.account.AEKFXAZBYC2BSO3ETT2X6O7NVOKA/ZBY2EIQPNUJO).
Hi, thanks for your great videos. a question on the power supplies, I see from the video you have 8 sets of cables coming out of each 12v supply to the 8 port fuse strip. is that correct and does that cause loss of power to the injections ? thanks
@@CanispaterChristmas By loss I mean that in your videos you add power injectors to ends of strings, does this cause a drop in power distribution from the power unit or is the power even across all injections ? I was under the impression that each of the 3 v- and v+ on the power supplies could only supply power to one string injection, so on a sting of 200 and you have 4 injections, then I believed you needed 2 power supplies (as they only have 3 v- and 3 v+ connections) 1 v-/v+ for each injection ? but in your view you have 2 wires coming out of each v-/v+ so making 6 injections connections. Thanks
@@aaronag7876 Perhaps the terminology is messing you up. Power supplies provide volts (electrical pressure) and amps (flow of electrons) when multiplied together denote power (watts). Each pixel uses some unit of power (different pixels are different). Supplying power to each pixel drops a tiny bit of the voltage so pixel #1 may receive 12V while pixels #2 may receive 11.99V and so on. As the string gets long enough, the voltage gets too low to properly power the pixel so no pixels after that point light up (though the chips may be using a little bit of power). By injecting power, the voltage is raised so that the pixels at the end have enough to properly function and they light up. From the power supply's point of view, the load or amount of amps it needs to provide has increased because more pixels are using power. So if you have 3 equal strings of 10 pixels, each string will use 1/3rd of the total load from the power supply. If you connect 6 equal strings of 10 pixels, each string will use 1/6th of the total load from the power supply. In the second case, the load or current draw will be roughly double the first case. If I connect 100 strings, each would use 1/100th. As the number of strings increases, current draw increases. So the balancing act is keeping the total load under 80% of what the power supply can safely provide. For the 12V 350-watt power supplies I use, it's about 25 amps.
Question: I have my E682 setup on Xlights and on test works great. But when I create models for my 7 trees, only one works. Here is my set up on e682: Tree 1 start ch 1 end ch 300 Tree 2 start ch 1 end ch 90 (uni 2) Tree 3 Start ch 91 end ch 391 (un 2) and so on and so for, but when I create models of the trees on xlights, copy and past, it setup complitly diffrent and it doesent lwork. like tree 3 End cannel 900 WTF (LOL). what Am I missing?
We're probably getting into more of a question for the Facebook groups or forums. They'd ask things like posting your xLights configs and stuff like that. Official xLights Support Group bit.ly/2zBMwnv nutcracker123.com/forum/ However, I can try to get you started. Lets forget about the actual lights for now. xLights will tell you the start and end channels for each model on the layout tab. Make sure they are as you expect. I say that because each model can either be 1-300 or they can be different (1-300, 301-600, 601-900 and on and on). So what are the start and end channels for each of the models.
Do you happen to know the AWG of the wire going from the power supplies to the controllers/ fuse boxes? Looking at some charts it looks like 14AWG can draw 20amps. Last I checked the falcon power slots can't fit thick wires.
Most of the wiring is ~18AWG though I have some 14AWG in there too. I believe the Falcon inputs can handle 10AWG (I'm not 100% on that). The outputs are fused at 5 amps so if you have long strings, you'll need to inject power along the string. It also depends on how you set the brightness. I run mine at 30% - still plenty of light at 1/3rd the power. lol!
@@CanispaterChristmas Thanks for the reply! Sweet ya I have a F4V3 and power distro board in a CG-1500, so I'm ready for plenty of power injection with my 5V setup. Plus I'll have another CG-1500 just for PI. The spiker lights calculator has really helped me figure out where to PI. I just wanted to double check how thick of wire people use from the PSU to the controller or power distro boards. I've asked numerous questions from you & purchased your course. Thank you for all of your replies. If you're into cryptos I just sent you a tip using BAT (Basic Attention Token). It is used by the Brave browser, which was created by co-founder of Mozilla. I believe you can retrieve them by going here and becoming a verified publisher: brave.com/publishers/ . Just a small way of saying thanks.
I buy them from Ray Wu. His store is www.aliexpress.com/store/701799 I may have cannibalized a few 3m (10-foot) cables, but he may also have them that long. From now on, I'll probably get just the small ends so I can make my own custom length pigtails just adding wire between the pigtail and the pixels.
I do both. All controllers are usually limited to 5-amps on their fuses because of the current handling capability of the traces on the board. If I have a long string that I suspect will pull more than that (0.06 x ), I'll usually go through my 10-amp fuses in the blocks or for extra power injection. If you power inject, you'll drop the current through the controller so you CAN use both.
LOL, TY for responding so fast. I am so confused in some parts of trying to learn this that I am not understanding why having different types of controllers (i.e Falcon and LOR's). Does it make a difference based on the lights you use.
Maybe you need more context. LightORama has been around a while and became very popular after when Carson Williams posted his animated light show to RU-vid back in 2004. They came out with controllers that controlled standard AC light strings and had proprietary software to sequence them on a Windows computer. I used them until enough of my light strings died and I went looking for something else. Enter Matt Johnson who was on "Christmas Light Fight" back in 2015. He used pixels, SanDevices controllers and Falcon Player on Raspberry Pi. I liked that sequences could be produced by open source software and a Raspberry Pi could act as the source computer. So I bought a SanDevices E682 and started buying pixels. I produced sequences on my iPad just to see if I could and it worked OK. This was about the time I was introduced to Falcon controllers. I liked the features of the Falcons compared to others that were out at the time and bought one. I wanted another one this year for expansion and was blown away with all of the new features so I made a video. LOR has added pixel controllers to their lineup, but I've got Falcon boards now. It's like how there are different automobile manufacturers. They all get you from point A to point B. It's personal preference what you actually decide to buy. There are many pixel controller manufacturers that control pixels. I like Falcons.
Not an easy answer. Depends on the size of the supply, the pixels and your brightness level. Ballpark is to use 0.06 amps per pixel at 100% all white, but that also gives you some overhead ('cause who runs solid white all the time?). Some pixels will pull a lot less so it's a math problem with what you have. Lowering the brightness will also allow more pixels on the same supply.
I think most of those were 12V/30A Superlite (amzn.to/2D2jqzl) or something like that. I'm using MeanWell LRS-350-12s for all the 12V stuff now... which is mostly everything. The MeanWells are more expensive, but better units though honestly, I never had problems with the other ones because I don't load them too hard.
LOL! Na. That orientation does come in handy. I just prefer the LRS on the bench. I think the LRS is a little thinner as well, but not by much. Either one is fine. I have both.
Based on my purchase history, I believe it was this: amzn.to/2yK3qNy 10mm, not quite a half-inch. I'll measure it when I get home and update if that isn't it. 25-feet, I've had it a while! haha
Hey, hope all is well in the US this easter. Wondered if you had a link to the 4 pin connectors that you are using for the pixel pigtails. I can find something on Amazon.com which i think is the same : www.amazon.com/MOKUNGIT-10Pairs-Waterproof-Connector-Applicable/dp/B01EPMXPN2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522530311&sr=8-4&keywords=4+pin+waterproof+connector&dpID=51xNWSMD5CL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch but I cannot find anything similar yet in the UK where I am based. I also notice your affiliate page seems to not have links on it anymore. All the best, have learnt plenty so far....
Sorry. Your message was flagged as having bad words. LOL! I get my pigtails from Ray, but those look pretty close. On the affiliate page, do you see what looks like product images? You should be able to click on those. If not, please let me know and I'll get to work on that ASAP. I'm having to do some crazy stuff with that to get it to show up properly, but thinking about completely re-doing the blog site soon.
CanispaterChristmas so much stuff available in the US that I can't find decent versions of in the UK without actually calling places up and paying a fortune. The blog pages I don't see the images at all on either android chrome or chrome on Windows 10.....
