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Glad the videos are helping. The box I used is pretty much the smallest I would use for this controller. Larger would be better. There is a whole community in Australia that are doing animated light shows. I am sure there are people there that can give you advice on the best places to get controllers. I suggest you look into xLights. Some of the program developers live there.

On my original arches I used 30 per meter. My new ones use 60 per meter. Both look great.

@@bergmannlights5149 thanks kindly for the prompt reply. 5v or 12v on those. Not coming up with 12v RGBW strips with IP65 in 12v. Do you feel that IP65 or IP30 is ok. Looks like your doing IP65 or 67. Hoping to get some of these put together for next season to add to my show.

@@cbcalhoun I am not sure of the IP rating, but they had a silicone cover over the lights. When I cut them in half, I bought 5 meter roll. On the cut ends I used hot glue to seal them back up. You can buy precut strips from Your Pixel Store,Wally’s Lights or Wired Watts. All of these guys are great vendors.

One other item, I use 12vdc RGB strips.

@@bergmannlights5149 Thank you!

You can run about 120 lights on one port before you need power injection. With your 8 port controller you have plenty of outputs so you shouldn’t need power injection. Just need to plan your controller location so that the cords are not too far away from it. I have a controller build video that should help figure out all the parts you will need. WLED Controller Build th-cam.com/video/3zlrzja-9d4/w-d-xo.html

@bergmannlights5149 Great video AND a great follow-up? Jeez, you got a sub from me! I appreciate the video and information. Perfectly concise writeup.

@@bergmannlights5149 I do have a follow up as I'm getting my lights out now. Some of my strands will be on the opposite side of my home and will be approximately 70-80 feet away. Are there any specific connectors or extensions I should be looking for when I'm hooking up the opposite side of the home?

I would not run a line for the pixels that far. I would get another controller

Also, how would you connect the lower puck lights and top puck lights on a two story house? Thanks in advance! Great videos!

You are correct, thanks for the correction

It is on my list. It will be sometime in the new year.

The temperature controller is separate. Here is a link to the one I used. yourpixelstore.com/product/digital-display-thermostat-and-temperature-controller-fahrenheit/

That is a big question. I am considering doing a video on that. Bottom line is that you add extra power when the lights start dimming. I don’t advise doing it unless you know some of the rules first.

Here is the link for the hub I used which was 1/2 inch EMT. They also have them that use PVC and other sizes. sfl-designs.com/STL-File-Mini-Seed-Pixel-Tree-Base-1-2-EMT-to-1-2-EMT-p685329625

Yes I would test. You should be able to go further, but you could run into data issues and need an f-amp

​@@bergmannlights5149 F-Amp is only needed if I have long runs between controller and first pixel, or from last pixel to long (over 10m) between props. I wouldn't think I would need an F-Amp in between pixels, that are short distance.

In most cases yes, but after long runs I have seen some degradation where one was needed.

@@bergmannlights5149 Sometimes it's caused be a degradation of the ground, as the data relies heavily on a good ground as well.. Appreciate the heads up!

Hard to say exactly what is going on, but try not plugging in your Ethernet, then look for the WLED hotspot on your phones WiFi, log into it then setup a static IP address in the WLED network settings. Hope this helps.

@@bergmannlights5149 Thank you. Could it be a possibility that I do not have one with wifi? I just purchased it and it arrived today. It's a Wasatch Pixel Controller.

Which one did you get. He does have some that don’t have WiFi

Yes- programs like xLights can be used with a compatible controller to create different patterns on the tree/lights.

It depends on the type of LED lights you plan on connecting to the controller. If you buy 12 V pixels and feed them 24 volts you will fry some of the lights.

@bergmannlights5149 Understood. But if you have the option of 12v with a few power injections or 24v with no needed power injections and LEDs support 24v it just seems like a no brainer, go wiyh 24v and not run multiple power lines (unless I'm missing something and I could be)

Yes, more volts less power injection. Personally I haven’t done a cost comparison of getting 24v LED’s vs 12V. From the places I normally purchase my pixels from 12v is readily available at a reasonable price. Do you know the cost difference between the two.

@@bergmannlights5149 I was looking online, and there was little difference in price between 12v and 24v (at least on Alibaba) for the strings I was considering. "rgbw led pixel point light 30mm 12v IP68"

Be careful and make sure the pixels come from a reputable vendor. A few years back there were a bunch that had quality issues. Some caused fires.

When I was setting up my panels I didn’t have a noise issue. I did have to get a setup file from the vendor I bought the panels from.

I am using RGB pucks. YPS does sell RGBW pucks but I don’t have those. I am running 120 RGB lights without power injection. At 150 I noticed enough voltage drop to change the lights color. If you drop the brightness you can go more than 120.

@@bergmannlights5149 Thank you! I guess RGBW uses WS2814... Can Kulp controllers support this? Sorry I'm new to this :)

It should but you should check with Kulp Lights.

I use my pi with FPP loaded on it. It allows me to run the show without tying up my computer. I use the xLights tool FPP connect to upload the sequences to it.

@ Thank you for answering :-) If I run a projector in my show, the same RPi will do it? (HDMI projector) or should I use another one? Can the 2 sync together (e.g., one running the lights and one running the projector hD video).

I haven’t tried running a projector off of a pi yet. Not sure if the one running your show can handle the load of a projector and as the master. I suggest you go to the FPP facebook group or xLights zoom room and see what they say.

That is what I tried to show, maybe I didn’t make it clear enough

@@bergmannlights5149you did fine, that guy has no idea what he is talking about

@@brettesser3595 Yes he does, watch again from 2:50, and at 12:45 he did it the right way.

You could do 600 on one port but you will need to do some power injection. My tests show that you can run 120 without doing power injection. When you get to 150 the last set of lights yellow, too low a voltage.

I have a lot of different brands. I have a Kulp K8, an Experience Lights Genius Pro 32, a Genius 16, Falcon F16v3, and a Wastch Quad+

Glad you liked it!

I just set two of them up in my show. At 30% brightness in RGBW chase mode I am pulling 2.5 amps. When I add power injection at the back side it drops to 1.5 amps. I am setting up backside power injection since I have a star hooked up to the end of the tree. Hope this helps.

You need to use CPVC fittings, there size is slightly different.

@bergmannlights5149 thanks so much. 1 more question if you don't mind, is the glue necessary? I'd like to break it down easy. Thanks!

The pex pushes the ends out a bit so the long center pipe may need something to hold it together. You could drill a hole in the fitting/pile to keep it held together instead so you can break it down when you are finished for the season.

Glad I could help!

Thanks, glad it helped

Glad to help

Thanks, I agree- overkill but they weren’t that much more so I went for it

My next video will be on power management for the YOS puck lights. I will consider adding this to my list. If you need help reach out to via my Facebook page Bergmann Lights.

There is a poster setting in Abobe reader. Here is a web link to help you out helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/print-posters-banners-acrobat-reader.html

Glad you like the videos

I set it up as a tree with a single strand of 800 lights, with 32 strings per strand. If you use more than one input from your controller the number of strands will change. You set it up just like a mega tree only make it smaller

Thank you!

You should be able to run 150 lights at 30% brightness without power injecting. I am currently running 115 on one string with now power injection. I am planning on doing a video on this in the future, once I get my Christmas show up and running.

@bergmannlights5149 By lights in assuming the puck light. So if it's 10 pucks per meter, 15 meters at 12v?

The three sizes I cut the pex to are 111.5 inches, 105 inches and 99.5 inches. Take a look at the 10 min mark in this video. th-cam.com/video/J4VHx5P74AA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=EQpxaSC2B1U-O_mL

I agree that when you set the tree on a hard surface, like a concrete floor it is unstable. I figured since I will install it in my yard on grass, with some stakes to hold it in place that it shouldn’t be an issue. Using flat head screws is a great way to improve it. Also self tapping screws would Mikey’s the build easier. Great ideas!

@@bergmannlights5149 Yeah I'm building one for my wife to have on the front porch and when she got home she was like "it wobbles" and I said I know I know I know, I'll fix it tomorrow....They are never satisfied...lol.

You could print several of the emt connectors and point them down to get a more stable base. It will elevate it by about an inch but would make it more stable

I think this is what you are looking for. sfl-designs.com/STL-File-3-4-PEX-to-1-2-EMT-Perpendicular-Pipe-Mount-p686104848

Yea still looking to the EMT to PEX here too

Here is the link sfl-designs.com/STL-File-3-4-PEX-to-1-2-EMT-Perpendicular-Pipe-Mount-p686104848

Here is the link sfl-designs.com/STL-File-3-4-PEX-to-1-2-EMT-Perpendicular-Pipe-Mount-p686104848

Change the color order to RGBW. I also believe you will need to change the type of lights. I have WS291x lights.

Thanks for the kind words. Glad the videos are helpful

Glad you liked the video

Glad the videos help.

Glad I could help

Glad to help.

Glad the videos are helping. My next video will be configuring the Wasatch controller for both WLED and xLights.

@@bergmannlights5149 Excellent and thanks again!! Also, how far can we go on average with the YPS Pucks before Power or Data injection is needed? Just use T connectors and F-Amps? Thx !!

I will do a video in the future about power loss. Based on my calculations and input from YPS, you should be able to go 50 ft/ 150 lights at 30% before power injection/balancing is needed.

Glad I could help!

I am working on one now. It will be a week or two before I get it done.

Just posted the controller build video. Controller setup for xLights and WLED, will be in the future. WLED Controller Build th-cam.com/video/3zlrzja-9d4/w-d-xo.html

Glad it helped

You have a good idea to stager the top and bottom sections, it would eliminate the need for the connectors. For the number of pixels at 100% brightness for full white I measured a current draw of .039 amps per puck. If your controller has 5 amp fuses you can run ~130 pucks per output. I will most likely limit somewhere between 50 and 35% brightness so can get more without power injection or balancing.

I just built mine using this box on Amazon. Gratury Junction Box, IP67... www.amazon.com/dp/B08282SQPT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share