Thanks! It basically takes one season to get the hang of it. Then it's mostly more of the same. However, I still learn new stuff every year because technology changes so rapidly.
Love the stats video! I’d like to see more in a series like this, especially as a new guy in the hobby. Maybe a house outline video like this. Great content and thank you.
Thank you so much for the quick reply. I greatly appreciate it. I have attached a picture of the right side of my yard. I am interested in changing the 2 10 foot trees to pixel trees. I would like to keep them at 10 foot. After my research I think I would like to do 180 degree with 16 strands and 60 pixels per strand at 2 inches apart. My question is what controllers do you recommend me to use. Do I need 2 or will one controller be sufficient. Also do you still recommend ray for lights. His prices are better just curious.
Haha! I didn't have problems with cut, but my palms were killing me after a pixel pushing binge. I still can't convince myself to get pliers. Kind of a badge of honor. :)
I noticed that you stack your pixel strips to the bolts on your steel mega tree topper. I'm preparing to fabricate my first topper but don't want it to be very wide (makes the top of the tree look flat). Any issues with putting more than one strip per bolt? How many strips are you putting on each bolt? Any recommendations or lessons learned with respect to fabricating a topper? Thanks!!
I made mine out of 3/8" steel plate I got from eBay. It needs to be very strong because there is a lot more weight and stress on them than you'd think. I currently put 2 strips per bolt, but no problem going denser. The new strip is thicker and I'm using the thinner strip on the tree so I have the aluminum strain reliefs on the ends and bungee balls at the bottom to take up the slack.
Thanks for the videos,great advice. New Hobby for me this year. ? I have 16 strands 50 pixel per strand total of 800 lights. Running a falcon differential reciever off a 48 with meanwell 400w power supply. How do I set up the ports to controll the lights. My model is only allowing me to set 1 port for my prop. Please explain Thank you
Thanks! Welcome! Go through my beginner playlist if you haven't already: ua-cam.com/play/PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW.html I put one of Keith's 3-hr xLights training videos in there. He talks about setting up the controller section about an hour in. The models in xLights has # of strings which equates to the number of controller connections you want. Strands per string breaks up individual strings into parts (think string of 100 folded over to look like 2 of 50).
New subscriber. Love the content. Will C-7 or C-9 bulbs snap into that strapping like the 12 millimeter bullets will. Love the channel. Keep it coming 👍👍
Happy New Year to you Jeff. Thanks for the info. That's exactly what I'm working on for this year and maybe outlining the roof if the budget stays low... :)
You and your videos are awesome (or if you ask my wife, someone to be avoided at all cost). :) Last year I took your advice and bought a rPi-28D from Hanson just to dip my toes into the pool and now I am totally hooked. I plan to quadruple the size of my display this year and possibly double it the following year. My biggest challenge will be two really large live oaks in front of my house so I might have a fight on my hands (me vs. the HOA, the wife, and the environmentalist). Considering my new found love, I like my odds. Lol
Thanks! Haha. I had to trim one of my trees back last year because they were in the way. Fortunately, no HOA to deal with, but I try to be respectful of my neighbors. Keep me posted! :)
Hi Jeff, I'm new to RGB this year and was taking baby steps to build small successes prior to buying a large controller. For me personally, the best episode was the Hanson test controller episode. I was able to use one string, one pigtail, a mean well power supply and an inline fuse and wire nuts to light up for the first time. I spent about 50 dollars for that experiment and was very happy with the results. I think you could have a whole series of videos called O.K. Boomer. We Boomers have disposable income and the thinking was getting started is somewhat overwhelming with the multitude of lighting options, controllers, etc. and it really shouldn't be that way. My simple goal for year one was to build 3-36 inch wreaths with quality materials, buy a ready to run F16V3 falcon controller and run the show directly from a computer. I also liked the extension cords I found on Wired Watts that come in different lengths to minimize soldering. I would love your thoughts my path of least resistance and approach to spend a little more, but simplifying the first year. With this investment, I can easily expand as my confidence grows. Thanks for the great content and laughs as well. Ken from Florida.
Thanks Ken! You know, people come into the hobby with different backgrounds and approach it from one of two different ways. All-in or baby steps. Either approach is fine. Well, then there's the hybrid version of that where they start off with a string or two then full-Griswald. I can tell you that David tends to promote getting an F16V3 as a first controller so you can grow into it if starting small. It also depends if you have an existing display or are starting with nothing. Adding a small number of pixels to an existing display is less stressful because if it doesn't work, you have the rest of it to fall back on. Bottom line, no real guidance as to how to go. I did a lot of research my first year and still made a lot of mistakes, but I learned from them. If you take the long view, start with something and add to it every year. There's a lot to learn your first year, but generally, once you get it, adding more is much easier. Your approach is fine. Be sure to take advantage of the forums/Facebook groups as you will learn a lot and have a place to go for help. Also, check into the xLights zoom room (see xlights.org) on Wednesday nights.
Was hoping for some help. I have watched alot of mega tree videos and can't seem to find out how far apart to make the bottom? How much space in-between the Individual light strands?
That's all personal density preference. Mine are about a foot apart, but my wife wants me to add more so I'll need to shorten the distance next year. 😂
Thank you for your videos they are very informative. I would like change some of my display to pixel lighting. I am new to this.I have a few questions. I am going to start with my 2 10 foot 180 degree mega trees with 16 strands. Where do you suggest to get lights from. Ive seen them on amazon for 10 strands of 50pixels/12v lights for $139. Are those lights any good. What controller do you suggest? Do I need 1 controller per tree? thank you for your help
Buying pixels on Amazon is a little iffy. Getting them from a reputable distributor will save some headaches. wiredwatts.com is my preferred distributor. Controller from pixelcontroller.com Exactly what you will need really depends on the layout of your display. You might go through my beginner playlist (ua-cam.com/play/PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW.html) if you haven't already.
I think it's roughly 7" or so, but I'm likely going to get this for next year since I'm expanding the tree: mattosdesigns.com/collections/megatree-parts/products/md-megatree-topper?variant=32740945723491
Have you tried Raspberry Pi 4 yet. I am just starting out and was wondering if it would work and if it would serve me better in the long run? Thanks I enjoy your videos and Happy New Year!
Thank you for all your help this year, I started very late with my Mega Tree 800 lights 10' tall. Couldn't have gotten it up and running without you. Question as I'm going to add more lights next year. Where do you power inject on your tree? Thanks great work Pal!
Happy new year, i am new on LED hobby just build my first falcon 16v3 controller. Question..do you leave your controller box on all the time or are they on timer?
Welcome! I use a timer, but you can go either way. If it's cold where you are, maybe leave them on, if it's hot, maybe use a timer. One F16 may not make much of a difference, but 10 might. :)
Happy new year. Just ordered my first pixel controller about a week ago. I got the f48. I have not received it in the mail yet but I have a question. What is the maximum number of pixels I can put on one differential board. Would it be 512 a port making it a total of 2048? Or can I do the full 1024 a port and make it 4096. (I know I would not be able to use the two rj45 ports below it on the f48) The reason I’m asking is because not this year but next year we are planning on having a mega tree with about 3500 pixels. (We are just going to use a tall pine in our yard as the pole). I’m curious if I could run the whole tree off of one differential expansion board. Thanks.
With that many pixels, you might want to get an F16 just for the tree. That is the popular option and a waste of the F48. To answer your question, the max would be 1022*4 because the min is 1.
Hi Jeff. Great video. Hey...what size cable gland did you use to pass the 4 pigtails? I’m doing a bunch of ammo boxes for next season similar to yours but originally planned to do separate glands for each pigtail. This seems much easier. I’m retiring my cable guard enclosures for something small and simple...and easier to store!
Thanks! It's an M24. It's probably not as waterproof as single glands, but I didn't have any water in there. I bought an assortment from Amazon (amzn.to/38vppsV) plus a few larger sizes and figured out which size I needed. I've used them for other stuff and they're pretty cheap so I don't mind having a few extra laying around.
Hey Jeff, Once again Awesome channel. I'm learning so much from your channel. Getting ready to get what I need to build my mega tree. One question what size is your topper?
Hey Jeff I was looking at running an F48 my first year with a raspberry pi. My question is can I use an F4V3 for an 800 12v pixel mega tree and run the FV3 kind of like you would the differential reciever??
You can daisy-chain the F4 off the F48 through the Ethernet connection (or vice-versa), but not through any of the serial connections. You just create another controller in your xLights config for the F4 and assign the tree to it.
Hi Jeff. I am starting to order my stuff from China. Finding really difficult to find the pixel straps here in the UK! I'll be following you closely. Thanks.
Quick look, it seems like a proprietary system (requiring licensing). You might see if you can get a Falcon from pixelcontroller.com. Contact David at the bottom of his page regarding shipping one to you.
Well, I think you'd need a mechanical engineer for that, but guy wires help in that area. Assuming the winds have already passed by now. How did it do?
How did you manage 1200 pixels? I thought the maximum of these differential receivers was 1024. Also thanks so much for all of your other videos, been a huge help.
Thanks! 1,200 is split into 4 strings of 300... currently. No, technically it's 1,024 per port, but I haven't seen any one actually run that many and it depends on what the other end of that receiver is and your frame rate. If you're running 40fps, you need to drop it down below about 640 per port. If you're using an F48, you are wasting most of the controller to get 1,022 because you'd have 2 banks supporting only 1 pixel. If any of that is confusing, check out my F16 & F48 videos if you haven't already.
I found installing flat pixels in the Boscoyo strip was a pain. After some very sore fingers I found that a pair of Cleko-Loc pliers (ebay) made the job so much easier! I drilled out the cup on the pliers and installed a flat 1/4-20 nut and bolt which fit the back of the pixel perfectly. Also, Please consider a video on controller ports and addresses. I had trouble finding which addresses went to which ports using xLights. Thanks so much for all your advice. My first year turned out great!
Awesome! I believe some entrepreneurial person(s) has developed pixel pliers similar to what you described. If you configure your models correctly in xLights, you can have xLights program your controller and don't really have to worry about addresses. ua-cam.com/video/xtemNvNfsMw/v-deo.html
Cool update Jeff! Can't wait to see that gigantic star on your megatree this coming year. Also, I think you were trying to find the word "winch" for the crank thingy on the ASAP pole. Just curious, did you run your pixels up and down like a zig zag or do they all start at the bottom and have they own individual connection to a port on the controller? Thanks!
WINCH! YES! Thank you! haha. I only have 4 connections currently. They physically zig-zag up and down, but xLights handles figuring that out for me in the model settings.
Thanks Jeff, Happy New Year, look forward to many more of your vids. I also am planning to do a mega tree for next year, have already purchased the controller and pixels for it. My question is: Is there an advantage to doing a 360 deg tree vs a 180 deg tree? Thanks
It depends on the viewing angle. If people only see it from the street, probably 180 is fine. If you live on a corner and people can see it from anywhere, then 360 is better. Other than that, no real difference.
🎅🎅🎅I bought a 19' telescoping fiberglass pole from DX Engineering The other day. Cant wait to get started building my Mega Tree. Oh the tree topper I was afraid of it falling and clocking me so I went to Walmart and got a 1/4 thick plastic cutting board made a 10" circle. OOh Hi there Jeff.
Ok so i switched to x lights and i am trying to get my mini pixel tree to show up as one continuous strand. However everytime i go to the wiring view it has all the starts to each strand at the bottom of the tree. What am i doing wrong?
nice info... I can tell you what I did with my mega trees... although they are just static and not "smart" I used 2 and 4" pvc.. used a coupling attached "S" hooks to it.. I have 8 around it... drive a "t" post in the ground and set the pipe over it... then I take 3 ropes with sliding cord adjusters... have a loop in one end .. hook to "S" hook on top and use a drill to put a screw in ground anchor in the ground... the other end of the rope to the ground anchor.. and then use the sliding rope adjusters to tighten the pole. used it on trees 9' to 16' tall.. and two 20' "super light poles" ( 2"x 20' pvc with two 100w rgb floods on them) it was quick and simple and easier then turn buckles.
@@seantaray7180 Haha. Impressive. Yeah, you don't have to use pixels for a nice display. I just enjoy the flexibility of them over other lights. They do however, come with a cost - both monetary and complexity.
Hellllllllo Sir. Thank you so much for your videos! This will be my first year and I've decided to go with the MEGA TREE. I have a Sandisk e682 and two power supplies. The Sandisk has 16 ports as I'm sure you already know. What are the pros and cons of wiring all the lights in series with power injection vs. using all 16 ports? I am a little confused on how to calculate how many ports I should use for each project. Thank you so much!
Thanks! It's mainly personal preference and requirements for your display. I used a single differential receiver that has 4 ports for my tree so I used 4 strings, but that will have to change next year because I'm adding the star to it. Small strings are easier to deal with - especially for new folks. I used 16 ports for 800 lights my first year and ran them at 100%. It was really bright! :)
@@CanispaterChristmas Thanks :) I received 1,000 bullet pixel's today and testing them out on my e682. Exciting times. Why would you wire them all on 1 channel? Basically, I am questioning why I couldn't run my whole show on 1 controller. Thank you for your help. Have a great Sunday
@@atticusmccoy6701 The props dictate how you distribute pixels among your display. If you have a matrix for example, a bunch of pixels in a relatively small area, you can use longer strings and inject power fairly easily or just use smaller strings and more ports. Really depends on the prop, the number of available ports and whether or not you feel comfortable injecting power.
@@CanispaterChristmas Since you guys already started talking about this, I have a question. Let me start by saying that I am new at this. Judging by other of your videos and this one, I assume you are using a F48 as controller and only one differential receiver. According to the manual, each port can control up to 1024 pixels but you have 1,200. Can you please explain? The reason I ask is because I am still trying to figure out which way to go. Thank you much for your videos and the super nice sense of humor.
First of all I am a new bee. Got bit by the Christmas lighting this last Christmas. Your tree is really close to what I want to do. I plan on running the F48 controller and deferential receivers. The tree will have 16 strands of 50 pixels each. I will be doing power injection. My big question is can I drive all 800 pixels off one port. Can the data get to the other end without losing any strength? I see that you used 4 ports to drive 300 pixels on each port. Is their any advantage of using multiple ports rather driving all the pixels on one port? On your video concerning pixel apportioning, I think you said that you can drive up the 1024 pixels if you are using only one receiver. My big concern is driving all 800 pixels on one port. Also I really enjoy watching all your videos. They are great. Also I will be Vegas the middle of July for my grandsons bowling. I see that Christmas Expo is going to be there at the same time. Could not get any better. If you are going to be there, I will look you up. Thanks again for all your help. Larry Aurora, Colorado
Thanks and Welcome! You need to think about the entire display. If using the F48, you don't want to assign too many pixels to one group and starve another group as you'll end up wasting allocation for pixels. Roughly 340 pixels per group is an even spread. For a bare F16 (no expansion boards), you can run 1024 pixels per port, but it's not recommended, especially for beginners because it isn't straightforward on how to actually pull that off. I used 300 for mine because it's easy to run the tree off one differential receiver (that will change this year because I'm adding a star to the top - probably just add another DR to the mix). I also run the brightness at 30% so that saves on power. With an F48, ports won't be a problem, but you do need to manage the allocation to allow enough for the entire display. See you in Las Vegas!
I'm back.. First of all, I am learning Xlights. Great software and great videos. If you have the right tools, you can do anything. Using PI 4 with FPP to drive the controller. Don't have the F48 controller or receivers yet. I feel like a kid in a candy store with this new adventure. Can't sleep at night, thinking about pixel lighting. Thank you for you assistance. Now my tree has the following: #Strings 4 Nodes/String 200 Strands/String 4 One Receiver using all four ports My other problem was my roof line. If I used one string, it would be 425 pixels in length. So I broke it down in almost half. One string will have 200 pixels and the other string will have 225 pixels. Plan on using ChromaTrim attached to 1/2 inch pvc to hold the pixels. Using two ports off one receiver. Now for some questions for you: Do you prefer 5 volts or 12 volt pixels? The only advantage of 12 volts is less power injection on long runs. But they cost more... Do you prefer square nodes or bullet nodes? To me, they are the same. You talk about getting pixels from Ray. On Aliexpress, they have lots of vendors with the same items. It seems Ray's shipping is high compared to other vendors. Also do we have to pay any tariffs on shipments from China. I had some other questions, but already forgot them. At 78, you have to write things down... I saw on one of your videos that you were in the service. I retired from Air Force in 1982. Good life. Thanks for your service, Larry
Haha. Thanks and thank you for your service! I know the feeling. I prefer 12V, but you can also use what's best for the prop. Long runs 12V, concentrated pixels, 5V if you want. I have one 5V prop I built just to see what they were all about, but the rest are 12V. Thinking about getting strings with regulators instead of resistors this year to see if there is much of a difference in power draw and longevity. I've had good luck with Ray's pixels and that's why I buy from him. I don't know about the other vendors. If you email Ray, he usually comes back with better shipping prices. I believe AliExpress handcuffs vendors a little so I email Ray and pay him through PayPal and he's able to get better shipping rates. I've never had to deal with customs, but they usually don't bother with small stuff. If I were to buy a shipping container's worth of pixels, that might make a difference. I'm not sure what happens on the tariff side. I guess I'll find out in April or May when I order more pixels. :)
One more question. You see lots of strings with the STF connectors. They don't seem waterproof for outside use. It seems that most of the 12 volt strings come with the Xconnector (I think that is what they are called.) What is your feeling about using STF connectors outside? Also the Xconnector come in 13.5mm and 15mm. Which size is mostly used. I have been doing a lot of information gathering on lighting. You have to have the information before you can make a decision. I joined the Australian lighting group and d/l the 101 lighting guide. They put a lot of effort in the manual. Reading it just enforced the information that I had already learned. Every newbie should read this manual. I saw your name on Zoom last Wednesday. Now I know why you are so smart.. I think you are giving the presentation next week. I'll be there.. Thanks again for all your help. I will check out Ray. I thought I had his email but cant' find it. Can you spit it out again. Larry
Switching from what? I don't have much experience with other sequencers, but there are a ton of tutorials at videos.xlights.org. I have a quick sequencing tutorial playlist that has a few videos about it. Also, Keith's 3-hour training video is in my beginner playlist which I highly recommend. Are you looking for something specific?
Mine says 1/8-3/16. I'm guessing 1/8" cable with a plastic coating that pushes it to 3/16". It's hasn't broken yet so assuming it's strong enough. A mechanical engineer could probably come up with a better answer based on wind load and prop surface area, but that's what I used. 😂 I bought mine from (www.e-rigging.com). Careful, they have some neat stuff! lol
I'll add that after watching this channel for a while, I decided to give it a try this year. I used a PiCap and did 2 simple stars to see if I would actually get into it. I felt the PiCap gave me an easy way to test the waters (I was all in for less than $100 this year). I'll be adding the F16 next year and doing a tree and some arches. I would have hated to spend the money on the F16 though to find out I didn't really enjoy it.
@@CanispaterChristmas True. It was more of a "will I actually put in the effort?". And the answer was yes. I have learned a ton from your videos so thank you!
I already have a Christmas light setup but it’s all AC lights using Renards and Vixen so I “know” I want to do it. Just want to take baby steps. And yes @CanispaterChristmas is a HUGE inspirations and motivation, not to mention a wealth of knowledge. Keep it up!!
I just go from string to string with normal pigtails (power and data) and inject at the end (no data). I used 2-wire automotive connectors for the power injection and went through automotive inline fuses. Could also use a Falcon F8 distro board for the fuses which I may use for next year.
That was a hilarious intro! Can't wait to be as good as you some day when it comes to Christmas lights. God bless you for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks! It basically takes one season to get the hang of it. Then it's mostly more of the same. However, I still learn new stuff every year because technology changes so rapidly.
Love the stats video! I’d like to see more in a series like this, especially as a new guy in the hobby. Maybe a house outline video like this. Great content and thank you.
Thanks! I will be doing more prop-building this year so stay tuned.
Jeff thank you so much for all your videos it has definitely helped me get everything going! Happy new year to you and the family
Thanks! Happy New Year!
welcome Back and Happy New Year Jeff. Can't wait to see the star, I'll be watching with interest. Loved the intro. Ewan
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the quick reply. I greatly appreciate it. I have attached a picture of the right side of my yard. I am interested in changing the 2 10 foot trees to pixel trees. I would like to keep them at 10 foot. After my research I think I would like to do 180 degree with 16 strands and 60 pixels per strand at 2 inches apart. My question is what controllers do you recommend me to use. Do I need 2 or will one controller be sufficient. Also do you still recommend ray for lights. His prices are better just curious.
I guess I can’t add a picture to this sorry
Re-read my previous response. 😂
I love those level 4 cut proof gloves Jeff. I used them all last year pushing over 12k pixels and still have my thumbs.
Haha! I didn't have problems with cut, but my palms were killing me after a pixel pushing binge. I still can't convince myself to get pliers. Kind of a badge of honor. :)
Super helpful, thanks for taking the time to make the video.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful!
I noticed that you stack your pixel strips to the bolts on your steel mega tree topper. I'm preparing to fabricate my first topper but don't want it to be very wide (makes the top of the tree look flat). Any issues with putting more than one strip per bolt? How many strips are you putting on each bolt? Any recommendations or lessons learned with respect to fabricating a topper? Thanks!!
I made mine out of 3/8" steel plate I got from eBay. It needs to be very strong because there is a lot more weight and stress on them than you'd think. I currently put 2 strips per bolt, but no problem going denser. The new strip is thicker and I'm using the thinner strip on the tree so I have the aluminum strain reliefs on the ends and bungee balls at the bottom to take up the slack.
Welcome back Jeff n happy new year to ya! Exactly what I was looking to do this coming year,great info and thanks for all that you do!
👍
Thanks for the videos,great advice.
New Hobby for me this year.
?
I have 16 strands 50 pixel per strand total of 800 lights. Running a falcon differential reciever off a 48 with meanwell 400w power supply. How do I set up the ports to controll the lights.
My model is only allowing me to set 1 port for my prop.
Please explain
Thank you
Thanks! Welcome! Go through my beginner playlist if you haven't already: ua-cam.com/play/PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW.html I put one of Keith's 3-hr xLights training videos in there. He talks about setting up the controller section about an hour in. The models in xLights has # of strings which equates to the number of controller connections you want. Strands per string breaks up individual strings into parts (think string of 100 folded over to look like 2 of 50).
New subscriber. Love the content. Will C-7 or C-9 bulbs snap into that strapping like the 12 millimeter bullets will. Love the channel. Keep it coming 👍👍
Thanks and Welcome! I believe there are different strips for the larger bulbs. Contact Boscoyo and they can help you choose the right one.
Happy New Year to you Jeff. Thanks for the info. That's exactly what I'm working on for this year and maybe outlining the roof if the budget stays low... :)
👍
Love the new video! Happy New year and I cant wait to see more prop builds. Still want to get my feet wet by building a mega tree.
Thanks!
You and your videos are awesome (or if you ask my wife, someone to be avoided at all cost). :) Last year I took your advice and bought a rPi-28D from Hanson just to dip my toes into the pool and now I am totally hooked. I plan to quadruple the size of my display this year and possibly double it the following year. My biggest challenge will be two really large live oaks in front of my house so I might have a fight on my hands (me vs. the HOA, the wife, and the environmentalist). Considering my new found love, I like my odds. Lol
Thanks! Haha. I had to trim one of my trees back last year because they were in the way. Fortunately, no HOA to deal with, but I try to be respectful of my neighbors. Keep me posted! :)
Happy New year to you and your family.... welcome back ! ! !
please what bullet pixels do you use I bought 2811's is that acceptable
12 v
Probably the most common pixel chip. That’s what I use.
Hi Jeff, I'm new to RGB this year and was taking baby steps to build small successes prior to buying a large controller. For me personally, the best episode was the Hanson test controller episode. I was able to use one string, one pigtail, a mean well power supply and an inline fuse and wire nuts to light up for the first time. I spent about 50 dollars for that experiment and was very happy with the results. I think you could have a whole series of videos called O.K. Boomer. We Boomers have disposable income and the thinking was getting started is somewhat overwhelming with the multitude of lighting options, controllers, etc. and it really shouldn't be that way. My simple goal for year one was to build 3-36 inch wreaths with quality materials, buy a ready to run F16V3 falcon controller and run the show directly from a computer. I also liked the extension cords I found on Wired Watts that come in different lengths to minimize soldering. I would love your thoughts my path of least resistance and approach to spend a little more, but simplifying the first year. With this investment, I can easily expand as my confidence grows. Thanks for the great content and laughs as well. Ken from Florida.
Thanks Ken! You know, people come into the hobby with different backgrounds and approach it from one of two different ways. All-in or baby steps. Either approach is fine. Well, then there's the hybrid version of that where they start off with a string or two then full-Griswald. I can tell you that David tends to promote getting an F16V3 as a first controller so you can grow into it if starting small. It also depends if you have an existing display or are starting with nothing. Adding a small number of pixels to an existing display is less stressful because if it doesn't work, you have the rest of it to fall back on. Bottom line, no real guidance as to how to go. I did a lot of research my first year and still made a lot of mistakes, but I learned from them. If you take the long view, start with something and add to it every year. There's a lot to learn your first year, but generally, once you get it, adding more is much easier. Your approach is fine. Be sure to take advantage of the forums/Facebook groups as you will learn a lot and have a place to go for help. Also, check into the xLights zoom room (see xlights.org) on Wednesday nights.
Thanks for another great video! Mega tree baby!
Haha. Thanks!
Was hoping for some help.
I have watched alot of mega tree videos and can't seem to find out how far apart to make the bottom? How much space in-between the Individual light strands?
That's all personal density preference. Mine are about a foot apart, but my wife wants me to add more so I'll need to shorten the distance next year. 😂
@@CanispaterChristmas
Thank you sir I am so glad to have your videos to guide me.
Thank you for your videos they are very informative. I would like change some of my display to pixel lighting. I am new to this.I have a few questions. I am going to start with my 2 10 foot 180 degree mega trees with 16 strands. Where do you suggest to get lights from. Ive seen them on amazon for 10 strands of 50pixels/12v lights for $139. Are those lights any good. What controller do you suggest? Do I need 1 controller per tree? thank you for your help
Buying pixels on Amazon is a little iffy. Getting them from a reputable distributor will save some headaches. wiredwatts.com is my preferred distributor. Controller from pixelcontroller.com Exactly what you will need really depends on the layout of your display. You might go through my beginner playlist (ua-cam.com/play/PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW.html) if you haven't already.
Happy New Year from France.
bonne année
Awesome channel. What is the diameter of your topper?
I'm going to start next season with a mega tree.
I think it's roughly 7" or so, but I'm likely going to get this for next year since I'm expanding the tree: mattosdesigns.com/collections/megatree-parts/products/md-megatree-topper?variant=32740945723491
Love how you are so dang funny thanks for posting this
Thanks! 😂
Have you tried Raspberry Pi 4 yet. I am just starting out and was wondering if it would work and if it would serve me better in the long run? Thanks I enjoy your videos and Happy New Year!
I used a 2GB version this year. Probably overkill for this, but it worked fine.
@@CanispaterChristmas Thank you,
Thank you for all your help this year, I started very late with my Mega Tree 800 lights 10' tall. Couldn't have gotten it up and running without you. Question as I'm going to add more lights next year. Where do you power inject on your tree? Thanks great work Pal!
Thanks! I inject at the end of each string.
Happy new year, i am new on LED hobby just build my first falcon 16v3 controller. Question..do you leave your controller box on all the time or are they on timer?
Welcome! I use a timer, but you can go either way. If it's cold where you are, maybe leave them on, if it's hot, maybe use a timer. One F16 may not make much of a difference, but 10 might. :)
Happy new year. Just ordered my first pixel controller about a week ago. I got the f48. I have not received it in the mail yet but I have a question. What is the maximum number of pixels I can put on one differential board. Would it be 512 a port making it a total of 2048? Or can I do the full 1024 a port and make it 4096. (I know I would not be able to use the two rj45 ports below it on the f48) The reason I’m asking is because not this year but next year we are planning on having a mega tree with about 3500 pixels. (We are just going to use a tall pine in our yard as the pole). I’m curious if I could run the whole tree off of one differential expansion board. Thanks.
With that many pixels, you might want to get an F16 just for the tree. That is the popular option and a waste of the F48. To answer your question, the max would be 1022*4 because the min is 1.
Hi Jeff. Great video. Hey...what size cable gland did you use to pass the 4 pigtails? I’m doing a bunch of ammo boxes for next season similar to yours but originally planned to do separate glands for each pigtail. This seems much easier. I’m retiring my cable guard enclosures for something small and simple...and easier to store!
Thanks! It's an M24. It's probably not as waterproof as single glands, but I didn't have any water in there. I bought an assortment from Amazon (amzn.to/38vppsV) plus a few larger sizes and figured out which size I needed. I've used them for other stuff and they're pretty cheap so I don't mind having a few extra laying around.
Thank you sir!
Hey Jeff,
Once again Awesome channel. I'm learning so much from your channel.
Getting ready to get what I need to build my mega tree. One question what size is your topper?
Thanks! I think it's about 8" right now. That may change next year tho.
@@CanispaterChristmas
Thanks!!
Hey Jeff I was looking at running an F48 my first year with a raspberry pi. My question is can I use an F4V3 for an 800 12v pixel mega tree and run the FV3 kind of like you would the differential reciever??
You can daisy-chain the F4 off the F48 through the Ethernet connection (or vice-versa), but not through any of the serial connections. You just create another controller in your xLights config for the F4 and assign the tree to it.
Hi Jeff. I am starting to order my stuff from China. Finding really difficult to find the pixel straps here in the UK! I'll be following you closely. Thanks.
BoscoyoStudio doesn't ship to the UK or you don't want to pay the shipping? You might send James an email to see if there are alternatives.
Hi Jeff. Can you take a look at the Controllers for me. What one would best suit my Mega Tree? Thanks Jeff! Pretty excited 😃
Quick look, it seems like a proprietary system (requiring licensing). You might see if you can get a Falcon from pixelcontroller.com. Contact David at the bottom of his page regarding shipping one to you.
Also, you may want to wait until April to order anything from China. Chinese New Year is starting up soon and they basically shut down for 3 weeks.
I got 3 feet of 20 foot pole in the ground with concrete. 4 guys wires. we have 6-70 MPH winds tomorrow night. Am I OK?
Well, I think you'd need a mechanical engineer for that, but guy wires help in that area. Assuming the winds have already passed by now. How did it do?
How did you manage 1200 pixels? I thought the maximum of these differential receivers was 1024. Also thanks so much for all of your other videos, been a huge help.
Thanks! 1,200 is split into 4 strings of 300... currently. No, technically it's 1,024 per port, but I haven't seen any one actually run that many and it depends on what the other end of that receiver is and your frame rate. If you're running 40fps, you need to drop it down below about 640 per port. If you're using an F48, you are wasting most of the controller to get 1,022 because you'd have 2 banks supporting only 1 pixel. If any of that is confusing, check out my F16 & F48 videos if you haven't already.
@@CanispaterChristmas Wow okay, thanks so much this is quite an epiphany moment for me. going to make things a lot easier.
Light bulb is lit! Awesome! 😂
😍 happy New Year !
Happy New Year!
I found installing flat pixels in the Boscoyo strip was a pain. After some very sore fingers I found that a pair of Cleko-Loc pliers (ebay) made the job so much easier! I drilled out the cup on the pliers and installed a flat 1/4-20 nut and bolt which fit the back of the pixel perfectly.
Also, Please consider a video on controller ports and addresses. I had trouble finding which addresses went to which ports using xLights. Thanks so much for all your advice. My first year turned out great!
Awesome! I believe some entrepreneurial person(s) has developed pixel pliers similar to what you described. If you configure your models correctly in xLights, you can have xLights program your controller and don't really have to worry about addresses. ua-cam.com/video/xtemNvNfsMw/v-deo.html
Thanks for all the video mate, really learn a lot of things from you. :)
Thanks!
love the skit Jeff!!!
😂
Cool update Jeff! Can't wait to see that gigantic star on your megatree this coming year. Also, I think you were trying to find the word "winch" for the crank thingy on the ASAP pole. Just curious, did you run your pixels up and down like a zig zag or do they all start at the bottom and have they own individual connection to a port on the controller? Thanks!
WINCH! YES! Thank you! haha. I only have 4 connections currently. They physically zig-zag up and down, but xLights handles figuring that out for me in the model settings.
Fun and informative as always Jeff. Glad to see your doppleganger getting some work. Best wishes for the New Year to you and yours Jeff.
@@trapp88 Thanks Pete! Good to hear from you again!
Thanks Jeff,
Happy New Year, look forward to many more of your vids. I also am planning to do a mega tree for next year, have already purchased the controller and pixels for it.
My question is: Is there an advantage to doing a 360 deg tree vs a 180 deg tree?
Thanks
It depends on the viewing angle. If people only see it from the street, probably 180 is fine. If you live on a corner and people can see it from anywhere, then 360 is better. Other than that, no real difference.
@@CanispaterChristmas Thanks Jeff, mine a one street angle. Makes it easier on me.....
🎅🎅🎅I bought a 19' telescoping fiberglass pole from DX Engineering The other day. Cant wait to get started building my Mega Tree. Oh the tree topper I was afraid of it falling and clocking me so I went to Walmart and got a 1/4 thick plastic cutting board made a 10" circle. OOh Hi there Jeff.
LOL! Clocking not recommended. 😂
Ok so i switched to x lights and i am trying to get my mini pixel tree to show up as one continuous strand. However everytime i go to the wiring view it has all the starts to each strand at the bottom of the tree. What am i doing wrong?
How is it connected to your controller? # of strings equals # of controller connections. Strands per string allows you to virtually cut it up.
nice info... I can tell you what I did with my mega trees... although they are just static and not "smart" I used 2 and 4" pvc.. used a coupling attached "S" hooks to it.. I have 8 around it... drive a "t" post in the ground and set the pipe over it... then I take 3 ropes with sliding cord adjusters... have a loop in one end .. hook to "S" hook on top and use a drill to put a screw in ground anchor in the ground... the other end of the rope to the ground anchor.. and then use the sliding rope adjusters to tighten the pole. used it on trees 9' to 16' tall.. and two 20' "super light poles" ( 2"x 20' pvc with two 100w rgb floods on them) it was quick and simple and easier then turn buckles.
Sounds great. Interesting solutions for this problem. :)
@@CanispaterChristmas Forgot to add I have 10 mega trees so far.. I am not into pixels... yet... but never say never.. LOL
@@seantaray7180 Haha. Impressive. Yeah, you don't have to use pixels for a nice display. I just enjoy the flexibility of them over other lights. They do however, come with a cost - both monetary and complexity.
You mentioned 1200 off one smart receiver? For some reason I was under the impression you could only run 1024 off one port/smart card?
Smart receiver has 4 ports. I have 4 strings of 300 pixels. 1,024 pixels per port on a bare F16.
Hellllllllo Sir. Thank you so much for your videos! This will be my first year and I've decided to go with the MEGA TREE. I have a Sandisk e682 and two power supplies. The Sandisk has 16 ports as I'm sure you already know. What are the pros and cons of wiring all the lights in series with power injection vs. using all 16 ports? I am a little confused on how to calculate how many ports I should use for each project. Thank you so much!
Thanks! It's mainly personal preference and requirements for your display. I used a single differential receiver that has 4 ports for my tree so I used 4 strings, but that will have to change next year because I'm adding the star to it. Small strings are easier to deal with - especially for new folks. I used 16 ports for 800 lights my first year and ran them at 100%. It was really bright! :)
@@CanispaterChristmas Thanks :) I received 1,000 bullet pixel's today and testing them out on my e682. Exciting times. Why would you wire them all on 1 channel? Basically, I am questioning why I couldn't run my whole show on 1 controller. Thank you for your help. Have a great Sunday
@@atticusmccoy6701 The props dictate how you distribute pixels among your display. If you have a matrix for example, a bunch of pixels in a relatively small area, you can use longer strings and inject power fairly easily or just use smaller strings and more ports. Really depends on the prop, the number of available ports and whether or not you feel comfortable injecting power.
@@CanispaterChristmas Since you guys already started talking about this, I have a question. Let me start by saying that I am new at this. Judging by other of your videos and this one, I assume you are using a F48 as controller and only one differential receiver. According to the manual, each port can control up to 1024 pixels but you have 1,200. Can you please explain? The reason I ask is because I am still trying to figure out which way to go. Thank you much for your videos and the super nice sense of humor.
@@donrebeko I'm working on a video that covers this exact topic. Stay tuned. Too much to type in a response. :)
First of all I am a new bee. Got bit by the Christmas lighting this last Christmas. Your tree is really close to what I want to do. I plan on running the F48 controller and deferential receivers. The tree will have 16 strands of 50 pixels each. I will be doing power injection. My big question is can I drive all 800 pixels off one port. Can the data get to the other end without losing any strength? I see that you used 4 ports to drive 300 pixels on each port. Is their any advantage of using multiple ports rather driving all the pixels on one port? On your video concerning pixel apportioning, I think you said that you can drive up the 1024 pixels if you are using only one receiver. My big concern is driving all 800 pixels on one port. Also I really enjoy watching all your videos. They are great. Also I will be Vegas the middle of July for my grandsons bowling. I see that Christmas Expo is going to be there at the same time. Could not get any better. If you are going to be there, I will look you up. Thanks again for all your help.
Larry
Aurora, Colorado
Thanks and Welcome! You need to think about the entire display. If using the F48, you don't want to assign too many pixels to one group and starve another group as you'll end up wasting allocation for pixels. Roughly 340 pixels per group is an even spread. For a bare F16 (no expansion boards), you can run 1024 pixels per port, but it's not recommended, especially for beginners because it isn't straightforward on how to actually pull that off. I used 300 for mine because it's easy to run the tree off one differential receiver (that will change this year because I'm adding a star to the top - probably just add another DR to the mix). I also run the brightness at 30% so that saves on power. With an F48, ports won't be a problem, but you do need to manage the allocation to allow enough for the entire display. See you in Las Vegas!
I'm back..
First of all, I am learning Xlights. Great software and great videos. If you have the right tools, you can do anything.
Using PI 4 with FPP to drive the controller. Don't have the F48 controller or receivers yet.
I feel like a kid in a candy store with this new adventure. Can't sleep at night, thinking about pixel lighting.
Thank you for you assistance. Now my tree has the following:
#Strings 4
Nodes/String 200
Strands/String 4
One Receiver using all four ports
My other problem was my roof line. If I used one string, it would be 425 pixels in length. So I broke it down in almost half.
One string will have 200 pixels and the other string will have 225 pixels.
Plan on using ChromaTrim attached to 1/2 inch pvc to hold the pixels.
Using two ports off one receiver.
Now for some questions for you:
Do you prefer 5 volts or 12 volt pixels? The only advantage of 12 volts is less power injection on long runs. But they cost more...
Do you prefer square nodes or bullet nodes? To me, they are the same.
You talk about getting pixels from Ray. On Aliexpress, they have lots of vendors with the same items.
It seems Ray's shipping is high compared to other vendors. Also do we have to pay any tariffs on shipments from China.
I had some other questions, but already forgot them. At 78, you have to write things down...
I saw on one of your videos that you were in the service. I retired from Air Force in 1982. Good life.
Thanks for your service,
Larry
Haha. Thanks and thank you for your service! I know the feeling. I prefer 12V, but you can also use what's best for the prop. Long runs 12V, concentrated pixels, 5V if you want. I have one 5V prop I built just to see what they were all about, but the rest are 12V. Thinking about getting strings with regulators instead of resistors this year to see if there is much of a difference in power draw and longevity. I've had good luck with Ray's pixels and that's why I buy from him. I don't know about the other vendors. If you email Ray, he usually comes back with better shipping prices. I believe AliExpress handcuffs vendors a little so I email Ray and pay him through PayPal and he's able to get better shipping rates. I've never had to deal with customs, but they usually don't bother with small stuff. If I were to buy a shipping container's worth of pixels, that might make a difference. I'm not sure what happens on the tariff side. I guess I'll find out in April or May when I order more pixels. :)
One more question. You see lots of strings with the STF connectors. They don't seem waterproof for outside use. It seems that most of the 12 volt strings come with the Xconnector (I think that is what they are called.) What is your feeling about using STF connectors outside? Also the Xconnector come in 13.5mm and 15mm. Which size is mostly used. I have been doing a lot of information gathering on lighting. You have to have the information before you can make a decision. I joined the Australian lighting group and d/l the 101 lighting guide. They put a lot of effort in the manual. Reading it just enforced the information that I had already learned. Every newbie should read this manual. I saw your name on Zoom last Wednesday. Now I know why you are so smart.. I think you are giving the presentation next week. I'll be there..
Thanks again for all your help. I will check out Ray. I thought I had his email but cant' find it. Can you spit it out again.
Larry
JST connectors. Where did I come up with STF
Hey can you help me I'm switching to xlights and I was wondering if you could help
Switching from what? I don't have much experience with other sequencers, but there are a ton of tutorials at videos.xlights.org. I have a quick sequencing tutorial playlist that has a few videos about it. Also, Keith's 3-hour training video is in my beginner playlist which I highly recommend. Are you looking for something specific?
what size are the guy wires
Mine says 1/8-3/16. I'm guessing 1/8" cable with a plastic coating that pushes it to 3/16". It's hasn't broken yet so assuming it's strong enough. A mechanical engineer could probably come up with a better answer based on wind load and prop surface area, but that's what I used. 😂 I bought mine from (www.e-rigging.com). Careful, they have some neat stuff! lol
It's Christmas all year long with Canispater Christmas!
😂
Have you used a PiCap? Worth it for beginners?
I haven't, but it's a good way to get a few pixels going.
I'll add that after watching this channel for a while, I decided to give it a try this year.
I used a PiCap and did 2 simple stars to see if I would actually get into it. I felt the PiCap gave me an easy way to test the waters (I was all in for less than $100 this year).
I'll be adding the F16 next year and doing a tree and some arches. I would have hated to spend the money on the F16 though to find out I didn't really enjoy it.
@@mattbutts7519 "...didn't enjoy it." Is that even possible? 😂
@@CanispaterChristmas True. It was more of a "will I actually put in the effort?". And the answer was yes. I have learned a ton from your videos so thank you!
I already have a Christmas light setup but it’s all AC lights using Renards and Vixen so I “know” I want to do it. Just want to take baby steps. And yes @CanispaterChristmas is a HUGE inspirations and motivation, not to mention a wealth of knowledge. Keep it up!!
Can't find your link to amazon. One more time please.
Check the description of the video. All my links are in there. Looking for something specific?
Never knew all the links were there. Thanks for your help
love the intro's. :)
Thanks!
Great I wish you had shown your power injection cable and how you inject at the end of every strand and still have the data cable to run through.
I just go from string to string with normal pigtails (power and data) and inject at the end (no data). I used 2-wire automotive connectors for the power injection and went through automotive inline fuses. Could also use a Falcon F8 distro board for the fuses which I may use for next year.
Staff of Zarton sound effect! Nope, it’s now the MEGA TREE!!
Haha.
Thanks.
You're welcome!
U talking about me
😂 Yep!
Lol, this guy's outro music is the same as Stressmonster101's intro music.
It's also free and approved by UA-cam. 😂
@@CanispaterChristmas I figured it was. I just thought it was funny.
@@austin24heck30 Yeah, it's weird when I see a video and recognize the music from the library UA-cam provides.
Hallo sir you are Facebook name
Same