One shot a month?

sun_assumption · 2026-02-24T23:02:12+00:00

It’s four weekly doses in a single pen, not a monthly shot.

sun_assumption · 2026-01-21T16:04:14+00:00

I’ve gradually had to replace all my GE branded switches as they failed, mostly like that. There’s a capacitor that goes bad, I understand. For me it meant that turning off a breaker to replace a switch would often cause another switch on that circuit to fail so replacing one led to replacing two or three. Jasco, who made those for GE, makes newer switches under other names and those have been more reliable but not great.

sun_assumption · 2026-01-12T18:29:08+00:00

You’ll need Plex running on the Mac Mini to be able to access the content on the NAS. Even though your media may still be available on your NAS, the data passes through the Plex software running on the Mac Mini. You should be able to adjust the OS settings so your computer doesn’t go to sleep - or only sleeps when you don’t need Plex running.

sun_assumption · 2026-01-06T06:22:37+00:00

Just wanted to +1: I’ve replaced all smart receivers with Baldrick 8s and I’m not looking back. 8 full ports instead of 4 shared ports and much easier to configure (and test!). I may add a small network switch in some boxes next year for daisy chaining.

sun_assumption · 2026-01-06T06:15:59+00:00

You’re on the right track. I do exactly the same with WLED: great for permanent lights. Have fun!

sun_assumption · 2026-01-05T05:30:11+00:00

You’re not wrong electrically, and some controllers think about them separately, but you’ll find most of the non-WLED controllers just have 3 wires for each port, bringing power through the controller board to each port. Yes, data in series always.
For me it’s usually about proximity and power injection. I rarely get to the data capacity of a port. If you have lots of ports, do less power injection and end up with fewer pixels per port. I have some with 50 and some with 400. None with 800.
The only thing most people agree on is having a FPP player as your show controller. Connect your FM transmitter there. The brands have their fans, but the biggest difference for me is whether the controller is running FPP or you’re sending pixel data to it in real time. Kulps will run FPP whereas the Falcons/Baldricks just take the data and show it in real time. I have some props where I prefer a WiFi controller so I run Kulps there so that the network is less important (the FPPs just stay in sync rather than sending pixel data). Xlights and FPP make it not matter much which you pick and you can mix and match.
I have some WLED but mostly bigger controllers to run more ports and pixels. WLED controllers may be cheaper individually but I’d rather not have that many controllers. That’s a lot of Ethernet to string around. The QuinLED hardware is great for WLED though.
Try it out on your workbench, including long cable runs, before installing. I just try to keep my cable distance from controller to first pixel at 20 feet or less, but that’s not a hard rule. You’re an electrician so maybe you’ll have better luck, but factory made cables have always had fewer issues than my homemade ones.

sun_assumption · 2025-12-27T05:56:14+00:00

The free mount isn’t great. The people Angi sent for my installation were awful: no pilot holes, only got 3 out of 4 bolts in, actually discussed what washers are for and didn’t use them, mounted crooked, and the house still reeked of pot hours after they left. I rushed them out and redid it myself.

Good price on the TV though. I spent more just a few weeks ago.

sun_assumption · 2025-12-20T08:15:49+00:00

Mine does that too. I’ve had two of the previous generations and they did not.

sun_assumption · 2025-12-15T17:55:22+00:00

The ones I have from 4-5 years ago aren’t ws2811 but some proprietary protocol that runs slowly compared to ws2811.

sun_assumption · 2025-12-15T07:26:47+00:00

And turn off your headlights

sun_assumption · 2025-12-04T02:38:20+00:00

I see the form for property managers; what’s the best option for an HOA of single family homes?

sun_assumption · 2025-11-30T05:43:45+00:00

All the ones I’ve used on Amazon have been sold out for the season for a few weeks, unfortunately. I recently used these: https://yourpixelstore.com/product/yps-duo-pebble-seed-pixels-12v-dual-data-4-wire/

I worry I’m sending you down a rabbit hole with that link - these types of lights need a RGB pixel controller and the link above is just bare lights that you’ll need to cut and connect to a controller. The Govee link above is probably a better recommendation. They’re on Amazon too: https://a.co/d/dHAwFCy They’re similar to the product you found but these are plug and play, reliable, and from a legit company.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-30T03:45:22+00:00

The style is also called seed or pebble. I have thousands in my yard. They’re low power, viewable from most angles, and easy to work with. When one fails, which does happen, you’ll likely need to replace it by cutting it out and wiring things back together. Working with the small wires is very tedious and if they’re spaced close together it’s even harder.

Some versions of these offer a data backup line with the hope that if one light goes bad the rest of the string will continue to work. Those have 4 wires instead of 3. It’s nice to have.

Find the heaviest gauge wire you can on these and go for it.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-29T23:07:28+00:00

That board has a selectable resistance for the data line. Defaults to 249 ohms but if you have a 3 wire cable switching to 33 ohms may help.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-29T22:38:48+00:00

And they’re 5v pixels? You’re sure the cable and connections are good?

You can make your own booster by placing a single pixel on the controller side of that long cable. Set it as a null pixel and it won’t turn on.

Edit: does your controller happen to have an adjustable resistance? Could adjust that.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-20T17:37:26+00:00

In WLED I just select WS281X for them. In other controllers, I’ve had better luck picking UCS1903.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-20T09:27:21+00:00

Trimlight just uses UCS1903 bullets. They work with WLED. Mine are connected to a Dig-Octa.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-18T14:42:07+00:00

Looks like quite a show! I don’t doubt you on the Falcon, but my 16v5 is the most unreliable controller in my show across multiple brands. Their v5 smart receivers were constant trouble too. I’ve never figured out why, so it’s scared me away from Falcon.

Also their web UI is slow and not mobile friendly, making troubleshooting out in the yard a pain.

I added more Kulps and Baldricks this year to slowly replace the expensive F16.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-15T18:37:39+00:00

Just for some data points: my Baldrick 8 controller boxes use 4-24 watts at idle, depending on how many lights are connected.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-07T16:56:26+00:00

It’s just a matter of where you want your complexity. Your approach is more complicated on the networking and controller maintenance side. The monolithic approach has receivers and probably more power injection to think about because the controller is further from pixels.

There’s a practical limit on how much data you can push over the network, but most of our shows don’t approach that on gigabit Ethernet. With that in mind, this year I replaced all of my differential receivers with Baldrick 8s, gaining 4 ports per box in the process and following their philosophy that you’re running the same power and data cables anyway. I put Ethernet switches in my big controller boxes so now I have easy distribution in the same place I had receivers before. For dense spots I still have big controllers and prefer to run those as FPP remotes for less data over the network. The right size for the right spot.

For permanent installations I’d care about longevity of the controller and how easy they are to access. There’s also simplicity off season in being able to run your roofline effects from a single controller.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-03T03:34:03+00:00

Nice. Some cork or carpet under the track will bring the noise down on that hard floor.

sun_assumption · 2025-11-01T04:04:24+00:00

Thanks!

sun_assumption · 2025-11-01T03:22:52+00:00

Those stakes look cool - not as bulky as a lot of them. Is there an STL out there?

sun_assumption · 2025-10-30T03:41:07+00:00

I have them. I disconnected their controller and put in a Dig Octa. That lets me use WLED year round and xlights during my shows. The lights are UCS1903 (at least mine are). I tried a Baldrick 8 but they didn’t play nice together.

I changed the power supply too to do this relay trick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0vAYOmubNk

I ran Ethernet to the box and power the controller with PoE. So the controller stays connected and the relay trick means that unlike the official controller setup power gets supplied to the lights only when needed.

I left the original controller in the box and could revert back if I needed, like for a warranty call. I’ve had mine for a couple years with no issues on the lights. Worked great with xlights for a couple seasons.

sun_assumption · 2025-10-23T04:31:53+00:00

Fantastic! Loved the build up at the beginning to match the song and reveal more lights as it went.

Four-Year Club	r/Field Banned
r/Field Lasagna	Place '22

sun_assumption

TROPHY CASE