Year Round Holiday LEDs Part 1: Hardware

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[BobbyKinstle]

The reason why the Byte order is different on some of the strips (RGB vs GRB vs BGR) is because they are mixing brands of addressable LEDs. You got a mix of World Semi parts, Opsco parts, and Kong lighting parts. I've found also when mixing LED brands it's a good idea to back down the bus clock from 800 KHz to 780 KHz for best compatibility.

Back in 2009 I did this same thing with analog strips and I've been kicking around the notion of using individually addressable strips like you did. These videos are very helpful. One other thing I want to add is that over the years the clear encapsulation material turns yellow depending on how much sun they get. I didn't put them into the channels (also a very nice touch). So far they are still clear enough to work but one day it might be a problem.

Speaking of the channels, I used a bunch of those channels for white lighting in my pantry, hall closet, and garage. Be careful about exposed contacts on the back side of the strips shorting out against the channel. In my case it happened with a single strip in the hall closet and the PSU had short circuit protection, but on these large, high current, distributions, it's a very good idea to have some inline fuses as a short 20 feet away from a high current power supply might look like normal load while it sets your roof on fire. The aluminum strips hopefully add a measure of fire resistance too.

[anotherledfreak]

Just stumbled on this video. Wish this was about a year ago. I used various sources to design and build my 17.5m display around my house. The advice is so good. Buying the LEDs in one go to avoid colour differences (learnt this the hard way...), power consumption (5v - 240v (in my case) wattage NOT using amperage), power injection and the most important how to run the display (I used an arduino). Nice work!

[CentralIowa]

Thank you. This is exactly the information I'm looking for in the format I needed to hear it in. You're awesome.

[AlexaMorales]

This looks wonderful, great explanation! I really want to do this for my house. Tired of risking my life on the roof 2x/year!

[ClokworkGremlin]

SK9822 >> WS2812, spread the word!

Downsides: 25-50% more expensive, requires an extra pin
Upsides: you weren't using that pin anyway. Easier to program for(no timing constraints), can run at least 3x as fast (I don't know the upper limit, my microcontroller won't go any faster)

[skeepskeeperson]

Tiny Bayshore view, nice! Also, like the lightning effect.

*Great video!* I'm completely remodeling the outside of my house, including new custom soffits where I used to have open rafters, and aluminum channels for LED strip lights. I'm pretty sure that your videos will help me figure out how to make everything turn out awesome!

[BKHobby]

Great video! I started playing with the WS2801s a few years ago, wrapping strings of them around the bushes outside for the holiday season. Made for a great effect, but water ingress was always an issue (even though they're supposedly IP65 rated). So, last year, I went the same route you did...WS2812 5V, 5M 150-LED IP65 strips in aluminum channels, mounted in the door frames and window sills, running some of my own, as well as bruhAutomation's effects. I designed breakout boards and 3d printed enclosures for the NodeMCU to complete a "fully-baked" look and protect everything from the weather outside. Very happy with the results (I have some videos on them on my channel). Running them in isolated windows meant I had to synchronize the effect switching via MQTT from openHAB, but that worked out well, too...I may steal some of your effects for this season, if you don't mind! :-D

Keep up the great work - your videos are well-made and informative - I know for a fact how much effort that takes to put together! Cheers from a fellow home automation enthusiast and YouTuber!

[rupert]

Gs8208 are addressable, 12 V and have the controllers inside the LEDs. At 12 V, the power doesn't drop off as quickly so you can have longer stretches before the colours are affected.

[CrankyCoder]

Love this!! the permanent fixture is an awesome concept!

[ggsggo]

I have found I get a more even color distribution by connecting only 1 hot and 1 ground wire at opposite ends of the strip. Also I have run that ground wire under the IP67 strip inside the silicon tube and it all fit in the aluminum channel fine, but not with the end caps.. The silicon tube is easy to reseal the end if the tube is longer than the strip. Cut the strip 1 led longer than needed, then Turn the tube inside out (the most difficult step) over itself to expose the end of the strip and cut that last led off so the tube is longer than strip. After soldering, unfold the tube so it covers the end and fill it with silicon instead of using the end caps that wont fit in the aluminum channel. Also I drilled 1/8 in holes on the underside of the channels that are not recessed in a groove since the channels can leak, ... at the plastic diffuser and channel seam. The exposed diffusers get degraded by the sun and crack in a couple years and become brittle. Also, the coefficient of thermal expansion differs from the aluminum, especially if painted dark. If tightly fitted, in a long strip an edge can pop loose from the channels allowing water entry. I like the IP67 damage resistance relative to the IP65. The IP65 only last as long as their casing integrity lasts. To prevent damage, I have had to replace the diffusers every third year and the finding the diffusers separately is difficult. If I was to do again i'd find white frosted silicon tubes and discard the diffusers, or forget the aluminum channels altogether.

[AndyMillenFilms]

Planning on doing this at some point before Christmas - planning on using this and DrZzs videos. Already really useful info, look forward to the next parts!

[KennyKennTV]

I watch your videos before bed when my ambien kicks in. i wake up the next day and forget everything i learned

[MrConformation]

2:30, That 90 / 360 amp thru a 15amp breaker? We take it that 360 amps is at 5vdc. A bit of math is unstated here. BUT your presentation is GREAT.

[stevetaylor]

Looking to use Vixen. Lots of controllers to choose from. What’s best...D1mini, Arduino, nodemcu... thanks for all you do to help us learn.

[PatrickMichael]

Watching both you and DrZz as I plan my next holiday season

[Banjoba]

I'm really debating using these strips or strings like Dr zzz. I like these because they really look more concealed when not in use.

[RoRo]

I'd say go as dense as you can afford, and do offsets if you want to turn half of them off to save power.

[drugwars]

This is fucking rad. All information. Zero bullshit. Subscribed!

[mrdpwr]

I do very large Halloween and Christmas displays, but really don't do anything fancy with lighting. I've been looking to do projector mapping as well as lighting similar to this. However, some parts of my house are a little on the high side that I do not feel comfortable on the ladder. Oh well