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Other Projects / Re: WS2801 RGB String Driver
« on: January 05, 2012, 09:38:35 am »
Thanks for the replies. RM, you are right in my thinking. I think I may have thrown others in my definition of terms. The savings I am thinking do come from the cheaper "dumb string", but mainly in the cost savings and the simplicity of the controller. But don't forget about the fewer rows in the control software to manage. My subject does mention the WS2801, but it could be any RGB driver chip.
Thanks for the information about the weather kindness (IP68 vs IP67) of the strings I provided as examples....I will keep an eye on these when I place my order. In the past, before stepping into the Lighting control Arena, the lights I would install on the eves and gutters were mounted to lengths of PVC pipe cut specifically to those areas of the house. 'L' hooks were permanently installed into the fascia of the house to allow the PVC to hang from them. Lights were simply zip tied to the sections of the PVC pipe and hung with a modified painter’s pole. In later years, the step to ease the install of the lights/PVC sections, I ran aircraft cable through the fascia into the attic. Lower the cables, attach the cable to the PVC and pull the cables back up and the lights were hung. The all-day task of hanging lights with a ladder was reduced to 30 minutes. If a section had a bulb out, I simply lower the section via the cables; fixed it and pulled it back up. No ladder work anymore. This also allowed changing the lights much easier as I could plan and attach the strings before they ever touched the house (and I could do it in my warm garage; not in the weather).
For the RGB lights, I hope I can do a modified version of this and mount the LEDs inside the PVC pipe and have them stick out though holes drilled at fixed intervals. The previously used install process would still work the same. The only downside to this is I am in a new house this year and I have to perform these steps all over again. The good side of things is I know exactly how to do it this time.
This PVC process would not work for the bushes of course and I will look out for the IP68 version of the LEDs.
Thanks for the information about the weather kindness (IP68 vs IP67) of the strings I provided as examples....I will keep an eye on these when I place my order. In the past, before stepping into the Lighting control Arena, the lights I would install on the eves and gutters were mounted to lengths of PVC pipe cut specifically to those areas of the house. 'L' hooks were permanently installed into the fascia of the house to allow the PVC to hang from them. Lights were simply zip tied to the sections of the PVC pipe and hung with a modified painter’s pole. In later years, the step to ease the install of the lights/PVC sections, I ran aircraft cable through the fascia into the attic. Lower the cables, attach the cable to the PVC and pull the cables back up and the lights were hung. The all-day task of hanging lights with a ladder was reduced to 30 minutes. If a section had a bulb out, I simply lower the section via the cables; fixed it and pulled it back up. No ladder work anymore. This also allowed changing the lights much easier as I could plan and attach the strings before they ever touched the house (and I could do it in my warm garage; not in the weather).
For the RGB lights, I hope I can do a modified version of this and mount the LEDs inside the PVC pipe and have them stick out though holes drilled at fixed intervals. The previously used install process would still work the same. The only downside to this is I am in a new house this year and I have to perform these steps all over again. The good side of things is I know exactly how to do it this time.
This PVC process would not work for the bushes of course and I will look out for the IP68 version of the LEDs.