I put in the initial guess of $45 for the zeus board (versus the $62 for an active hub), no smart string controllers and used the cheaper ws2811 12v flex strip
$32 for 5m ws2811 vs $42 for 4m 1809.
My 20 string megatree
was $1669 using active hubs and SSC's and 1809's
it was $1234 using Zeus, no SSC's and ws2811's.
It looks to me as Zeus has now dropped just below the j1sys p12r and e682 . All 3 are basically very close to the same price. Good job RJ, it brings the pixelnet equipment right back to the leading edge of the hardware. I have noticed the 2811 stuff has had the steepest drop in prices over the last 6 months, not sure why.
again, thanks
sean
Sean thanks but I do not like to play the yours against their's game.
This is not really address to you Sean so please read it as a broadcast to everyone about my thoughts on the pricing game I have seen over the last 6 months.The fact is the price done this way as the others have done in the past is so far off of the mark it is not funny. It is not that you or anyone is doing anything wrong. But it is like picking the cheapest car based on what the wheels cost.
The reason the megatree started being the thing they priced (and has become the standard) is simple because t is an expensive part of ot the show and what everone begins dreaming of on RGB. Done this way and no other parts of the show they would come in cheaper. Since I create complete systems and it takes me time to complete a system it was a good way to make people believe they would save lots of money using their equipment.
When you do a single megatree and add the cost of the ETD. It is going to inflate the cost. You do not buy a ETD for each megatree or controller.
Then when the hub is added it ignores the fact that you have to buy connectors to run power to their equipment and strings. The hub is just my way of injecting power cleanly and easier than having to run seperate runs and gives us the cheap hub at the same time. Most of the cost of a passive hub is the connectors.
Then on the SSC the cost used always includes the pigtail ect. Their equipment does not come with the connectors so thats over $1.50 a string benifit to the other systems. We also have a even cheaper SSC coming that cuts the cost even more.
There is no free lunch and the ETD gives me a way to take a one time hit on a costly ethernet interface so I can use cheap interfaces on the many controllers needed to build out your show in the future. It allows me to daisy chain contollers and use cheaper splitters ect. The other way of using E1.31 is great but each controller is hit with a costly ethernet interface and so it becomes cost ineffective to build small string count controllers.
Now move to the real problem. When you have all your controllers having 16 string outputs on them and you are done doing your megatrees ect you move to the rest of the show and find you have a hard time filling them without buy extended transcievers or something to extend the distance from the controller to the strings. These cost more than a SSC itself.
When a whole show is looked at and the cost of the ETD is spread out over the show the cost are not even close.
So what if we use my choice to do pricing?
I have 16 mini trees spaced at 16 feet apart in my show. how many 16 string controllers would I need? well it sounds good as you only need one right? But since you are talking a distance of 256 feet it is easy to see it would require a number of them using some of the outputs. There is nothing else near them to use those outputs on. So maybe 4 of them at $110 and some transmitters/recievers to extend the range
? or one of them and 14 transmitters/recievers which cost more than the SSCs to start with? Gets expensive.
SSC cost about $7 with no pigtail to compare fairly. so 16 x 7 = $112 I can only afford one 16 channel controller for that. add the passive hub and I have about $150 plus I can put my controller permantly attached to the tree and simply unplug it and put it away at the end of the season.
If costs is the big driving force then only way to fairly look at cost is design your whole show and look at the costs over all of everything. I try to create simple cheap DIY solutions for people to use. I am not a business where I have to compete and this is why I have said little about all of this as I have seen it. In the end it all has its place and users should us what works best for them.
RJ
