by sh1mmer on 12/6/24, 5:20 PM with 115 comments
by pwg on 12/6/24, 5:56 PM
Many 'effects' already prepackaged. Plus the ability to schedule time based changes (on/off/change pattern/etc.). Includes a web server to provide "app like" control over a phone or PC. Also includes integrations for several "home control" systems and a http API for programmatic control from another system. Can even synchronize plural controllers into a whole 'net' (note, I've not used this feature yet).
Small ESP32 boards (with wifi capability) such as this example (no affiliation, just an example that works):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y8X1GK7
WS2811 LED strings [1] (of which there are an infinite variety) suitable for outdoor use. One example (no affiliation):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYZF1WCR
Suitable power supplies, outdoor weather sealed boxes, and wiring (all left to you to locate).
Willingness to assemble the pieces and some time to do so. Having a soldering iron is helpful here, although one could possibly get by with screw terminal blocks inside weatherproof boxes if need be for many of the 'connections'.
[1] Or other 'programmable LED' strings for which WLED is compatible (it works with numerous different programmable LED standards, browse the WLED website for details).
by beala on 12/9/24, 12:13 AM
the tl;dw is that most color LED lights work by emitting a single frequency of light. Compared to classic christmas lights, which are incandescent filaments filtered through dyed glass, the LED lights look a bit... radioactive.
My personal pet peeve are white LED lights. If you're not careful to buy the ones labeled "warm" they look cold, and imo, not very festive and inviting.
Of course, this is all a matter of taste, but once I became privy to the difference, I could no longer ignore it. I guess I'm just a millennial nostalgic for the lights of my youth.
by tannedNerd on 12/6/24, 9:06 PM
by chris_overseas on 12/8/24, 9:37 PM
Some reasons why: - It has a much more intuitive user interface - It's far easier to program new patterns. Programming is done in-browser with a language that's a subset of Javascript, with code changes being applied in realtime. - Due to the way its rendering engine works, the patterns it produces are generally far more 'organic' looking and smoother than most of the WLED ones. - It's possible to map LEDs in arbitrary 2D or 3D configurations (think lights strewn all over a Christmas tree), which WLED can't really do at all. - If you have multiple Pixelblazes you can get them to sync with each other over Wifi. - A really helpful community forum.
Downside: - The firmware isn't open source, though some of its tooling is, and the firmware is stable and gets fairly regular updates, so it's not a huge issue to me. YMMV.
For the LEDs, you probably want wired bullet-style strings of LEDs rather than the thin copper LED strips since they're generally more suited to outside use. By far the most common (and generally cheapest) type of LEDs are WS-2812B or similar. They're OK, though you might notice they don't have good definition at low brightness levels. APA-102 or equivalent are a bit more expensive, but have MUCH better dynamic range, so I'd suggest going for these if you can. There are other better (and more expensive) LEDs still, but it starts to become diminishing returns, plus they can be hard to come by or find suitable controllers for. If you're running lengths of more than a 150 or so LEDs then power starts to matter, and you'll either need to inject power regularly into the strips, and/or use LEDs designed to take 12V or 24V. These can come with caveats such as worse power consumption and/or fewer addressable LEDs per meter, so research what you're buying carefully.
by entangledqubit on 12/8/24, 5:27 PM
by AstroJetson on 12/9/24, 1:52 AM
This is a simplistic view of what it looks like.
http://www.brianhensley.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Chris...
by sircastor on 12/8/24, 4:35 PM
My personal preference is 12v ws2811 bullet-style voltage-regulated nodes. They’re extendable, individual nodes on a strand are replaceable if you’re willing to do some cutting and crimping.
I like the 12v because you can go for longer strands without losing colors from voltage drop. Regulated over a resistive voltage divider = less heat.
As has been mentioned, you can install WLED onto a microcontroller and have a web-page for a remote control.
by SoftTalker on 12/8/24, 6:44 PM
by mch82 on 12/9/24, 4:09 PM
by tedchs on 12/8/24, 5:41 PM
by highdeserthackr on 12/9/24, 2:20 PM
by charleslmunger on 12/8/24, 6:40 PM
LED lights as a string or strip - sk8612 are RGBW, which you need if you want a nice looking white. Lots of strips of varying density and waterproofing are available everywhere; strings ("pixels") can be harder to find but are available on AliExpress.
Controller is https://quinled.info/
Runs wled which has a simple web interface, mobile apps, and works with home assistant.
by NoMoreNicksLeft on 12/9/24, 1:44 AM
Have them around eaves/gutters, windows, whatever. Is there some aspect of this I'm not getting that makes it impractical (or ugly in the off seasons)?
by ramones13 on 12/8/24, 4:26 PM
For your specific question, Wally’s Lights is great, and like others have mentioned, something running WLED to control them is a great choice.
by hgomersall on 12/8/24, 9:27 PM
There're a couple of other variants of that board too, one with wifi. Basically you can animate Neopixels with about 6 lines of pretty simple python.
by ulrischa on 12/9/24, 5:40 PM
by silverlight on 12/8/24, 4:39 PM
by theshrike79 on 12/9/24, 2:28 PM
If you're fine with one colour for the whole strip, this is an easy plug-and-play-ish solution.
by luxuryballs on 12/8/24, 3:57 PM
by Tepix on 12/8/24, 5:17 PM
by josefresco on 12/9/24, 5:38 PM
by ryukoposting on 12/8/24, 3:57 PM
by asjfkdlf on 12/10/24, 2:12 AM
by anfractuosity on 12/8/24, 5:56 PM
by netsharc on 12/8/24, 3:26 PM
by riedel on 12/8/24, 5:22 PM
by kodt on 12/9/24, 2:21 AM
by daredoes on 12/8/24, 7:30 PM