Color Changing Flood lights, what do I need

The major advantage to DMX is that you can switch up the daisy chain all day and not worry about re-laying out it all in Xlights. WS2811 is an address-by-position protocol, so when you change their positions you have to change a bunch of other stuff. But in DMX all the addresses are stored in the lights themselves (so yes, the colors are individually controllable). It doesn't care the order you wire it. P.S. To answer irrumater's question, you need only one dongle. You can string all your lights in a chain and give them different addresses. However, for multiple lights you need DMX XLR cables. For just one light you don't (because that plugs directly in the dongle). But every light after that, you need a DMX cable. Or, you can buy these wireless DMX transmitter/receivers for $30, and not have to hook anything up in series (although a cable costs $3. A receiver costs $30). Normally what I do is connect a single wireless DMX transmitter directly to the USB dongle, and then have multiple wireless receivers out there (and from there you can daisy chain lots of lights after the receiver). So there's no hornet's nest of wires like you would see on a Renard SS24. And you're saving on a bunch of AC extension cord. The 120VAC electric lines all hook up together just like store-bought lights do.


The drawback to DMX is that it doesn't work so well when you have 10,000 lights (>>512). That's why pixels normally run on WS2811.

The prices for DMX can look deceptively high, because you'll be looking at so much commercial stuff. Here's a decent, low-end DMX flood for $20:
https://www.amazon.com/Kebert-Contr...eywords=dmx+flood+light&qid=1688435786&sr=8-6


That flood has more wattage and bells-and-whistles than that WS2811 light, for a similar price. It looks like this light has 36x1W LED's.

Here's DMX cable:
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Female...d=1688436833&sprefix=dmx+cabl,aps,153&sr=8-15

Here are the wireless transceivers:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074M9ZQZ...g&sr=1-1-9e67e56a-6f64-441f-a281-df67fc737124


You also should buy a DMX terminator to end each daisy chain. They're only $3 apiece, and they'll save you a bunch of headache later on down the line:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p...Ju8ZbaN2Y3t05L3z-4eub4VpMyXIGEvxoCBxIQAvD_BwE


I use both Renard and DMX, and I don't think the price of DMX is that different from Renard when you compare apples-to-apples. It's just that the lighting pros like to buy these golden, chocolate-covered, 6-pound apples that cost a lot more and put them in Taylor Swift concerts.
 
1pet thanks for the links and info. I think I am going to give dmx a try, just gotta find the right light.

MikeKrebs said:
Just a caution to those who are reading but not reading.

These have holes in the housing so you will want to take that into consideration. On a couple of Amazon listings (this is apparently a "generic" DMX flood), couldn't find an IP rating for the light. I would hesitate to put them out in Wisconsin weather.
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Yes I will def be looking for waterproof lights here in Missouri. While snow is hit or miss, we seem to get alot of rain. I found some 10w rgb on aliexpress for $25 and free shipping earlier today, but of course I cant find them now to link.

Thank all for the discussion. All the methods given have had their plus/minus. But I think purchase/setup wise I can dmx as easy as anything else, and seems perfect for what I want to do. I would also be able to expand to some moving props in the future it looks like(halloween moving heads etx) when I am ready to jump on that learnjng curve. Gonna get an order put together in the next few weeks I think and start getting ready for year 2
 
Maybe this is what you found (or similar):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32249441206.html
I have never seen these, but it looks like the start channel is set by some kind of programmer which I assume you need to buy. A DMX universe has 512 channels, if you set the start channel to say 52 then a RGB flood might use channels 52, 53, 54. You can set other devices on the DMX chain as the same or different addresses (different would be more common). You can easily wire your own without buying fancy cable, standard ethernet cable will work (changing the plugs/connections to whatever types your units use). The 'terminator' is a 120ohm resistor across the D+ and D- pins. There's lots of info on the Internet about this. Commercial units use 3 pin XLR, 'pro' units use 5 pin but they can be converted.

DMX must always be wired source->device 1 -> device 2 -> device 3. You can also get splitters which effectively replicate the signal. This allows you to wire in more of a star arrangement. For example in my garden I use a splitter to make 5 x separate DMX cable runs from the source. Each of these has multiple devices on, and a terminator at the end.
 
Yes it's this (the prorammer)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/578769983.html
Or according to the advert, you can request particular start addresses when purchasing. Funny they mention 789 as an example start address, that is definitely not an option!

I quite like the concept - the 4 core connection means power and data down one cable, and it would allow you to position the lights a large distance apart. So the 4 cores are 0V, 12V, D+ and D-. In simple terms the differential data (D+, D-) DMX allows long cable runs with very little signal degradation.
 
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RichieNorthcott said:
DMX must always be wired source->device 1 -> device 2 -> device 3. You can also get splitters which effectively replicate the signal. This allows you to wire in more of a star arrangement. For example in my garden I use a splitter to make 5 x separate DMX cable runs from the source. Each of these has multiple devices on, and a terminator at the end.
Click to expand...

[@all. Richie already knows this]
Wireless transmitters behave like splitters, as well.

And there's a key difference here vs. WS2811: when you split a WS2811 signal, all the lights downstream from that split are no longer individually controllable. Both splits will behave exactly the same, and you have to have exactly the same lights on both splits or it won't even make any sense. But when you split DMX, it doesn't care. Everything's still individually controllable.
 
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RichieNorthcott said:
Maybe this is what you found (or similar):
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32249441206.html
I have never seen these, but it looks like the start channel is set by some kind of programmer which I assume you need to buy. A DMX universe has 512 channels, if you set the start channel to say 52 then a RGB flood might use channels 52, 53, 54. You can set other devices on the DMX chain as the same or different addresses (different would be more common). You can easily wire your own without buying fancy cable, standard ethernet cable will work (changing the plugs/connections to whatever types your units use). The 'terminator' is a 120ohm resistor across the D+ and D- pins. There's lots of info on the Internet about this. Commercial units use 3 pin XLR, 'pro' units use 5 pin but they can be converted.

DMX must always be wired source->device 1 -> device 2 -> device 3. You can also get splitters which effectively replicate the signal. This allows you to wire in more of a star arrangement. For example in my garden I use a splitter to make 5 x separate DMX cable runs from the source. Each of these has multiple devices on, and a terminator at the end.
Click to expand...


Here is the one I am looking at.

Six of these, Dongle, Terminator, and cables between.
 
Funny. I have two of those lights Richie posted, but it is because someone else gave them to me because he couldn't figure them out. I couldn't figure them out, either, so they're just sitting there. Their connectors look like they're LOR. But ah, the programmer! Maybe that's the secret.
 
They look good. 24V is even better, higher voltage is less drop on longer runs. I guess they are 4 pin like the example i shared. It's not clear how the address of each is set, but I guess you ask the supplier or use the programmer device. Not having exposed buttons etc is a good thing for the waterproofness. I can't comment on which platforms support the 'freestyler' USB->DMX type dongle (I believe xLights does?). I know in Vixen (I am a vixen user) you would use a different type- the EntTec DMXOpen is supported, which is just a USB->RS232->RS485 (DMX) converter in a box. You can pick these boards up for very little.

DMX also means you could connect a simple lighting desk like the one I shared if you want manual control of DMX values.
 
Hang on - the details mentions 3 pin connection (XLR). Perhaps there is a separate 24V power connection (so 3 cables to each light). I would recommend buying one as a sample, until you're sure what you're getting. The one I shared earlier use 4 core cable which is a nice touch.
 
I run Xlights off of a simple USB dongle, and I run a theater off of an Entec Pro.

Taking on too much complexity at first is a recipe for failure. Gotta keep it simple. I buy secondhand DMX stuff from people who abandoned it and gave up. A dongle, going to a light that has jumpers or buttons: that's simple. Once you get that Aha! moment and you're dimming it, you're good to go.
 
If it helps - in my display I have 12 x RGBW floods in a circle. I went with the WS2811 type since they are cheaper, and the cabling distance isn't an issue for me (they are all just a few feet apart from each other). As is normal with WS2811 they are forced to use adjacent 'channels' as it's their position in the chain which determines what they respond to. So if the starting channel is considered as '1', the first uses 1,2,3,4, the second 5,6,7,8 etc
https://youtu.be/jPqniuLRnzI
Other elements of the display such as the moving head washes and the 'mini trees' run off DMX, so have start addresses set to suit. The controller outputs DMX on some cables, WS2811 on others.
 
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The flood light arrived today. it ahs 3 pin in and out and a third wire to connect 24VDC powersupply. I have the usb to 3pin adaptor on order should be here this week, now to find a powersupply and give it a test. Will update with pics when I have everything
 
The DMX adaptor arrived today and there is an issue. The Adaptor I gather is XLR from the Amazon Link
The light has a much smaller 3 pin connection for input and output. I can not determine what type of connection this is. I obviously will need and adaptor for the first input and the correct cables in between the lights.
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Though I agree with 1pet2_9 that this may be ws2811, I have had the experience that some floods/spots come with an interconnection capability. The odd sized connector, usually waterproof, makes it possible to daisy-chain. Best thing is to check with the manufacturer. Sorry - not much help.
 
algerdes said:
Though I agree with 1pet2_9 that this may be ws2811, I have had the experience that some floods/spots come with an interconnection capability. The odd sized connector, usually waterproof, makes it possible to daisy-chain. Best thing is to check with the manufacturer. Sorry - not much help.
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Are there lights which adhere to DMX standard electrically, but their interconnects are ray wu/xconnect standard?
 
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