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ClarkWGriswoldJr

New member
Would like some input on building a new tree. HolidayCoro has their presale going on and I noticed the following:

Capture.JPG

My original plan was to buy the ready-to-run falcon f16v3 kit and purchase/build the rest of the tree on my own. I'm looking to build a roughly 10' tall tree (I know, not very mega). I guess my only concern is I know nothing about HolidayCoro's controllers. Is the controller provided with their presale something comparable to the falcon? For $660, the HolidayCoro seems like a very good deal with all that comes with it, considering just the ready-to-run falcon controller is $400.

Thanks!
 
Just note that these are 5 volt pixels, not that there is anything wrong w/ that. But if you already have any pixels in your show, are you running 5V or 12V? May want to keep all the same voltage.
 
ClarkWGriswoldJr said:
Would like some input on building a new tree. HolidayCoro has their presale going on and I noticed the following:

View attachment 44072

My original plan was to buy the ready-to-run falcon f16v3 kit and purchase/build the rest of the tree on my own. I'm looking to build a roughly 10' tall tree (I know, not very mega). I guess my only concern is I know nothing about HolidayCoro's controllers. Is the controller provided with their presale something comparable to the falcon? For $660, the HolidayCoro seems like a very good deal with all that comes with it, considering just the ready-to-run falcon controller is $400.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I would suggest selecting the HinksPix controller there if that is an option .
 
Ruppro said:
Just note that these are 5 volt pixels, not that there is anything wrong w/ that. But if you already have any pixels in your show, are you running 5V or 12V? May want to keep all the same voltage.
Click to expand...

I'm ok with the 5V. This is actually my first prop (new to the pixel game) so having the 32 individual strands seems like a good start and will simplify the sequencing (I think).

angus40 said:
I would suggest selecting the HinksPix controller there if that is an option .
Click to expand...

It is an option but obviously it adds to the price. Any particular reason(s) why you suggest that one? And do you have any input on the Falcon controller compared to this one. I'm more concerned with the capabilities in the long run, not just for this tree.

Thanks for the replies!
 
The Falcon ,HinksPix and e682 controllers are the best available for this hobby .
I do not have a Falcon but it is common knowledge they are the premium controllers .
Both very expandable and each have excellent support .
 
FAR FAR FAR better support for the falcon controllers. david pitt does no mess around, if something is wrong, he will take care of it right away. cant say the same thing for HC
 
angus40 said:
The Falcon ,HinksPix and e682 controllers are the best available for this hobby .
I do not have a Falcon but it is common knowledge they are the premium controllers .
Both very expandable and each have excellent support .
Click to expand...

Don't forget the kulp controllers.

--
Shawn
 
If starting with a mega tree as the first prop and thus would then set the tone for the rest of the show, is 5v or 12v the way to go?

To build a 10’-15’ out of pocket vs a kit tree, it sounds like it would surely run over $660 but how about if the controller was excluded? 15’ at 210 degrees probably $300-400 just in parts before controller/power etc?

Also a newb to this and this original thread post was literally what I was thinking of posting a few days ago.

Thanks for your help!
 
ClarkWGriswoldJr said:
Would like some input on building a new tree. HolidayCoro has their presale going on and I noticed the following:

View attachment 44072

My original plan was to buy the ready-to-run falcon f16v3 kit and purchase/build the rest of the tree on my own. I'm looking to build a roughly 10' tall tree (I know, not very mega). I guess my only concern is I know nothing about HolidayCoro's controllers. Is the controller provided with their presale something comparable to the falcon? For $660, the HolidayCoro seems like a very good deal with all that comes with it, considering just the ready-to-run falcon controller is $400.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The more you research in this hobby, the more folks you'll see have lots of disdain for Holiday Coro due to the owner. I, however, had a great experience with them my first year (this year), and especially with my sales rep Nathan. I bought a ready to run megatree kit from them, but I went with 12V, and also went with a 16 strip, 100 pixels per strip, 180 degree tree with 1.5" spacing. I also had an additional 16 SPI output board put on mine (for a total of 32 ports), an additional 350W Meanwell power supply, and a long range expansion board so I am ready for next year when I expand things. I would HIGHLY recommend going with the HinksPix Pro controller. Yes it's $45 extra with that kit, but it also gives you much more flexibility for expansion down the road. I'd recommend checking out the comparison page they have set up that shows you the differences: https://www.holidaycoro.com/kb_results.asp?ID=181. I ran each strip of our tree on its own output port, so I used 16 ports for the tree itself, and another port for the Boscoyo Chromastar 23". Next year I plan on upgrading the tree to 24 strips instead of 16, and going somewhere around 200 degrees. Instead of a port for each strand, I will be running 12 ports for the tree with two strands on each port since we only ran the tree at 20% brightness.

All that being said, we are taking our show down this weekend and the Holiday Coro stuff we have has been rock solid for the month it was up in heavy winds and rain. Worth noting that with any of their tree kits there is still a good bit you will need to buy. HC suggests using chain link fencing top rail for your tree pole. I purchased some to use for mine, but just was not comfortable with the strength of that, so I scrapped that idea and went with Walter Monkhouse's ASAP Jr pole design along with his Portable Hole design: http://www.magicchristmas.org/asap-jr.html This setup was rock solid and I'm glad I went with it instead. For all the hardware and supplies needed for the ASAP Jr and Portable Hole, you will be looking at another $200-300, though, and you'll need to be handy enough to build it. Make sure you use at least 3 guy wires to stabilize the tree. I used 2 going to the front left and right, then one going straight back behind the tree to also help keep tension on the strands.
 
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I'll add specs on my tree for reference. My tree is 15' using Boscoyo strips, skipping every other hole. There are 20 strands of 50 pixels each and 150 in the star for a total of 1,150. The strands are connected in groups of 4 so I have 5 groups, 200 pixels per group. This uses 5 connections on the controller plus one for the star. The pixels are 12v, powered by the controller at the beginning of each group and one power injection at the end of each group. I use one of Dan Kulp's PB8 controllers with a pocket beagle and one HP Server power supply. I also use a power breakout board from DIYLEDExpress. The power supply, controller and breakout board are all installed in a piece of PVC fence post. My tree is mounted in the ground and viewable at about 220 degrees. I've reworked the controller and power supply over the years and I'm really happy with the current result.

A few things I changed over time were the power supply to accommodate more strings and density, anchoring the pole in the ground and replacing the original tree topper/base. The Holiday Coro Tree topper warped during the first year so I replaced it with one that I made from steel. My tree also fell down once because the pole sat on the plastic base instead of being anchored in the ground. I was using 6 guy wires but after a week of rain and high winds it finally came loose.

DIY Cost Total (includes any shipping) $668

Controller + PB: $95
Pixels: $390
Pigtails/Wire: $40
PS: $16 (EBay)
Breakout Board: $22
Boscoyo Strips: $50
Boscoyo Star: $15
EMT for Base: $10
EMT couplings: $4
Pole(s): $20
Concrete: $6
 
Ok guys need some help again. I decided not to buy the HC stuff. I just did a pixel presale order from Wally's Lights and bought a couple Kulp K32A-B's. I'm just going to build my own tree from scratch. I'm really torn on what pixel spacing to do for my tree. I want to use 100 pixels tall regardless of the spacing. My first plan was to use 1" spacing for a tree that is a little less than 10' tall. But the more I think about it, I feel like that's way overkill and just too dense and a waste of pixels for my first year. If I jump to 1.5" spacing, that puts the tree at around 13 feet. That's about the limit of how high I want to go for the first year because I just don't want to deal with a massive megatree my first year and I also don't want it to go above the roof too much and block other stuff. Any input would be appreciated. For reference here is a Google Earth image of my house. I threw a little sketch on there to show where I want to put the tree. It's about 30 feet from the road, maybe closer depending on it's final position.

House with Tree.jpg
 
It looks like some of your yard is pretty level. You might want to check out the 10' Freestanding Megatree I have posted to the Green Site's Wiki. The body of the tree is 10' tall with a 6' diameter base, with my star topper it is just under 13' tall total. I use 2" spacing which takes 62 pixels.
 
angus40 said:
The Falcon ,HinksPix and e682 controllers are the best available for this hobby .
I do not have a Falcon but it is common knowledge they are the premium controllers .
Both very expandable and each have excellent support .
Click to expand...

I run Falcons and still use an original Hinks Pix. Support from David and Joe has been great when I needed it from either.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Smart Man,

I don't know why they recommend top rail.
When MegaTrees were coming into vogue 10 years ago, There were many posts from folks that had used top rail and watched as it bent under stress.
I think that anything Walther has recommended is the way to go.
BrentD said:
HC suggests using chain link fencing top rail for your tree pole. I purchased some to use for mine, but just was not comfortable with the strength of that, so I scrapped that idea and went with Walter Monkhouse's ASAP Jr pole design along with his Portable Hole design: http://www.magicchristmas.org/asap-jr.html This setup was rock solid and I'm glad I went with it instead. For all the hardware and supplies needed for the ASAP Jr and Portable Hole, you will be looking at another $200-300, though, and you'll need to be handy enough to build it. Make sure you use at least 3 guy wires to stabilize the tree. I used 2 going to the front left and right, then one going straight back behind the tree to also help keep tension on the strands.
Click to expand...
 
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