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Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

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Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#71

Post by stavros »

notedwin wrote: post #43
sowbug wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The most plug-and-play WLED-compatible controller I've found is made by athom.tech and available on AliExpress https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101393719 >. There are two versions based on the ESP32C3. One is powered by USB-C @ 5V, and the other has a barrel jack and passes through 5-24V to the lights, which is useful if you're using a higher-voltage strip like WS2813. I used to build my own controllers from ESP dev…

another plug-and-play pre-flashed with wled: https://magwled.com/ you can find the controller on amazon comes with usb-c for 12v and 5v and currrently using it with some BTF-LIGHTING WS2812B fairy lights

Looks like that only goes up to 15W for 5V, though, which may not be enough.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#72

Post by stavros »

leptons wrote: post #51
pwg wrote: post #2

https://kno.wled.ge/ 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 featu…

WLED is nice for 1-dimensional LED strips, or if you don't really care how the animations project on your LEDs, but anything in 2 dimension is painful, the grid mapping in 2D is just overly complicated and obscure. I barely got my simple LED matrix working and I've been doing LED grids with my own software for over 10 years (so I know how easy it can be). WLED was just an awful experience for 2D led arrays or anythin…

Really? I connected four panels to make a display and it was a simple issue of choosing how the panels were laid out.

However, their 2D wizard might be new, so give it a shot if you haven't tried it.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#73

Post by atonse »

NoMoreNicksLeft wrote: post #68

I keep wondering why lights aren't getting built into new-build homes. They're no longer bulbs, but LEDs, they're programmably colored (you can do orange/purple for Halloween, etc), and they'd be practically invisible when off. 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)?

It’s probably as simple as builders being cheap. It won’t help them charge more.

Unless it’s a home built for one customer.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#74

Post by AstroJetson »

I'm a huge fan of the Falcone system. It's a lot more that things that have been posted so far. It's allows you to grow in lots of different ways. The F16V5 costs about $250 and needs a power supply.

This is a simplistic view of what it looks like.

http://www.brianhensley.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Chris...

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#75

Post by eddieroger »

pwg wrote: post #2

https://kno.wled.ge/ 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 featu…

I used WLED and some WS2811 lights for Halloween this year, and I was blown away but how much it _just worked_. As long as I kept the order of the lights correct (there are arrows, derp), they just strung along. I ended up with a decently complicated array, but as long as my counts were good, the thing just worked. Govee is a very mainstream brand currently using WS2811-based lights, and with a little knife action, you can add them in. I'm hopeful next year to play with some 2D matrix stuff in it.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#76

Post by majormajor »

beala wrote: post #63

This is a tangent, but I feel like we can't talk about LED christmas lights without linking to this video by tech connections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBFPJ3_6ZWs 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…

I think definitely a matter of taste sprinkled with nostalgia.

I wanted to get the incandescent opaque-paint-covered lights I grew up with but the power consumption - and the number of outlets required if you follow the "don't chain more than 2 or 3 strings together" guidance - was (unsurprisingly, in retrospect) WAY higher, so I just found the closest LED version I could find.

They look pretty decent at the end of the day, and one pro is that you can get more brightness and vividness out of them (helpful if you have other newer, bright-LED decorations).

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#78

Post by slug »

averageRoyalty wrote: post #44
sircastor wrote: post #17

This is a huge space to get into. I’m on my fourth year doing an outdoor light show. 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…

I'm sure you know but for others reading, 12v ws2811 are grouped in threes, so not individually addressable. 5v is, and when you're working at scale power injection isn't a huge deal as you'll be doing it anyway. Always standardise your connectors. I'm a fan of the Ray Wu ones. ESP/WLED driven is my preference, but the Falcon controllers are popular amongst people who are more DIY/woodworking oriented as they're much…

There's multiple types. I use the bullet type regulated 12V ws2812 for outdoor applications and they are individually addressed. I also use 12V ws2812 RGBCW (RGB+white cold+white warm) unregulated (resistor) led strips which are grouped in threes for indoor. Both work just fine with wled or custom software (e.g. micropython / C++ ) on esp32.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#79

Post by mbesto »

pwg wrote: post #2

https://kno.wled.ge/ 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 featu…

Also, since on one has mentioned it yet, the go-to LED strips are from BTF-Lighting.

I personally buy them from AliExpress since I dont care if they arrive in a week as opposed to 1-2 days from Amazon.

https://btf-lighting.aliexpress.com/store/1100777574

Re: Ask HN: What are the best programmable holiday lights?

#80

Post by dyauspitr »

binary_slinger wrote: post #65
beala wrote: post #63

This is a tangent, but I feel like we can't talk about LED christmas lights without linking to this video by tech connections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBFPJ3_6ZWs 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…

> 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. I completely agree. This is true also for all household LED lighting. I prefer cold for kitchen food prep areas and bathrooms, but warm everywhere else.

Warm everywhere for me. There’s something about cold white that is very depressing. You would think more blue would mean less depressing but not in my experience.
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