Quick Start Guide
Getting started with pixels can be a daunting task but we’re going to help you get through all of this.
What should my first step be?
- Your first step should be researching and reading about what makes up this awesome hobby of holiday lighting. You can read up on some things here in our Learning Center.
- Next step is to grab a pic of your home’s exterior and start planning what you want to light up, keeping in mind that 1in, 2in, and 3in spacing are used for different applications.
How many pixels can my controller handle?
A universe is comprised of channels totaling either 510 or 512 depending on your setup with the most common being 510. Most of the RGB pixels (or the like) contain 3 colors of pixels which take up 1 channel each. 1 universe (510 channels) is equal to 170 RGB pixels. 510/3= 170. Below are the capacities for the E682 and E6804 controllers.
To configure how many universes you need, multiply the number of pixels you have for a prop, arch, roofline, mega tree and multiply that by 3 then divide by 510 or 512.
For example a 32 string mega tree consisting of 100 node/pixel strings has 3200 pixels in total. 3200 * 3 = 9600 total channels. Find the number of universes by dividing 9600/510 =18.82 (round up to 19 universes).
The E682 Controller can handle in total spread across multiple ports:
E1.31, streaming DMX over Ethernet, multicast mode, up to 7 universes, or a total of 3570 DMX channels. 3570/3= 1190 pixels
E1.31, streaming DMX over Ethernet (SACN), unicast mode, up to 12 universes or 6,120 channels. 6120/3= 2040 pixels
Art-Net, unicast mode, up to 12 universes or 6,120 channels. 6120/3= 2040 pixels
The E6804 Controller can handle in total spread across multiple ports:
E1.31, streaming DMX over Ethernet, multicast mode, up to 7 universes, or a total of 3570 DMX channels. 3570/3= 1190 pixels
E1.31, streaming DMX over Ethernet (SACN), unicast mode, up to 12 universes or 6,120 channels. 6120/3= 2040 pixels
Art-Net, unicast mode, up to 12 universes or 6,120 channels. 6120/3= 2040 pixels
Remember, the more pixels you have the more power supplies are required to run your show, either connected to a controller, controllers with more amps and a specific voltage (example DC 12V 50A 600W Power Supply) vs a (DC 12V 30A 360W Power Supply). The 600w 50A power supply will have better more consistent power than the 360w 30A power supply. Higher amps in general yields more work.