current stance on the node smart string setup

[sadkisson]

So how are these working out for everyone? I am interested in using the smart smart strings but was worried about spending the money on these with everyone having issues with water proofing etc..  but then i read that the new nodes are completely water sealed...  I currently just have multicolored incan minis and rope strands and am really wanting to get all white, red, blue, green leds, or could just go with smart strings. Are these going to last as long as the cdi led lights?  Lots of money either way I go i see more uses with the smart strings since can make any color. However, am I going to be spending more fixing and buying new than just to get some proven cdi led lights that will last several seasons?
I figure im going to spend 80 bucks for 4 strands of each color led cdi light or should i just get same smart strings. Sorry for the newb questions, but being as I am just getting into the hobby would like to know which way i should head.  Guess what im saying is are smart strings the future and I would essentially be buying past lighting with led or are smart strings just a test of the hobby as an added element not really made to replace.

[jnealand]

My smart strings are working fine (2nd gen).  I am mostly using them in string mode (configured for hybrid) as a way to get a quick conversion from last years sequences.  Now that everything is running I am starting to modify my sequences to do some individual pixel programming.  One thing to note from me.  I like the looks of having two colors lit at the same time.  I only have my SS on my gutters and windows now.  I would never put it in my megatree.  My family likes to see multiple colors together and to do that you would have to have a great number or strings or spend a lot of time programming every other bulb.  I have 64 strings on my megatree and there is no way that I could afford to do that with smart strings.  Even at 64 strings I sometimes think my density is to low.  Last year the pole I used would only support 32 strings of LEDs and that tree was noticeably skimpy compared to my normal 64 strings.  I also would not put them on mini trees.  I do think they are a valuable addition to our element arsenal, but IMHO there are not the be all end all.

[kmcallorum]

So far once I got them working they rock.  Lots of prep but every night I turn them on, they work without question.  I use hybrid and individual mode and have decided I need to expand more next year.  I am extremely happy with them.

[Steve Gase]

the smart strings have not been painless for me.  for everything i discuss, i am using individual mode -- only.

i purchased 22 strings from the new batch, and then got another 20 from another forum member... they had the same appearance and i suspect that they were also coated with plastidip.

i've had to reduce the length of the strings from 128 to 85 in order to get better reliability -- none with 128 lasted with the test firmware beyond 6 hours.

i've had bad pixels, i've cut them out to resolder.  there are some strings that seemed to have one renegade after another, but most can be fixed with a single repair.

i don't think i'm having water problems, but I have seen strings work for a couple days and then get a renegade pixel.

design-wise, I'm not wild about wires coming in to be soldered to a tiny board, and wires going out in the same way -- they catch on other wires, they are susceptible to pulling.

they do give off a great deal of light.  they do have better directionality going for them.  I was half a mile away in the neighborhood looking at the subdivision's lights -- then saw my tree in the distance.  who needs a billboard with that?

i've used square pixels.  they've had problems too... though I've only worked with 120 pixels and out of that sample I had 5 bad pixels... and maybe a couple that still snuck in to my rgb element.

i am hearing that some folks are having problems with CCR strips from LOR.  I had one come from the factory with red not working for half the string.  another person had 2 strings with failures.  they are nice in many respects,  but they are also harder to repair -- to the same degree as smart pixels.

so, there are problems to solve to make this more accessible to the hobbiests.  I am trying to follow the products that come from Costco and others with the hope that they will discover a better consumer product with fewer issues.

steve

[keitha43]

I have 126 node strings with no issues except for rain causing me many problems. The majority of mine were ordered in the first (older) shipment. The ones shipping now look MUCH better sealed than mine. However next year I will be using more SSC's and less nodes per string simply because currently my strings go from the ground to the top and back down and then back up to the top of my tree to save on SSC's. By going just from the ground back to the top and back down will be easier to take down from the tree for repairs since my paracord was done that way. Right now my third section is attached to the same paracord as the 1st section of the next string. I didn't expect to have to do repairs once the tree was up. Lesson learned.

[tng5737]

All my strings were from the first batches!   About half of the strings either don't work or do so intermittantly!  If I had it to do over again I would stick with the modues.  They are performing flawlessly!   

[caretaker]

I ended up taking down my 16 strings of 75 nodes after we had a 3 days of rain and I had one smart string controller die, one string stay on and 3 other strings staying lit halfway up.  Rather than risk further damage I decided to take them down and will re-seal them in plasti-dip as apparently I didn't get some of them sealed well enough the first time. I loved the look of them when I had them running will most likely add to what I have but for sure will need to make sure they can handle the weather.

[lboucher]

I have 5 strands of 128, they gave me a good run for my money, but knock on wood they have been working 1 week + with no issues. I have zipped tied the heck out of them and put a good deal of liquid electrical tape on 65%+ of them. Haven't bothered to get the ones at the top of my mega tree.

While its been work to keep them working, i feel i have all the problem nodes worked out and am hopeful the 2nd gen are better.

Still worth it in my opinion.

[z327]

The 8 rigid strips I have are rock solid since day one (knock on a lot of wood).

Haven't run my strands outside yet.

Out of 11 flex strips only 8 are good. Three have a break in their circuit somewhere. Squeeze on an IC or other component in one place or another and they work. I haven't cut into them to see if a hot iron can remedy the issue or not.

[taybrynn]

My 4 flex strips work great, just 1 pixel sticks green on one.  My first 128 ss required many splices  and more recent four 100ct strings were better.  Nodes 1 size larger diameter now . My modules r mostly flawless but 1 or two did not repeat or work as first node and were spliced out.  Overall, working great via xlights and s3.

[Steve Gase]

Had my 40 smart strings working, then had 9 fail right away.  repaired them and I've had 1-2 more fail each day... for another 11.

But my 2 CCRs are not fairing much better.  After less than a day, one is down to 5 working pixels.  The other is missing red for 2/3 the strip.

I'm not driving over them, nor are the kids using them for jump ropes.  seriously.  :|

[TheBanker]

I have many pixel strings of the 2nd generation and have had no problems.  The 128's work great, all are sealed and have not leaked in many days of rain.  I have pulled on them with no problems.  Out of the hundreds of pixels I have found only one bad one.  Its still out there on the middle portion of the sidewalk.  Here is a link to my videos, a couple of them talk about this stuff.  Oh and I have also walked all over them, some are on the ground.

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

[egenoup]

Nice video...

[RJ]

You my friend get it! I can tell from the comments on the video you understand.

And we are just getting started, everyone will be blown away with what the conductor/slave combo and some of the other coming toys will do for us.

Yes the nodes have improved greatly as I knew they would over time. Its like everything. When regular leds came out some of us early adopters had real fun with them until they improved.

RJ

[sielbear]

I can confirm that the newer nodes have been rock solid for me.  I did get the second batch of them, and I also checked every node before hanging on the house.  I added silicone to perhaps 10 nodes while putting them on the house.  I don't know for sure they weren't sealed, but they looked suspicious to me.  I also made an effort to put every connection, smart string controller, and exposed pixels under the eaves of the house.  Even in a heavy rain, they don't get that much moisture on them - perhaps that's one thing that's helped with my reliability.

For my arches, I placed a white dryer vent over the lights, and that greatly reduced the amount of exposure to the elements.  Next year when I do my megatree, I'm thinking how I might use clear PVC to mount the lights and ensure no strain is placed on the wires.  I'm also thinking about using a larger piece of clear PVC as an outer coating for the megatree to try and keep the LEDs as sealed as possible. 

Eventually I see swapping out to 100% smartstrings, but I'm a few $$$$ away from that at the moment.  With those, I'll not take quite as much care because I can get to them at any point.  The eaves / megatree are REALLY tough to service in mid December.  I've got a LED strand half out on my bethlehem star.  No good way to fix it - the lift would destroy my cables in my yard. 

So for me, smart strings reliability > Lowes LED reliability.