Yard and Christmas display item concept.

[vairmoose]

An idea i'm going to make happen.     

Insert full string of pixels into globe (open neck at bottom).    SCC under stand and power from 12 volt landscape lighting power supply.   Using firmware similar to the SCC Test package, create image of continuous explosive fire inside of the globe.   

Materials needed:   Landscape 12 volt wire.   Landscape lighting power supply  (Home Depot or Lowes)   Total under $100.
Fire:   One 128 pixel bundle and SCC rev 3 (in hand so 0$). 
Firmware for SCC  (TBD)   0$
Grandsons Digging trench for the wire:     Priceless.

I'll post a short video of the final approved/installed  feature.

Larry

[arw01]

Could be pretty cool, with 128 nodes it will be BRIGHT.  Do you have any heat worries there?

[vairmoose]

Could be pretty cool, with 128 nodes it will be BRIGHT.  Do you have any heat worries there?

Won't know until I try it but with the LEDs, I should be pretty good.    I had originally stuffed 400 small incan lights in it for last Christmas but the high humidity here this spring and summer  has severely limited the electrons flow through the corrosion  so you can almost make out the lights through the globe.    I'll be doing Corrosion X on the lights (before stuffing) and the circuit board as part of the assembly process.   

[KeithTarpley]

Greetings,,,

Waiting to see.  Can we put a few together to make Glowmen?

Keith

[vairmoose]

Glowmoose maybe.

[tbone321]

It looks great up to the landscape power supply.  Those are unregulated 12 VAC supplies and the SSC requires a regulated 12 VDC supply.

[vairmoose]

It looks great up to the landscape power supply.  Those are unregulated 12 VAC supplies and the SSC requires a regulated 12 VDC supply.

Suggestions?   (and thanks for the caution)   This power supply will eventually all be supplying power for regular landscape lighting along the flower bed / sidewalk.)   

Larry

[tbone321]

While most landscape lighting doesn't really care if the voltage is AC or DC, the SSC does so you may want to look for a high output regulated DC supply instead of a landscape transformer.  You could also build yourself some filtered and regulated rectifier circuits that you could put into the poles that would convert the AC to regulated DC for the SSC's and let the rest of the lights run on the AC voltage.

[vairmoose]

While most landscape lighting doesn't really care if the voltage is AC or DC, the SSC does so you may want to look for a high output regulated DC supply instead of a landscape transformer.  You could also build yourself some filtered and regulated rectifier circuits that you could put into the poles that would convert the AC to regulated DC for the SSC's and let the rest of the lights run on the AC voltage.

Would adding a simple rectifjier/filter onto the circuit just prior to the SCC be enough?  Only need enough juice to drive the one string of led lights.

[tbone321]

That should work but I would measure the voltage after the rectifier to make sure that the voltage is at or very near 12V.  You can go some below 12V but probably not all that much above it and remember, these landscape transformers are not regulated and are usually well above 12V when not loaded down.  Also keep in mind that each smart node is really 3 LED's plus the control chip so they draw a little more current than you might think.  A 128 node string can pull close to 4A max (all nodes on and white) so be sure that your regulator can support that much and that your caps are large enough to filter properly at this current level.  Since this also comes out to 48 watts (again max), make sure that you size the transformer properly to handle this load along with the added load of all the other landscape lights.

[vairmoose]

Rethinking the power.   Attempting to use landscape pwr supply is definitely more convoluted than anticipated.  Found packaged 4 and 6 amp 12 volt regulated supplys (less than $10)..  current thought is contain in small water proof box hidden under under rock next to display.  scc could alsso be in box and wire distance between scc to first node should be less than 36".  Wall outlet controlled by switch that has dusk to dawn programming built in. (With options).   Getting closer

[tbone321]

How would you power the supplies?  You really don't want to be burying 120VAC lines close to the surface.  Here are two options.
1.  Run the entire display on 12VDC.  As said before, most landscape lights don't realy care if the input voltage is AC or DC, just that it's 12V.  If some of your display items are more than just lights then you may have issues but if not, then this should work.  All you need to do is determine the total wattage of your display and make sure that the power supply is capable of delivering it but this is no different than what you would need to do with any landscape transformer and the display that it is powering.

2.  Just run 2 cables in your trenches, one connected to your landscape transformer and the other connected to a 12VDC power supply.  This way you size both of them for the job that you need them to do and not have to worry about converting AC to DC or voltage regulation. 

I would also mount the SSC inside the display item.  Since you sare looking at a firmware solution for controlling the nodes, the only connection that would be required for the item you are creating woulld be 12VDC.  I would lose the CAT 5 input pigtail and use either a 2 or three pin waterproof connector that is currently available in the SSC coop. 

[bcstuff]

What about a converter they sell specifically for low voltage landscape lighting.

This one is only up to 3 amp shows the general idea.

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[vairmoose]

It took a while, but finally got the hardware in place.    A short daytime video attached.     Still want to adjust the firmware.   For now, the circuit is set up so that it comes on with the landscape lighting.   easy to change over to a 27/7 lighting display.    Very visible from the street.    Uses a 12 volt power supply from a printer to get 12v DC for the SSC and the SCC test firmware.       

Larry

[Steve Gase]

nice!