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I have been using 5 strands (125'each) of c7 to outline my eaves for years - I am this year going to replace them with a line of Color Kinetics iColor Flex SL LEDs. I found a company on eBay that was willing to sell a quantity of them at a 1/4 of the retail price.
Each node on the strand is RGB and is individually controlled via DMX -or through CK's software. This will make programming tedious this year, but I expect the outcome to be well worth the time.
If anyone is interested - look at Item number: 330222140959
Animated Lighting is a Color Kinetics Dealer/Distributor. We have been using the I Color Flex strings for five years on many installations. We control them via our Animation Director software and our DMX controllers (that have been available for over 5 years).
Our latest installation is on the website and is called the "Wornall Bridge" on our SHOWCASE section. We are using Qty. 16 strings (multiple DMX universes).
Animated Lighting's largest installation using ColorKinetics fixtures is the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City. This installation was completed on December 2, 2003 and has been running since them. There are Qty. 800 fixtures on this 20-story hotel.
We resell Color Kinetics products and also offer packages with our software and controllers. If you are interested please don't hesitate to contact us at 816-941-0400 or E Mail psmith@animatedlighting.com.
The bridge looks awesome. I'll have to get with Aaron on how to program my Color Flex. I only have two ColorFlex strings so a single universe should handle them.
Did you use the Colorado 3's as well on the bridge? Great job.
Could someone perhaps "Dumb it down" a bit to explain how each string or each light on the string is controlled via dmx? I understand DMX and addressing, just can't visualize how that would work with multiple strings. This might be exactly what I'm looking for!
I particularly need to know the options per bulb - like RGB mixing, dim/fade etc?
Appreciate any community answers that might come forward.
This is how I explained it to my wife- to get her approval to buy them
There are 50 nodes(lights) on a strand Each node on the string has a tricolor led. RGB Each node can be given 3 channels - 1 for each color each color on every node can be controlled independently of the others. You can have an almost infinite number of colors combinations - though most wont be able to distinguish between them.
Through the use of a power supply- DMX is interpreted in CK's protocol and each power supply can power 2 strands with a total of 300 DMX control channels per power supply
I made a quick program in LOR to show the capabilities to my wife. I started out powering each red emitter in succession ,then green, then blue, then 1 made a "worm" by only having 10 nodes powered and moving across the strand.
I explained to her how I would be able to "wipe" from one color to another. We tested in our front yard and she was impressed by the colors and the output.
On the particular case of the Color Kinetic's ColorFlex, each string has 50 "lights" each "light" is composed of Red, Green and Blue LEDs. Each of the 50 "lights" is called a node by ColorKinetics. So each node takes three DMX channels. one channel each to determine the intensity for the Red, the Green and the Blue LEDs. So a ColorFlex string takes or consumes 150 DMX channels.
Now to program the color flex you need to set values for three DMX channels per node. The first Node (node 1) takes DMX channels 1,2,3. The second node (Node 2) takes channels 4,5,6 and so on.
To control mutiple strings you need a special ColorKinetics device to give the stgring a different DMX start channel number. All strings default to start at DMX channel 1 unless reset by a ColorKinetics device.
Awesome! Also very nice to hear this works with LOR. I think I better post my LOR/DMX question over on that forum next, though, with these strings I think I'd be up almost 1000 dmx channels and I have no idea how to do that. I understand simple DMX and used 240 channels with LOR this last year. Just some major upgrades over the summer so far.
So back to the point in hand - at about 15 feet each, I'd need 10-15 of these for my roof lines. I'm not sure if that qualifies as a bulk purchase or not? Is that price from the ebay guy ($189 plus 12 for shipping) the best price I'd find for this purchase?
Oh - anyone know if these can be made or are made with a wider spacing? 2" is nice and tight - but would love 18" spacing so I could use them in trees too without having to take out a 2nd mortgage to pay for them.
Make them an offer!What do you feel is a good price? They might accept $100 - they have like 250 and are trying to get rid of them
the spacing is supposed to be 4" - the length and title support that assumption, I believe the 2" is a misprint as you can order 12" spacing ( be prepared to pay full price)
I did not pay full price, I paid 150 each which is 1/4 of what I could find at retail price
as for the DMX - i will be using an iDMX with a unique address for each power supply and suplimenting the un-used DMX addresses with conventional LOR boards
when programming it is just like using a conventional - on/ off.... just more channels(alot more)
I should - assuming LOR supports 512 - have 5+ universes of DMX
5+ DMX universes sure brings it into perspective! wow. I think I remember LOR being able to handle multile universes with the iDMX but not sure - assuming you'd just need 5 of the iDMX units.
animatedpaul wrote: Animated Lighting is a Color Kinetics Dealer/Distributor. We have been using the I Color Flex strings for five years on many installations. We control them via our Animation Director software and our DMX controllers (that have been available for over 5 years).
Our latest installation is on the website and is called the "Wornall Bridge" on our SHOWCASE section. We are using Qty. 16 strings (multiple DMX universes).
Animated Lighting's largest installation using ColorKinetics fixtures is the Marriott Hotel in Kansas City. This installation was completed on December 2, 2003 and has been running since them. There are Qty. 800 fixtures on this 20-story hotel.
We resell Color Kinetics products and also offer packages with our software and controllers. If you are interested please don't hesitate to contact us at 816-941-0400 or E Mail psmith@animatedlighting.com.
Paul I'm looking at the animated lighting website to see your price on these strings as well as any discount for purchases in the 10-15 string range. Not finding info - probably obvious but I'm missing it. Could you pm me or just post link? thanks - medman2000
With all due respect to Gil V. and others, you do not need a special Color Kinetics piece of software or hardware to control multiple Color Kinetics I Color Flex strings in a display. Animated Lighting products (with no Color Kinetics software) has been controlling Qty. 20 strings of I Color Flex in a display since 2004. We used only Color Kinetics strings and power supplies in this installation. All the controllers and software are Animated Lighting products (Animation Director software).
I promise you we do NOT use the iDMX. I have never heard of this item.
I am amazed that folks think we would be using LOR products on this or any other application. We developed our own DMX controllers and have been using them since 2003.
Click here to watch the video on the Color Kinetics web site. Note they show that we used their fixtures and power supplies only.
So aside from whether or not someone chooses Animated Lighting or LOR for their displays, do you sell the color kinetics or not? I didn't see them on your website, and instead of answering a question about your cost or your offerings that was asked earlier in the thread, you posted about not using LOR. I'm kind of getting the impression that my inquiry as a potential customer wasn't that important to you, that's why I'm reposting.
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