How to create an xLights effect sequence for your mega tree.

[@mackdenn]

As a former teacher, I appreciate your way of instructing, step by step with great examples. I look forward to more videos, thanks for all your help.

[@trevilights]

Thanks do much for word, they mean a lot to me.

[@drprinter]

I am really enjoying your vods

[@trevilights]

I am glad you're finding them useful. Thanks for watching.

[@frankhernandez5273]

Best beginner presentation I've seen so far. Thank you!!

[@trevilights]

Thanks Frank

[@edwardjones2770]

I just learned more watching your video than I have over the last 2 months watching others! Bless you sir for making it easy to understand.

[@trevilights]

The spiral effect comes standard with xlights. Once you selected your change the direction of the spirals, speed and some other settings.

[@miguelgamez1926]

Thanks to you now I'm working on my tree, this will be my second year and now I'm going to have a TREE!!! I couldn't accomplish this project by my self. Gracias por tus videos.

[@trevilights]

Miguel. I am very happy for you. Congratulations. Let me know if I can be of any help.

[@wimkramer5330]

I love your videos, thank you for taking the time to explain everything step by step. I learn a lot from your channel. thanks for that.

[@trevilights]

Thanks for your kind words. Happy to help.

[@maliareid1548]

Thank you so much!!! As a beginner, this is all incredibly overwhelming! But I sequenced my first song to a pixel tree, thanks to you!!!! I know it’s an embarrassingly small start, but it is definitely a start that has helped me feel not so discouraged but my lack of knowledge! Now if only I can learn how it all works with a controller 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@trevilights]

Hello Malia. Thank you very much for your words. I was in your same position 4 years ago. I sat down and watch many videos. Unfortunately they were not enough. This is why I've decided to make some to help people understand that it is not that hard. My first try show was only 300 pixels. This year just over 6000. Keep learning and practicing, it only gets easier for here. I highly recommend the following video to learn more about the controller. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKfcaJ6rnL2peq8

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, even though you don't know English I learn a lot from your videos, hugs, from Brazil

[@trevilights]

Thanks for watching. Happy Holidays.

[@johntimm7265]

These were extremely helpful.

[@robertapida1277]

Excellent presentation! This is from someone who can't spell LED. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. I would love to see a video on the singing trees/c9 lamps. Tnx.

[@trevilights]

Thanks you so much.

[@johnfitzgerald1994]

Great video, Thank you!!

[@trevilights]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

[@rayrios4361]

Gracias amigo very informative videos As a super rookie to xlights These videos help a whole lot. Keep them coming Thank you once again.

[@trevilights]

Hola Ray. I am glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.

[@rayrios4361]

@@trevilights hola amigo 👋 super rookie here again. can you PLS make a video on how to make windows & roof lines jump back-and-forth? Also make a magatree spiral from left and the right simultaneously. Gracias tu amigo Ray 🙏🏽

[@trevilights]

@@rayrios4361 Hola Ray, durante éste año voya hacer varios vídeos nuevos. Voy a incluir lo que me pides. Saludos.

[@rayrios4361]

Thank you friend 🙏🏽👍🏼

[@stuwalton1384]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@johnjahner3389]

Sorry but I just figured it out. Thank you, Great instructions

[@johnjahner3389]

Trevi I added some models to my show could you do a video on how to add models to your show and send them to the FPP. My new models are not lighting up in the shoe. Thank you for all your great help

[@percydoucet1838]

Great video. How big of a base should you have for a 20 foot 360 round mega tree. What spacing for the strips.

[@trevilights]

Hey Percy, That's up to you. The more strips you have the better. The higher the density the better the effects will look. As you can see in the video, I left one empty hole in the strips but you can use it if you want. For a 20ft I would use a minimum of 32 strips of 100 pixels each. Maybe more. Just keep try to keep the number of strands even. You will need to use 4+ ports on the Falcon Controller. Also keep in mind that you will need to inject power every 300-400 pixels. About the base size...what I did was I attached some cords to the top of the pole and start pulling them away from the center of the pole until I got the shape that I wanted. Not too fat and not to skinny. I then drew a circle on the ground and divide it by the number of strands I was planning to use. I recommend you do the same. Now, the strands/pixels do not need to go all the way to the ground. You can leave maybe 1-2 feet with no pixels. One thing to keep in mind is that the strands tend twist with with the changes of temperature and the wind, so you will need a way to anchor or somehow hold them in place. I am sure will sort all this small things as you go.

[@damedelim3621]

thank you for the video i have learned so much, as a beginner is this controller can run after uploading or downloading in the SD card and the system runs operating itself without the internet I saw it in other controller which is using SD card thank you

[@trevilights]

Hi. Thanks for watching. You can set the controller to "Player Mode'. This will allow you to run a simple show from an SD card.

[@biggie2182]

Great video !

[@tonylove3290]

Great Video, I had a question for you, Do you happen to know how to set a few null pixels at the end of a prop to get me to the next prop? For example I have 3 spiders on the same string roughly 54 pixels each, I will have 10-15 pixels in between them that i do not want lit up, any suggestions on how to execute this? Thank you!

[@trevilights]

Hey Tony. Yes, it is possible. But there is a trick to it. In order to have xlights know that you have Start or End Null pixels, your elements need to have a Port/Channel assigned first, and In the Controllers Tab, your Controller entry must have the "Auto Layout Models" set to "on". If all of the above is true, then when you select a spider on the layout, in the left settings panel you should see two options labeled "Set Start Null Pixels" and "Set End Null Pixels" under the Controller Connection sections. There is another way. In the Controller itself(Falcon Controller of FPP) for each string and/or virtual string, you can define any number of null pixels. I hope this help.

[@tonylove3290]

Thank you I appreciate that, I was able to get there on my own but thats where Im stuck. on the second and third spider I entered "1" for start null and "10" for end null. Im trying to give myself 10 pixels of space between the next spider. After sending it to the controller it's still running all of the lights with no gaps. Am I supposed to set it up also on the controller? Im trying to determine on the output settings of my Falcon if absolute addressing or universe start channel is the best way to do it? Ive also see some people set up a Null Model of 10 pixels but that looks more confusing. Thank you again!

[@trevilights]

@@tonylove3290The best practice is to actually cut off any unused pixels and have an exact count. Another thing you can try is using the Visualizer. But you will loose any previous setting on your controller. Beside the "Auto Layout Model, also select the "Auto size" and "Full xLights Control". Click the Visualize button and move the elements to the port you want and in the order you want. Once done, close the visualizer and click the Upload Output button. Go to you controller and refresh. The pixel Output should be updated as you have it in xlights. It's hard to explain with word. Good Luck.

[@tonylove3290]

This is great Info, I will try it, thank you again! @@trevilights

[@denn450]

very good job explanning

[@robertraagas2360]

Thank you so much!!!

[@trevilights]

Hey Robert. Glad to help. Thanks for watching.

[@codecage9333]

I think I have my first sequence on my Mega Tree! Now todo some experimenting with the effects. Is there a way after exiting xLights that when you come back to it to have the sequence you were working on automatically load? Or do you just have to load it each time? Thanks for this video, it really opened my eyes!

[@trevilights]

Hi There, I am gald you are starting to work on your sequence at this time of the year. As you probably figure it out, it takes time to create a sequence. I am not aware that there is an option to automatically open the last sequence you were working on. I will look around and will let you know.

[@SCode1969Mustang]

How do you connect the RasberryPi device to control the light show? Im assuming the sequence gets uploaded to the RasberryPi device but how is the Raspberry Pi device connected to your Falcon controller?

[@trevilights]

The Falcon Player installed on the PI has the IP address of your Controller. The data is routed to that IP address. Ideally to prevent delay on the signal you can connect the PI ethernet port to the falcon controller. Is just o matter of your network layout.

[@davidholmes5605]

Hi There Great lesson but can I ask I do all of what say in the video looks fantastic in Xlights just right but when I send it through my F16V3 it runs left to right not up and down like it sould in Xlights can you please advise

[@trevilights]

Never seen this before. I would recommend to review your configuration in the String Ports page in the Falcon Controller. Make sure is set to user the correct type of LEDs, the Direction and the Order or the signal.

[@SimonGoldberger]

Hiya, thanks for this, I really want to get a singing face in the tree and I'm assuming these kinds of setups are out there already, any idea where to get them from ?

[@trevilights]

Hey Simon. Holidaycoro.com and boscoyostudio.com have some. They sell pretty much everything you need.

[@jimbala2996]

Grate job could run a KZbin video where do I find all kind of stuff to get start ext controller programmer to make good light show

[@whitetomm]

Hi, thanks for sharing your knowledge, can you download „ready” sequence to your mega tree?

[@trevilights]

There are a few sites out there that sell sequences that you can use in your show. They will still need some adjustments to fit your tree design. Creating a tree sequence it quite simple.

[@whitetomm]

@@trevilights thanks! How about audio output, is there audio out on Falcon Controller?

[@trevilights]

@@whitetomm The specifications says 'Yes' with an additional sound board. I have never used one. The music I play comes from the Raspberry PI audio port, which is playing the sequence.

[@psmythie7920]

Can you make a mega tree say Merry Christmas moving across the tree?

[@trevilights]

Yes you can. You can actually show a character singing and show it across de mega tree.

[@psmythie7920]

@@trevilights thank you very much for replying!!! Also what brand or type of mega tree do you have?

[@trevilights]

@@psmythie7920 I built it myself.

[@davidholmes5605]

Hi Trevi what I would like to know in yor video above you have a effect you use in the spiral have you made that your self or how can I get in when in xlights

[@trevilights]

It comes with xLights. Good luck.

[@rashmedo]

Hi Trevi do you happen to know how to open the xschedule in a mac?

[@trevilights]

Unfortunately no. Sorry.

[@li2buenafe]

What happens if you use FM radio instead of yout choice of music? will you still do this kind of setting?

[@trevilights]

The FM transmitter has an input jack and you can plug any device to it like your phone, FM radio as long at it has a headphone audio jack. In my case I have the Falcon Player which is playing the light sequence as the music. www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECUWKIO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_TL44FbYRXMQYT

[@li2buenafe]

@@trevilights so you dont have to do anything on the sequence setting. The light will just play in any mode.?

[@trevilights]

@@li2buenafe Sorry but I do not fully understand your question.

[@li2buenafe]

@@trevilights hi.. Merry Xmas to you Trevi. We are here in Virginia USA.. its 10:41pm OF 24 DEC.2020.. Hope you have a wonderful and Safe Christmas. I will need your help to setup my 18' tall Mega Tree for next year. But I will start gathering materials and componets early next year of 2021 if you dont mind.. tenx, Wish you and your family a Safe and wonderful Christmas... tenx again.

[@trevilights]

@@li2buenafe Merry Christmas to you too. And my best wishes for 2021. Happy to help.

[@matthewrobins1360]

How far is your tree from the controller? I blew the fuses to port 1 and 2 when attempting to run 600 pixels on port 1 and 400 pixels on port 2 about 40 feet from my controller

[@trevilights]

Hi There. Back then, my tree was about 20ft from my controller. Right now I have a different setup using a smart receiver. 40ft is way to far to be sending data across a wire, but fuses should not been blown for this reason. Are you doing some sort of power injection? Fuses go bad when the wire over heats.

[@matthewrobins1360]

@trevilights no power injection as of now just trying to get them working at the moment, maybe my solder joints are bad. The distance is an issue though I wonder how people do their entire house I’m only trying to run a mega tree

[@trevilights]

@@matthewrobins1360 We try to keep the distance as short as possible. For long runs we use a smart receiver (see below) that connect to the main controller using an ethernet cable. This ethernet cable can be as long as 200ft. From the smart receiver, let's use the Srx1 as an example, you have 4 ports of 1024 pixels each. People put one of this on the roof, and then connect all the roof lines to it. a Smart receiver uses it's own power supply which power the board and all the pixels. Now, if you have a long extension, let's say 40ft, you can use a F-Amp in the middle of the string. This will boost the data signal so it reaches to the other end. It does not boost the voltage, just the data. If you need help, you can book some time with me at trevilights.com and we can chat over a zoom meeting. pixelcontroller.com/store/accessories/86-srx1.html pixelcontroller.com/store/accessories/53-famp.html

[@katedewitt3599]

question as we were going thru putting the pig tails on the ends we noted 4 of our sets have at least 1 of the power injection wires missing is this ok?

[@trevilights]

Yes, It's Okay. You will only need to inject power at some points, not all of them. You can measure the voltage at some point of the tree. If the voltage drops too much then inject power near that point. Also is a good practice to lower the brightness to 30% in the Falcon Controller in the String Port page. This will lower the voltage needed.

[@katedewitt3599]

@@trevilights ty so much please another question do you have a video on how to put together the rasberry pie? thank you in advance

[@trevilights]

@@katedewitt3599 Unfortunately no. But this link should help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmqYg6lqf6x6lbs

[@dale3645]

What lights do you use?

[@trevilights]

WS2811 12volts Here are some choices www.amazon.com/ALITOVE-Individually-Addressable-Advertising-Waterproof/dp/B01MSOT9LZ/ref=sr_1_6?crid=KVSWEE2KJVXE&keywords=ws2811%2B12v&qid=1668701226&sprefix=ws2811%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-6&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.08f69ac3-fd3d-4b88-bca2-8997e41410bb&th=1

[@mckeedesigns2426]

Is there an easy way to add a picture of a sports logo to the mega tree effects?

[@trevilights]

Yes. Watch my video...minute 7. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e53dlWN9hMyGo5o

[@yourkreditrx9746]

Where did you purchase all of your equipment?

[@trevilights]

Falcon controller at pixelcontroller.com, boscoyo studios and Holiday coro. Lights in Amazon so i could return them if they did not work.

[@jimbala2996]

Hi l was watching your mega tree during your power injection video was not clear how you were injecting power can do a drawing diagram how to inject properly also I noticed on your video top part of the strand some wires left unhooked I reply that part 6-7 times I couldn’t figure out. Can you please fill diagram how to hook up those led lights thanks Jimbala your contribution are awesome god bless you Part

[@trevilights]

Hi Jim. Every string of lights comes with with with a JST M3 connector on each side. Next to each connector there are two extra cables. One positive and one negative. Here is where you connect a 12v or 5v to inject power if needed. If you do not use them you can just leave them hanging like I did. I just cut the tip of them to make sure they are not going to short. They're a few videos on power injection. Check them out.

[@codecage9333]

Where do you get the music tracks?

[@trevilights]

I use a KZbin to MP3 website and download it to my computer.

[@codecage9333]

@@trevilightsNot totally clear on this! What I saw was about converting KZbin videos to mp3 files, not where to get the sound track itself. Does this mean I watch a video that contains the tunes I want then convert those to mp3 file? I guess I would have to then edit the mp3 file to extract just the tunes I want to use.

[@trevilights]

@@codecage9333 This tool take only the audio of a video and saves it to you local computer as an MP3 No need to edit anything.

[@codecage9333]

​@@trevilights Finally figured it out, but so far have found a video that is all music. Like your video it is a how to so has someone speaking not just the music. I guess since it's in a KZbin video there are no copyright issues.🤔

[@MisterHallo]

may i knwo you cinfigured your controller for yor megatree? iam playing to use only 1 port

[@trevilights]

Hi. You can find it in this video... "Falcon Controller Initial setup using xLight"

[@kamallajohn2867]

Hai sir , this is which software use pls ....

[@trevilights]

Thanks for watching. The software used is xLights. xlights.org/

[@biggie2182]

Can you add another video to show how you take it from xlights to the controller board?

[@smileformenowplease]

Yes please make one, I haven't seen one that tells it as good a you could, please

[@trevilights]

I just uploaded one. It's named "Falcon Controller Initial setup using xLight". Enjoy.

[@smileformenowplease]

@@trevilights Big Thanks

[@jasonclarkcarbon5456]

Can u play the music using a speaker

[@trevilights]

Just plug a speaker to your headphones output or use Bluetooth. The PI controller also has a headphone jack were plug the FM transmitter.

[@skeldon66]

Very nice, thanks :)

[@jimbala2996]

Hi need more explanation where you get sequence program and how to install in the computer and how to connect to the controller extra do a drawing diagram for dummies then anyone could understand what you talking about thanks for your contribution. Jimbala

[@trevilights]

Jim, in the comments section of the video below you can find links to everything you need. kzbin.info/www/bejne/boiUp6WfoNOVeJo Xlights can be download here... xlights.org/

[@DWR6]

Great video!

[@trevilights]

Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.