[pg_rider]

I've seen so many recommendations for what rope lighting to buy that my head is starting to spin. I'm hoping someone can point me towards a simple solution. I'm looking to put rope lighting in a dropped crown molding installation around 3 walls in my basement living room, with the following requirements:

1) Must be color-changing, controllable with a remote control (either it's own, or via a programmable remote like a Harmony)
2) Must have a good warm-white setting
3) Must be dimmable

Below is a sketch of my room. The total length I need is ~57 feet, and you can see where my available electrical outlet is. It's a dual outlet so I was thinking I'd send a 15' strand to the front of the room, then a 42' strand the other direction around the remainder of the room. Note that I do NOT need it to go around the front wall of the room (above the TV).

Any suggestions on what product to buy and where to get it? I don't mind spending several hundred dollars to make it happen. The problem I keep running into is finding something that can go the 40+ feet from the outlet around the 3 walls.


I do have an option to cut a hole in the wall and provide a 2nd power outlet in the noted location if that makes it easier.


HELP!

 

[blipszyc]

I've seen plenty of color changing rope lights on ebay, but I've only seen 5M (~16ft) and I don't think they can be chained together. Also, I've never seen anything with a warm-white color. Sorry. You may have to cut 2 new holes and add 2 new outlets and get 3 strings of lights.

 

[Scott Simonian]

Get a Philips Hue controller bridge.

Buy an FLS-PP wireless ballast.

Buy your RGBWW led strip of choice.

Download Hue-compatible app. (lots)

Profit.

 

[gjviii]

Buy an FLS-PP wireless ballast.

do you recommend a specific one?


thanks

 

[Scott Simonian]

do you recommend a specific one?


thanks

Myself and several others are using this one: http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-elec...ie=UTF8&qid=1428174226&sr=8-1&keywords=fls+pp

 

[RedStripe88]

If you go with the 15' and 42' runs, you will have a voltage drop on the 42' run that may make the LEDs at the end of that run a bit dimmer than LEDs near the start.

Rather than chaining 3 strips together, you can run one 4-wire conductor to the start of each strip. So, you would have 4 4-wire conductors from your RGBW controller. Run the wires parallel to and under the RGB strips, just tuck into the crown. Assuming you won't have crown over the television, you could have two short wires, one about 17' long and the other about 34' long (all plus the distance to the controller). The longest wire would power the shortest strip (about 8').

I used a remote, RGB controllers and a WiFi hub from SuperBrightLEDs/

But, I was willing to settle for a standalone control system. I will turn it on/off with my system remote, but will not be able to change colors with that remote.

 

[pg_rider]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm simply going to buy four of these 16' strips:

http://www.amazon.com/HitLights-Mul.../B005QDO8YU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427999207


I'll go ahead and cut a power outlet into the 2nd location in the picture above. That way it's basically two 16' strips coming off each outlet going in opposite directions -- no daisy-chaining required. I believe one remote will control all four strips, assuming it can be "paired" to all four control boxes....

 

[IA_Hi_Fi_Guy]

I just ordered 2 164' spools of blue 120 V strip light from here on clearance.

This looks like it would be perfect for you assuming they will do a custom cut. Comes with a remote and 8,000 color options and is dimmable:


http://www.birddogdistributing.com/Brilliant-120v-SMD-5050-RGB-LED-Strip-Light-148ft-Spool.html

 

[Stereodude]

Myself and several others are using this one: http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-elec...ie=UTF8&qid=1428174226&sr=8-1&keywords=fls+pp

Which LAN / Zigbee bridge are you using?

 

[Scott Simonian]

Which LAN / Zigbee bridge are you using?

I'm using the Philips Hue bridge.

I bought one on eBay for $40.

 

[Stereodude]

I'm using the Philips Hue bridge.

I bought one on eBay for $40.

Okay thanks. Unfortunately, I see that the FLS-PP can't control the white channel separately from the RGB channels.

Reportedly they're working on a firmware update to fix that, but haven't released it yet, and it sounds like they don't know how they're going to push the FW update to the unit.

Also, do you notice the PWM frequency used in the dimming?

 

[Scott Simonian]

I see it has a separate RGBW output but I guess it doesn't work correctly? Never heard that it didn't but I'm only using RGB with no white.

I have no idea what "PMW frequency used in dimming" means. I use an app.

 

[Stereodude]

I see it has a separate RGBW output but I guess it doesn't work correctly? Never heard that it didn't but I'm only using RGB with no white.

Apparently it shows up as one HUE device and it adjusts the amount of white channel you get based on the color you ask for. The closer to white you ask for, the more white channel you get. People have been requesting it show up as two devices where one is RGB and the other is monochrome white (like a hue lux). link

I have no idea what "PMW frequency used in dimming" means. I use an app.

The unit uses PWM to dim the 3 LED channels in different ratios and achieve all those different colors. If the PWM frequency is not fast enough you can perceive them flickering/flashing. Can you noticed the LEDs flickering if you scan your eyes across them quickly? (similar to DLP rainbows)

 

[Scott Simonian]

Ah, gotcha. Never looked into that since I'm not using RGBW strips but good to know. Hope they can get it working as people want it to.

No I never noticed any flickering as you describe. Looked solid to me.

 

[blazar]

i find that most of this gimmick lighting is not used much in my room. I either want full brightness or I want it pitch black. In-between barely helps anything especially if you already have dimmer bulbs.

I put around 24 Cree LED bulbs around the room that provide great dimmable lighting without any buzzing or noise while giving a long overall lifespan so I don't need to keep climbing up there.

On the other hand, in my game room, we have the long tube fluorescent bulbs all around the ceiling which are embedded facing upwards inside a soffit cavity created by the trim. You never see the bulbs themselves but they create a very bright indirect lighting. These are found in very good warm color temperatures also. These can also incidentally charge a painted star ceiling that we have in our game room.

I find accent lighting to be a nuisance as they burn out or have transformers that buzz or hum or whatever. I have some accent puck lighting that keep getting slowly knocked out of their sockets by the subwoofers or something.

I have ultimately learned that simplicity is often more effective than gimmicks while being long term cost effective, livable, and usable.

consider a pair of directional spot lights pointed to where you sit the most. These will provide great reading lights while you listen to music.

 

[Stereodude]

i find that most of this gimmick lighting is not used much in my room. I either want full brightness or I want it pitch black. In-between barely helps anything especially if you already have dimmer bulbs.

...

I find accent lighting to be a nuisance as they burn out or have transformers that buzz or hum or whatever. I have some accent puck lighting that keep getting slowly knocked out of their sockets by the subwoofers or something.

I have ultimately learned that simplicity is often more effective than gimmicks while being long term cost effective, livable, and usable.

I'm hoping to use the gimmick rope lighting as the primary lighting in my room. The center tray ceiling area will be indirectly lit by LED strip lights tucked behind crown molding. If things go the way I hope, my columns will have DIY fixtures powered by RGBW LEDs strips for the remaining lighting in the room. Certainly it will be capable of all sorts of silly lighting effects, but I don't have any plans to use them.

 

[blazar]

I'm hoping to use the gimmick rope lighting as the primary lighting in my room. The center tray ceiling area will be indirectly lit by LED strip lights tucked behind crown molding. If things go the way I hope, my columns will have DIY fixtures powered by RGBW LEDs strips for the remaining lighting in the room. Certainly it will be capable of all sorts of silly lighting effects, but I don't have any plans to use them.

I have those rope lights here and there in my house. The places that I used them seemed to end up being pointless. On the other hand, I wish I had incorporated rope for indirect lighting inside some of my art niches in the living room. The key is to hide them from the eyes with trim that covers them from almost every angle. It is too late for me to mess with this idea now since it would take a lot of extra woodwork and everything would not look proportional.

 

[Stereodude]

I'm hoping to use the gimmick rope lighting as the primary lighting in my room. The center tray ceiling area will be indirectly lit by LED strip lights tucked behind crown molding. If things go the way I hope, my columns will have DIY fixtures powered by RGBW LEDs strips for the remaining lighting in the room. Certainly it will be capable of all sorts of silly lighting effects, but I don't have any plans to use them.

So my test LEDs and controller came. I made a quick mockup "fixture" to test and posted about it here.

 

[dukedallas2005]

I replaced all my old fashioned rope lighting in my theater with the new LED color changing type of strips. Old style rope lighting produced excess heat, was thick and used too much power, everything opposite of the LED strips. I did it for under $50 last year.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RGB-5M-3528...141?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec59bfd7d

 

[bermise]

edit

Get a Philips Hue controller bridge.

Buy an FLS-PP wireless ballast.

Buy your RGBWW led strip of choice.

Download Hue-compatible app. (lots)

Profit.