Getting power to your pixels can get a little tricky once the string gets longer than a controller can handle natively. Power injection is a trick to get past that problem.

Pixels are a special kind of LED lights you can use for decorating during the holidays, but where do you get them?

We step through setting up a new Raspberry Pi with Falcon Player software.

Many people like to synchronize music with their lights. Here’s how it’s done.

Here’s the basics for getting started using RGB Pixels for your light display.

RGB Pixels are LED lights that can change color and intensity, 20 times per second. With smart RGB Pixels, you control each individual bulb or node. Dumb RGB pixels are controlled per string. This allows for animation of patterns in your display.

What you may need to get started

Pixels

First, you’ll need some pixels. Pixels come in different shapes sizes and voltages, but they all behave similarly. Each node is made up of one red, one blue and one green LED in a single package. Some nodes are made up of only one chip. Others have three of those chips.

Pixel Controller

A pixel controller is a specialized circuit board that converts pixel data from the computer to serial data the lights need to work. I use and recommend Falcon Controllers from PixelController, LLC.

Power Supply

MeanWell makes high-quality, reliable power supplies. They are more expensive than others, but they are worth the added cost. 12V Power Supply http://amzn.to/2kaWnLC

Computer

While you can run a show from your laptop or desktop computer, many people use a Raspberry Pi as the “show” computer to keep from tying up their main machine during the holidays.

Raspberry Pi 3 (board only) http://amzn.to/2jtVXvt
Raspberry Pi 3 (full starter kit) http://amzn.to/2Ad7oli

Sequencing Software

I use an open source program called xLights to create sequences.

Those are the basic components of an RGB pixel light setup.