30 April 2013

The Nearly Famous RGB Video Series - Everything You Wanted To Know About Pixels But Couldn't Find The Answer

When I started researching RGB and pixel solutions in early 2010, there was just about no information on the internet as to what all the teminolgy, protocols, wiring, controllers and other items were.  After extensive research and work with others, I decided to document all the information I knew at the time in the form of a video series.  The focus behind the videos was to simply show each type of lighting, controller, wiring, etc in a non-vendor specific manner so that someone just getting started out could get up to speed on the terminolgy and functions.  This information, while produced in late 2010, early 2011 is older now, every bit of it is still completely relevant.  Since this information is squirrled away on our website, I though I would repost it here for those new to RGB and pixels.


  • Video #1
    • What is RGB?
    • What are the different type of RGB lighting devices?
    • What is Basic RGB and RGB Pixels?
    • How to Pixels get their addresses?
    • How do you assign channels to pixels?
    • What are controller macros?

  • Video #2
    • How do I fix dead pixels?
    • What is the difference between three and four wire pixels?  Does it matter?
    • How do I know which end of my pixels to hook to the controller?  Does it matter?
    • How do I power my pixels?
    • Why are there different voltages for pixels?
    • What is the difference between centralized and de-centralized power distribution of pixels?
    • How many pixels can be on a single controller output?
    • What is color depth in pixels?  Why does it matter?

  • Video #3
    • What are the different type of pixel chips?
    • What quality issues should I be aware of when purchasing pixels?
    • What are the drawbacks of RGB over just regular Christmas lights?
    • What advantage do Basic RGB and RGB Pixels give me?

  • Video #4
    • What are the different types of Basic RGB controllers?
    • Why would I want to use basic RGB controllers and LEDs instead of pixel based controllers and LEDs?
    • What are the different types of RGB Pixel controllers?


  1. These were very useful. Will there ever be a Video #5?

  2. I'm sorry but there will not. This was first published in early 2011 and since then we've published more specific information in our 300 other youtube videos and we'll have even more how-to videos this year.

  3. OK. Thought I'd ask on the off chance it was a forgotten but not dead project. Still going through all those other videos. Thanks for the response.


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