Rose Window
Spec finalized 2026-05-18. WS2815 12V on dedicated 12V PSU — no converter needed.
Physical facts
| Diameter | 4.877m (~16 ft) |
| Circumference | 15.3m |
| Position | Center of front facade, Z = 3.1–8.0m, faces inward toward dance floor |
| Petals | 18 ordered — 16 installed + 2 spares. Each removable, each its own independent LED strip. |
| Cells per petal | 14 (individual Gothic tracery openings) |
| Total addressable pixels | 224 |
LED strip
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Chip | WS2815 |
| Density | 60 LEDs/meter |
| Voltage | 12V (dedicated 12V PSU — see Power below) |
| IP rating | IP65 — conformal coating only, not silicone sleeve |
| Protocol | WS2811-compatible, dual data line |
| Why WS2815 | Dual data line = breakpoint resume. Window is hard to service on playa. 60px/m at 12V = 1 pixel per LED. Widely available, well-proven. |
| Why IP65 coating | Alex: silicone sleeves (IP67/68) trap heat on playa. Conformal coating only — not encased. |
| Why 60/m | Finer tracery geometry needs higher resolution than arches/spires. |
| Why 12V not 24V | WS2815 is 12V-native — correct voltage for the chip. Rose window runs on its own 12V PSU; rest of install is 24V. F48V5 differential signal is power-independent, so mixed voltages across SmartReceivers work fine. |
| Why not buck converter | Dedicated 12V PSU is simpler and more reliable than a converter. Each zone is self-contained. |
Quantities
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Path length per petal | 8,372mm (8.37m) — measured in Illustrator |
| LEDs per petal | ~502 |
| Strip length ordered per petal | 900cm — ~63cm margin for real-world variation and connector leads |
| Rolls per petal | 2 × 5m rolls joined at mid-petal (BTF-Lighting max roll = 5m) |
| Total rolls | 18 petals × 2 = 36 rolls (16 installed + 2 spares) |
| Total LEDs | ~9,036 |
Mid-petal join: Plan the solder join to land in a framing passage, not across a cell face. Apply heat-shrink over the joint for IP65 continuity.
Cell diagram
📄 Download petal-combined-path-v3.svg — full framing + tracery with LED routing path.
Cell naming — airplane-seat style
Rows 1–7 bottom-to-top. b = center/spine, a = left, c = right. 2-cell rows skip b.
| Row | Cells | LEDs | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 7a, 7b, 7c | 34 + 51 + 36 = 121 | Top: left arch, center circle, right arch |
| 6 | 6a, 6c | 29 + 45 = 74 | Two large circles |
| 5 | 5a, 5b, 5c | 6 + 43 + 10 = 59 | Small connectors + center vesica |
| 4 | 4a, 4c | 48 + 48 = 96 | Two large ovals |
| 3 | 3b | 39 | Diamond/kite (spine) |
| 2 | 2a, 2c | 26 + 27 = 53 | Lower narrow cells |
| 1 | 1b | 21 | Bottom rounded cell |
Full pixel address example: P03-5b = petal 3, center vesica cell. Petals P01–P16 clockwise from 12 o’clock.
Animation groupings
| Group | Cells | LEDs |
|---|---|---|
| Spine | 1b + 3b + 5b + 7b | 154 |
| Left side | 2a + 4a + 5a + 6a + 7a | 143 |
| Right side | 2c + 4c + 5c + 6c + 7c | 166 |
| Top cluster | 7a + 7b + 7c | 121 |
| Big ovals | 4a + 4c | 96 |
| Big circles | 6a + 6c | 74 |
Power
WS2815 at 60/m draws ~18W/m max at full white.
| Per petal (9m max) | ~162W |
| 16 active petals, full white | ~2,600W |
| Typical show brightness (20–40%) | ~520–1,040W |
PSU: 2× Mean Well HLG-320H-12 (320W, 12V, IP65) wired in parallel gives 640W — covers typical use comfortably. Add a third unit for full-white headroom or use HLG-480H-12 (480W) units instead.
The rose window PSUs are completely separate from the 24V distribution used by the rest of the installation. No converter needed. The F48V5 differential signal to the SRx4 is power-independent.
Hardware
| Item | Details | Source | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRx4 SmartReceiver | 4-in-1, 16 outputs — one per petal | pixelcontroller.com | $90 |
| Falcon F48V5 | Main controller (shared with full installation) | pixelcontroller.com | $270 |
| Mean Well HLG-320H-12 (or HLG-480H-12) | 12V PSU, IP65, dedicated to rose window | Amazon / TRC Electronics | ~$80–120 each |
| Thermal interface tape, 1mm | Between strip PCB and aluminum framing | Amazon | ~$10 |
SRx4 ↔ F48V5 compatibility confirmed by David Pitts (pixelcontroller.com), 2026-05-13.
Wiring
F48V5 controller
│
└── Cat6 ethernet ──► SRx4 SmartReceiver (on scaffold)
│
16 extension runs (3-wire + power)
to window center hub
│
┌─────────┴──────────┐
Petal 1 ... ... ... Petal 16
Power (rose window only — isolated from 24V distribution):
12V PSU (HLG-320H-12 ×2) ──► SRx4 power in ──► 16 petal strips (WS2815 12V)
Rest of installation:
24V PSUs ──► all other SmartReceivers
What to order
| Item | Qty | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WS2815 IP65 60/m 5m roll | 36 rolls (18 petals × 2) | BTF-Lighting / Amazon | IP65 silicone coating (not tube). Black or white PCB. Prime eligible. |
| SRx4 SmartReceiver | 1 | pixelcontroller.com | $90 |
| Mean Well HLG-320H-12 | 2 | Amazon / TRC Electronics | ~$80–120 each. Dedicated 12V PSU for rose window. |
| Cat6 ethernet, ~15m | 1 | Any | F48V5 → SRx4 |
| BTF-Lighting 3-pin IP65 threaded barrel connectors, 22mm | 25+ pairs | Amazon | 3-pin for 12V strips (V+, GND, DATA) |
| Thermal interface tape, 1mm | 1 roll | Amazon | Between strip PCB and aluminum framing |
| 3-conductor extension wire, 14–16 AWG | TBD | — | Confirm SRx4 mount location with Alex first |