Need advice for upgrading next year

[robots4joey]

Here is what I have here at my house already:
2 coop 595 boards, complete with parts (one fully assembled)


I will need 3 sets of 64 channels next year (meaning I need one more 64 channel board no matter what)


I really want dimming, so I believe I have three options:

1. Buy one more coop 595 board/parts, then buy three REN-C's and one REN-T
2. Try to sell the boards I have at cost; then buy three REN-64's
3. keep my 595's and REN-T'em and also add one REN 64 channel board to fill in the gap.

Which of these options would be the easiest/cheapest?

Thanks everyone!

[tommy]

Hi Joey...

I think if I were you, I'd consider getting two Ren-c's for the 595 boards you already have. That would give you dimming on those. Then for the third 64-channel board, I'd look at going with a Grinch with a Ren-c so that it would have dimming capabilities too. From what I've read, you'd only need to have one Ren-T board to supply the zero-cross signals to all three Ren-c boards.

Take a look at this link, it gives a good overview of what the costs are for each of the different systems. http://christmasinshirley.com/wiki/index.php?title=Comparison_of_DIY_Boards

According to the comparison chart, the Grinch board would be considerably less expensive than the cost of a ren64. And with the addition of a Ren-c, they would dim just like the renard boards. And the Grinch boards are compatible with the 595 boards and use the same Vixen plugin as the 595's.

Just a thought...

Tom