Build Partner Reference

COLOR DOME

Architecture & Open Gates — v1.5

The Color Dome is a touring interactive LED exhibit for Museums and Music Festivals where guests use their bodies to create color.

Inside the dome, a LIDAR sensor tracks “PersonStates,” and sends that data to a Python-based runtime stack which translates location to a three-dimensional color wheel — hue, saturation, and brightness.

The resulting color information is sent to the dome’s LED array via sACN-controlled LED output at 30 fps.

This document shares a set of assumptions for the physical build in terms of LED selection, signal processing, and power supply.

Thank you for taking a look!

40,330 addressable pixels • 11m diameter • Spiral topology

Blender renders — CDRS Preview Master

Locked

ARCHITECTURE FUNDAMENTALS

These elements are committed and stable. Strip family, voltage, channel model, and fixture geometry were bench-locked in June 2026 — see Bench Validation below.

40,330

Addressable pixels

11m

Dome diameter

sACN

E1.31 multicast

30 fps

Default frame rate

✓ Distributed DC power (zone-isolated)
✓ Software brightness ceiling
✓ Managed switch + VLAN + IGMP snooping

✓ Advatek PixLite Mk3-class controllers
✓ Conservative ~300 px/output planning target
✓ Zone-level fault isolation

Bench validated • June 2026

BENCH VALIDATION — STRIP & FIXTURE LOCKED

A bench bring-up on Kurt with a BC-204 controller validated the production strip family, fixture geometry, and 24V power architecture. GS8208 baseline and GS8303 16-bit RGB were tested alongside — GS8304 RGBW carried the win on the strength of 16-bit smoothness plus the dedicated white channel.

Strip

GS8304 RGBW

2904

Color order

WBGR

Channels / pixel

4 (RGBW)

Universes

318

Bench voltage

24V

LED → diffusion

9″ standoff

Strip pitch

12″ vertical

What bench testing told us

✓ GS8304 wins on RGBW + 16-bit + thermal. The dedicated white channel justifies the added complexity for the dome.
✓ GS8303 is a strong runner-up. “Beautiful… love this strip” — Jon, on the 16-bit RGB. Same fidelity ceiling as GS8304, just without dedicated white.
✓ 16-bit family runs cooler at higher LED density. GS8303 at 120 LEDs/m measurably cooler to the touch than GS8208 at 60 LEDs/m. Real thermal advantage for an enclosed-diffusion dome.
✓ 9″ diffusion standoff reads as the right blend. Pixels merge into an even wash with no hotspots at 12″ vertical strip pitch.
✓ 24V demonstrated. Mean Well LRS-150-24 on the bench. Production architecture follows.

WHY WE PICKED THE GS8304

Color Dome’s strip decision was driven first by visual criteria, then by deployability. The four properties below are why the GS83xx family beat the workhorse alternatives in bench testing.

Highest-priority hardware criteria

→ Smooth gradients
→ Strong low-brightness behavior
→ Minimal visible stepping or banding
→ Minimal camera flicker
→ Stable color and white rendering
→ Voltage flexibility without giving up per-pixel fidelity

Most important differentiator

16-bit color resolution

Materially better than plain 8-bit for:

• Dim-end smoothness
• Long gradients
• Subtle motion in low light
• Avoiding visible stepping in generative color fields

Directly matches Color Dome’s artistic requirement for smooth, continuous color transitions.

48 kHz PWM

Very high PWM rate is a major advantage for:

• Filming
• Slow-motion capture
• Reducing flicker artifacts
• Stabilizing low-brightness appearance on camera

The dome will be documented and filmed — flicker defects would be highly visible.

Wide voltage range (3.8V–30V)

Real architecture flexibility — evaluate either:

• 24V for easier power distribution
• 12V if required to preserve 1 LED = 1 pixel

…without changing chip family. Exactly the flexibility a 40,330-LED build needs.

Per-color current control

Easier to:

• Tune color balance
• Preserve control resolution while lowering output
• Improve white rendering and channel matching

Valuable when final visual quality matters more than commodity-strip convenience.

GS8304 chosen — GS8303 strong runner-up

GS8304 RGBW • Production pick

Bench testing confirmed the dedicated white channel justifies the added complexity. Higher universe count (318) and additional power demand are acceptable for the dome’s artistic goals.

GS8303 RGB • Drop-in alternate

Same fidelity ceiling without dedicated white. Available as a fallback if GS8304 production sourcing slips.

Both share the same 16-bit / 48 kHz / 3.8V–30V core. Bench notes on GS8303: “beautiful… love this strip.”

Why GS8208 didn’t make the cut

GS8208 was bench-tested as the workhorse baseline. It performs better than commodity 8-bit strips, but the 16-bit family’s smoothness and thermal advantage are visible — especially at higher LED density behind diffusion. Not selected for production. (Bench sample shipped with a dead pixel at index 78, illustrating why field-replaceable strip segments matter.)

Verify

OUR BIG QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GS8303 / GS8304

The preferred GS8303 / GS8304 path is still gated by two production-critical questions about the finished strip product — not just the chip datasheet.

Open evaluation

Is a custom 1 LED = 1 pixel strip worth the cost and power?

Bench testing suggests grouped-pixel GS8304 is acceptable for the dome’s visual goals at our 9″ diffusion standoff. The open question is whether a custom 1:1 GS8304 strip is worth the additional cost and power demands.

Weighing

• Cost premium of custom 1:1 production runs
• Power demand increase (more addressable pixels → more current)
• Visual benefit at 9″ diffusion standoff
• Sourcing reliability of custom vs off-shelf strip

Working assumption: grouped pixels acceptable. Custom 1:1 strip is an upgrade we’re evaluating, not a blocker.

Production-critical

Does the strip support breakpoint resume / backup data?

Whether the finished product — not the chip-family marketing — actually supports redundant data continuation.

Must confirm

• Strip supports redundant data continuation
• Whether a failed LED interrupts downstream pixels
• Whether breakpoint-resume exists at the strip level, not just chip-family marketing language

At 40,330 pixels, field maintenance risk increases significantly if one failed pixel can disable everything downstream.

Open

OPEN DECISION GATES

Two strategic questions remain open at production scale. The channel-model gate closed during bench validation in June 2026.

Gate 1 — Production-scale Sourcing

Can we source GS8304 RGBW at 40,330-pixel production scale with consistent batches?

Bench validation used a small GS8304 sample. The remaining question is whether ~670 m of dome strip plus 10% spares can be sourced with consistent chip revision, LED binning, and color order.

Gate 2 — Voltage Lock

24V baseline or 48V upgrade?

24V is bench-demonstrated. 48V samples are being sourced — if a 48V GS8304 product is available and the trade-offs check out (see Tradeoff Analysis below), the production voltage may step up.

Gate 3 — Channel Model • Resolved

RGB or RGBW? — RGBW chosen.

Bench testing confirmed the dedicated white channel justifies the added complexity for the dome. Production locks at GS8304 RGBW, 4 channels/pixel, 318 universes.

STRIP PATH

Production pick, drop-in alternate, and retired candidate. Bench-locked June 2026.

Production pick • GS8304 RGBW @ 24V

Bit depth

16-bit

PWM

48 kHz

Channels

4 (RGBW)

Universes

318

Bench-validated June 2026 (IC 2904, color order WBGR). 48V variant under inquiry as a potential upgrade.

Drop-in alternate • GS8303 RGB @ 24V

Bit depth

16-bit

PWM

48 kHz

Channels

3 (RGB)

Universes

238

Same 16-bit / 48 kHz fidelity core. Used if GS8304 production sourcing slips. Lower universe count, simpler control path.

Retired • GS8208 RGB @ 12V

Bit depth

8-bit

PWM

8 kHz

Channels

3 (RGB)

Universes

238

Bench-tested and not selected. Lower fidelity ceiling and warmer thermals than the GS83xx family.

POWER ARCHITECTURE

Power planning follows a single rule: engineer from measured sample behavior of the final strip, not from a legacy strip family’s nominal current.

Locked

Design fundamentals

• Distributed DC power zones
• Per-zone fusing
• Zone-level fault isolation
• Software brightness ceiling
• Staggered zone power-up sequencing
• Injection spacing validated against real strip samples

Pending sample validation

Awaiting strip selection

• Final voltage lock (24V baseline; 48V upgrade under inquiry)
• Per-meter current draw at production scale
• Total system wattage
• Final injection interval
• Final PSU SKU and zone count
• Tech rider AC requirements

Production baseline — 24V GS8304

✓ Bench-validated (Mean Well LRS-150-24)
✓ Lower current vs 12V; fewer injection points
✓ Easier cable management for long runs
✓ Simpler long-run distribution

PSU candidates at production scale: Mean Well SE-600-24 / UHP-500-24 / HLG-600H-24A.

Upgrade under inquiry — 48V GS8304

→ Lowest per-pixel current of any branch
→ Fewest injection points
→ Lightest cable gauge for touring
→ Pending: sample availability + 48V GS8304 sourcing confirmation

PSU candidates (if locked): Mean Well SE-600-48 / HLG-600H-48A. See Tradeoff Analysis below for full 12V/24V/48V comparison.

CONTROL ARCHITECTURE

Protocol & Network

Protocol	sACN (E1.31) multicast
Universes	318 (RGBW, locked)
Channels per pixel	4 (RGBW)
Pixel IC	2904 (GS8304)
Color order	WBGR
Frame rate	30 fps default
Sync	E1.31 universe sync
Network	Dedicated VLAN, IGMP snooping
Switch capacity	318+ multicast groups
Cabling	Cat6 STP + Neutrik EtherCON

Controllers

Class	Advatek PixLite Mk3 family
Planning model	PixLite E16-S Mk3
Outputs per unit	16 SPI
Pixels per output	~300 (conservative)
Total controllers	9 (planning target)
Total SPI outputs	144
Pixel IC support	GS8303, GS8304, GS8208
Config	Web-based, sACN native

End-to-End Signal Path (Preferred Branch)

Brain Computer (Kurt / production host)
  ↓ dedicated sACN NIC
Managed Switch (VLAN, IGMP snooping, 318+ multicast groups)
  ↓     ↓     ↓     ↓     ↓     ↓     ↓     ↓     ↓
 9 × Advatek PixLite E16-S Mk3 (144 SPI outputs)
  ↓
Short data runs to distributed strip segments
  ↓
GS8304 RGBW (IC 2904, color order WBGR)
24V baseline (bench-validated); 48V upgrade under inquiry
  ↑
Distributed 24V PSUs → zone bus bars → fused injection taps

TRADEOFF ANALYSIS

Strip families

Factor	GS8303	GS8304	GS8208
Color resolution	16-bit	16-bit	8-bit (12-bit gamma)
PWM	48 kHz	48 kHz	8 kHz
Channels	RGB	RGBW	RGB
Voltage range	3.8V–30V	3.8V–30V	12V
Universes @ 40,330 px	238	318	238
Visual ceiling	Very high	Very high	Lower
Sourcing risk	Higher	Higher	Lower
Posture	Preferred	Preferred	Strong fallback

Voltage: 12V vs 24V vs 48V

Factor	12V	24V	48V (under inquiry)
Per-pixel current	Highest	Moderate	Lowest
Injection points	Highest	Moderate	Fewest
Cable gauge	Heaviest	Moderate	Lightest
Voltage drop per meter	Highest	Moderate	Lowest
Long-run distribution	Hardest	Good	Easiest
Pixel grouping	Lower	Moderate	Higher (GS8304 spec range is 3.8V–30V)
Safety threshold	Well under SELV	Well under SELV	Approaches 50V SELV ceiling
PSU vendor pool	Largest	Large	Smaller (industrial/PoE++)
Bench validated	—	Demonstrated (Mean Well LRS-150-24)	Not yet
Posture	Fallback	Production baseline	Under inquiry — sample sourcing in progress

48V inquiry in progress

A 48V variant of GS8304 RGBW would simplify large-scale power distribution at 40,330 pixels. The chip’s documented voltage range (3.8V–30V) means a 48V implementation almost certainly groups multiple physical LEDs per addressable pixel — acceptable for our visual goals (see Our Big Questions above), but we’re sourcing samples to verify the trade-off before committing.

RGBW vs RGB

Factor	RGBW	RGB
White quality	Better (dedicated channel)	Mixed white only
Control complexity	Higher	Lower
Universe count	Higher (318)	Lower (238)
Artistic flexibility	Higher	Strong, simpler

PROCUREMENT & VALIDATION

Priority 1

GS8304 / GS8303 @ 24V

• 1 LED = 1 pixel
• 60+ pixels/m
• Black PCB
• IP20
• 1m sample minimum

Priority 2

GS8304 / GS8303 @ 12V

If 24V cannot be sourced cleanly, source the same chip families at 12V with the same density goals.

Priority 3

GS8208 @ 12V

Maintain a fallback sample path: GS8208 RGB, 12V, 1:1 pixel, 60 pixels/m.

Sample validation questions

Exact chip used
Exact LEDs/m vs pixels/m
True 1 LED = 1 pixel behavior?
Exact strip voltage implementation
PWM behavior
Actual power draw per meter
Cut unit
Black-PCB availability
Repeat-order consistency

Top procurement risks

• Grouped pixels hidden behind high LED density
• Sample strip not matching production strip
• Unresolved breakpoint or redundant-data behavior
• Vendor cannot hold chip revision and LED binning
• Inability to reorder matching material later

CONNECTORS & CABLING

Connector philosophy is voltage-agnostic. Final cable gauges are sized after voltage and current draw lock to the production strip.

Connection	Connector	Notes
AC mains → distro	PowerCON TRUE1	Locking, IP65, touring-rated
AC distro → PSU	PowerCON 20A	Standard touring power
DC PSU → zone bus	XT60 / Anderson PP45	High-current DC, tool-free
DC bus → injection	XT30 / JST-SM 2-pin	Low-current DC tap
Switch → controller	EtherCON (NE8MX6)	Cat6, rugged, locking
Controller → strip	xConnect 3-pin / Ray Wu	Pre-terminated pigtails

Field serviceability

• All connections tool-free (push-fit, twist-lock)
• No soldering in the field
• Modular pre-wired strip segments

• Every cable labeled (heat-shrink print)
• Setup target: hours, not days
• Touring teardown discipline throughout

SAFETY & COMPLIANCE

Applicable codes

• NEC Article 518 (Assembly Occupancies)
• NEC Article 525 (Carnivals, Fairs)
• NEC Article 590 (Temporary Installations)
• UL-listed PSUs (Mean Well)
• Fire-rated cable for all AC wiring
• Local AHJ approval required per venue

Protection

• GFCI on all AC circuits
• Per-zone DC fusing
• Inline injection-tap fusing
• Star ground topology (single reference point)
• Dome frame bonded as equipment ground
• Staggered zone startup

FAULT TOLERANCE

Failure	Impact	Mitigation
Single LED fault	Strip-dependent (validated per branch)	Replace strip segment at next maintenance window
PSU fault	One zone affected	Hot-swap from onsite spares
Controller fault	~16 outputs offline (~1/9 of dome)	Hot-swap pre-configured spare
Switch fault	Entire dome offline	Spare switch, fast manual swap
Brain host fault	Entire dome offline	Backup host with engine pre-installed

Sightseer Interactive

Questions? jonathan@sightseer.fun

Last updated: 2026-05-07

Document: ColorDome_40k_Power_ArtNet_System_Design.md • v1.5 • 40,330 LEDs