A row of EVO stakes is a manageable way to add movement along a path or across the front of the yard. Start with the cable order, pixel count, and controller location. Once those match, the effects become much easier to place where you want them.
Our EVO Stake Set lists 10 stakes with five EVO pixels already installed in each stake. The set uses 12V DC, WS2811 signaling, and xConnect pigtails. Check the set you receive and the variant you selected before configuring your output.
Count the lights before you count the effects
For that set, 10 stakes × 5 pixels gives you 50 RGB pixels. At three color channels per independently controlled RGB pixel, the data requirement is 150 channels.
Keep those numbers separate: ten physical stakes, fifty pixels, and 150 color channels. The channel calculation tells the software how much data to send. It does not tell you how many sets a port can safely power.
Plan the electrical side from the lights, controller, power supply, connectors, and actual cable route. If you want to connect multiple sets, check that full arrangement before assuming the first set's test proves everything.
Lay the row out with the power disconnected
Put the stakes in their intended order and label the first one. Number the rest along the data path. We would use those same numbers in the software and on a quick yard drawing.
Allow room for people, mowing, and access to the display. Route cables away from vehicles and walking paths. Work within the available spacing rather than stretching the wire to make a stake reach its spot.
Measure the route from the controller to stake one. If you need an extension, match the connector and test with that extension installed. A short workbench test does not include the extra cable you later add across the yard.
Check the connections before turning anything on
- Confirm a suitable 12V power arrangement for these stakes.
- Choose a controller output that supports WS2811 signaling.
- Check positive, data, and ground using the controller and product wiring information.
- Connect the data-input end of the set to the controller.
- Use suitable output protection and the required outdoor arrangement for the controller and supply.
An xConnect connector fitting together is only a mechanical check. It does not verify voltage or pinout. Check unfamiliar adapters, turn power off before changing connections, and cap unused outputs with the correct cap.
Start with a simple model you can test
In xLights, one 50-node Single Line model can represent the complete example set for a first test. Set the controller output and start orientation to match the physical first pixel. The Single Line model guide explains those settings.
When you want each stake to act as a separate object, create ten five-node models and group them. Keep their channel order aligned with the actual wiring. Ten models do not require ten physical controller ports when the stakes share one data chain.
In Light-O-Rama, make the equivalent RGB prop arrangement and map its network and controller channels to the same wiring. Use a representation you can verify before adding more complicated groups.
Run these checks before sequencing a song
- Try the controller's supported local test, if it has one.
- Confirm the software and controller both use the correct pixel count.
- Send red, green, and blue individually.
- Run a one-pixel chase and watch where it starts and travels.
- Test at your intended show brightness, watching the last stake as well as the first.
A backward chase points you toward start direction or wiring order. Consistently swapped colors call for a color-order and channel-mapping check. Correct color order in the appropriate place, then retest; two separate swaps can make diagnosis harder.
If trouble starts after adding an extension or another set, return to the last working arrangement. Change one item at a time so you know which change affected the result.
Give the row a job in the show
Try a chase toward the front door, a color wash across the row, or alternating groups of stakes. Place the models in the preview roughly where the stakes sit in the yard so whole-display effects travel through them sensibly.
Save the working settings and stake numbering. At teardown, inspect the cables, connectors, brackets, and stakes, let everything dry, and keep the labels with the set.
If you get stuck, email Support@Mattosdesigns.com your controller model, pixel count, power arrangement, connector photos, and a short test video. Tell us whether the controller's local test and the software test behave differently.
Keep learning
- Pixel Power Planning: Voltage Drop, Injection and Brightness
- xConnect vs M-Connect: Match Pixel Cables and Adapters
- Light Show Preflight Checklist: Test, Label and Back Up
Browse all Mattos education and support guides.
Reviewed October 29, 2026.
