We’ve been hard at work getting things set up for our show this year. Too busy to do many build updates right now, but they will be coming. As of now we’ve got almost everything set up except for the new virtual matrix/video projection screen, front roof outlines, and SparkleBalls. […]
Continue reading
Ammo Box PSU Build w/ WoW Diff.
I love these Wizard of Wire differential receivers. They connect directly to a Mean Well PSU, and the angled design means they still fit in a standard Harbor Freight or similar plastic ammo box. There is one problem though… The pixel ports and power injection ports are fused at (and […]
Continue reading
A couple of FPP matrix display scripts…
Updated November, 2021: Script Updates and related text changes. Our show has a long matrix display above our carport/driveway that displays general show information, along with our “Tune To” FM frequency to listen to the music, and song information. Usually in order to do this- the information needs to be […]
Continue reading
Quick Build – Wago Bus
This is one of those: “I’m going to see if this works…” builds. I needed some power busses for the top and bottom of our mega tree. The biggest down-side (and only, in my opinion) to using 5v pixels is you need a lot of power injection. We are using […]
Continue reading
More Power!
As this is an electrical build, please read this! UPDATE (9/11/2021):Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I wasn’t happy with the way the cover on the first DIN rail box I bought distorted the displays on the power monitors, and I wasn’t comfortable with the whole SSR setup […]
Continue reading
ASAP Jr. Mega-Tree Pole Change
Just a quick post on this. For our Mega-Tree, I bought 1.5″ and 1.25″ galvanized conduit for the pole. We also have a hole in the ground for it already. I’ll post more details about that build once we set the tree up this year. It quickly became obvious that […]
Continue reading
“Permanent” FPP Master Controller and FM Transmitter
While revising almost everything for our show this year, I decided to more-permanently install our master FPP controller (Raspberry Pi 3B+) and FM transmitter. The controller lives on my desk most of the rest of the year because I use it to test new FPP versions, and I wanted to […]
Continue reading
Colorlight Controller Box Builds
Last week I posted about my P10 Column Build. One big problem I had was the Pi-P10 controllers I tried to use just didn’t work. They had a terrible amount of flicker, and I was unable to find any actual support for them. So- my next most expensive option was […]
Continue reading
Raspberry Pi 5v Power Regulation
We have a lot of Raspberry Pis that run various elements of our shows, and powering them from “wall warts” in enclosures isn’t always practical, especially since we are already running 5v power everywhere. The problem is- if you power them using the GPIO header, there is absolutely no internal […]
Continue reading
xConnect: I was wrong, and I admit it…
Last year, I wrote a post about how there is no reason to use “proprietary” connectors like xConnect over the JST connectors that most bulk pixels already come with. I still believe JST connectors with a dab of dielectric grease are perfectly fine for joining strings of pixels together in […]
Continue reading
Re-Using 12v PSUs for 5v Pixels and LED Panels
Last year there was a lot of debate among Pixel junkies about 12v pixels, in part due to a bad production run from a popular Chinese supplier that resulted in fires. I did my own (controversial) analysis and decided that I would eliminate the 12v pixels we already had in […]
Continue reading
Column Matrix Builds
Last year, we lit up two of our three front porch columns with PVC pixel “poles”. These worked really well: Pixel Columns This year we are making several changes. First, we got rid of the flat-tree in the middle of the front of the porch, so I needed to light […]
Continue reading
Add an OLED to a Raspberry Pi
It’s kind of silly since they spend most of their time closed up in a weathertight box, but I really like the little OLED screens on the Kulp controllers. They give me a quick indication if the controller is working, so I can at least rule it out (for the […]
Continue reading
2021 July Update
It’s been a busy Summer, and we are probably getting off to a late start this year, but we have finally started getting ready for December! Well, we will actually start setting up after Halloween, so we can start our show again right after Thanksgiving. Here is what we plan […]
Continue reading
Info Matrix (2021)
Last year we did a “Tune In” Matrix under our carport roof. It was my first DIY matrix, which actually turned out and worked pretty well after going through three revisions. It was functional, but just didn’t fit in well with the rest of our display and I wanted something […]
Continue reading
2021 Mega Tree
I’m going to step through this process as we work on it, so this is a build-in-progress, which probably won’t be done until Fall. So far, it’s just in the planning stages, and we have the first part of it: We also have Boscoyo strips and pixels for it, but […]
Continue reading
G.E. Hattitude Quartet
Meet the biggest single prop we’ve bought to date: The Gilbert Engineering Hattitude Quartet! This thing is almost 4′ in diameter, and consists of a wreath/spinner and close to a dozen singing face options (with or without Santa hat). We wanted a new “centerpiece” above the porch, to take the […]
Continue reading
FrankenPower Mk. III
FrankenPower Mark I-II used mechanical relays that were connected to conventional outlets. They were bulky, probably not very safe, and had to be placed in a tote to try to keep them protected from the weather. One of the original mechanical relays failed almost immediately upon use. Mark III uses […]
Continue reading
New 3D Printer: Creality Ender 3 Max
I updated an earlier post about my ANET A6. It had a thermal overrun issue and almost caught fire (well, at least it produced a LOT of smoke). After struggling with that printer pretty much since I built it over 3 years ago, I decided it was time for a […]
Continue reading
2020 Show Post-Mortem and 2021 Plans
Well, it’s mid-January and things are still getting organized and packed up as we plan for this year’s show. The roof outlines won’t be coming down until the weather improves, but almost everything else is either hung up somewhere or crammed into a tote for storage. We even already got […]
Continue readingNew Terminology Page Added
This time of the year, a lot of enthusiastic new folks start investigating Holiday Pixel Lighting. They hit the online forums and YouTube videos, and sites like this one, and are immediately bombarded with a lot of acronyms and terms they likely don’t know. I decided to put together a […]
Continue readingWhat Happened?
Yes, I changed the name (and the look)… This site was initially started as joke, called BubbaLectric.com. It was supposed to represent a series of my cost-cutting (cheap!) and unsophisticated hobby builds, using satirical “BubbaTronic” branding. Since I first set it up- I’ve grown the site with a lot more […]
Continue reading
5v vs. 12v Pixels
This is one of the most divisive arguments you will find online among folks in the Pixel hobby, perhaps more-so than where to buy your pixels and what connectors you “HAVE” to use. Here is my take on it… First- this is all my opinion. I will very likely take […]
Continue reading
Star Stake Quick Build
We’ve already started working on some things for next year… We found these metal stars at Hobby Lobby over the weekend. We already had a couple-dozen of these “Quick Light Post” metal light pole/stake things from Menards. They sell them every Christmas, but they never seem to show up online. […]
Continue reading
Tool Tip: Zip Tie Tightener
Just a quick tip here. You can often find these on sale at Harbor Freight for a few bucks: They are utter garbage when it actually comes to stripping wire. BUT- they are excellent for getting the last few clicks out of a zip tie! Just slide the tie in […]
Continue reading