Here it is, our (tentative) 2023 layout. There is a good chance this will change before October. We are recycling some old elements that we didn’t use in 2022, and hopefully won’t need to buy a lot of parts.

Changes since 2022:

• The maxi/mid tree on the left will be a bit thinner and taller, to better match it to the mega tree on the right. It was a bit too short and fat last year (kinda like Wolf).
• We are adding two smaller trees between the columns. These will be high-density “mini-mega” 16×30 trees.
• We are adding a second video screen on the window to the right (where our old screen was in 2020-2021). This is to provide more viewing angles since the one on the left is blocked by the oak tree for many.
• We are adding a couple of small clusters of “micro trees” to fill in some dead space.
• We are almost doubling the number of Peace/pixel stakes in the yard.

In addition, we need to make a few changes/repairs since 2022:

The Starburst on top of the mega tree broke while we were taking it down, so I’m working to patch it back together again. Subzero temps and high winds last winter took their toll on PVC parts. We were lucky it didn’t blow off the tree in the middle of the holiday season. It also had some random power issues in 2022 that I need to chase down.

I didn’t think through the pigtail positioning on the strips for the two big trees. The wires were often pinched between strips and some of the connectors were strained. I’m going to re-work all of them.

I made some field changes to the candy canes to stop them from acting like weather vanes in the wind. I also have a few sketchy pixel repairs I want to clean up.

I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do the additional pixel stakes. Boscoyo Studios makes some great coro ones, but they aren’t good matches for our homemade PVC ones. They are much easier to install, take up less storage space, and are actually cheaper though. If it wasn’t going to be expensive and a lot of work- I would just replace all of them.

I’ll be re-working some of the controller/differential boxes, as well as most of the Ethernet network. Lastly we will need a new projector enclosure/holder for the new video screen on the right. I’ll be updating the ventilation and heating system in the “old” projector box as well. I came up with a new control system for that.

Less than six months before setup!