Late last year I discussed a different Megatree topper with Kim and told her about this cool Starburst (or firework) effect you can build using these: Affiliate Link: She bought me THREE of them for Christmas, and wants one in this year's show. My plan is to build one with 2' PVC spines so we..
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 up the middle column. Second,..
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 with more resolution. 2020 Tune..
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: 1/4" Laser (?) Cut Steel Tree Topper, from Jboards. We also have Boscoyo strips and..
MAX485 Differential Transceivers
I was digging into how Differential Receivers for LED lighting systems work, and was told about these MAX485 Transceivers on one of the forums: 485MAX RS-485 Transceivers These little boards cost around $1 each, and can be used to extend a WS2811 (Pixel) data signal for hundreds of feet (probably close to 1000 with proper..