This is one of those: "I'm going to see if this works..." builds. I needed some power buses 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 75px. strands, so applying the..
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 these poles would be WAY..
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 our show (on our roof!)..
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 most part) if there is..
Quick-Hack: Jumper
Can't find your baggie of circuit board jumpers and need one in a pinch? Do you have some Scotchloks and some jumper wires (that you CAN find)? Then just do this: Scotchlok Jumper Hack Scotchlok Jumper Hack Now, granted, I could have just used the jumper wire, but I didn't really want an extra foot..
USB/Power Adapter Hack
The little D1 Mini controllers I use, and other gadgets like Raspberry Pis, run on USB-style adapters. You can get various sizes and shapes of these "wall worts" dirt-cheap, and probably have a bunch in a junk drawer somewhere. So- what do you do when you want to use them in, say, a waterproof junction..
Fuse Holders
You are dealing with DC electricity operating at a fairly high current. You don't want your roof, yard, shed, outhouse, etc. to catch fire. You want to protect your wiring with fuses! Some will advocate those fancy in-line automotive fuse holders. Others are big fans of marine fuse blocks, or even more expensive- "Distribution" boards...