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 built into the musical and..
More Power!
So the front of our house has a bunch of convenient outlets, but they are all run off the same 15A GFCI breaker. Knowing that likely wasn't going to be enough power for our show, we ran quite a bit of our 2020 show using extension cords from a set of 20A outlets we have..
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..
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... This is all my opinion. For some reason a lot of folks think 12v is the..
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. I'll post a manufacturer link..
Ch-Ch-Changes…
So, I think I've made it through a big learning curve with regard to Master and Remote FPP setups, and controllers in-general... First I found out that the Kulp K16A-B controller is fantastic as a stand-alone controller, or as a Remote, but NOT as a Master. For some reason it just has media timing issues..
Up and Running!
Oak Hills Lights officially started on Saturday night, Nov. 28th! It's been an uphill battle the last couple of weeks, as I noted in my previous post. The problems have primarily been syncing issues, scheduler issues, and problems with our WiFi SparkleBalls. Our display is running now through Jan. 3rd. Current hours (subject to change..
“Dolphin” Connectors for Pixel Repairs
I mentioned in an earlier post about Scotchloks ™ that I was also going to check out "Dolphin" connectors. I don't have any experience with them, but I have seen them used as an alternative to Scotchloks in Tele/Data-com applications. I bought a pack of them on Amazon. "Dolphin" Connectors These are "IDC" (Insulation Displacement..
Scotchloks ™ for Pixel Repairs
Quick Update (December 2021): Corning purchased 3M’s communications products division, so now these are sold as Corning Brand. I’ve been using these "UY2" connectors for emergency repairs this year (2021), and still have a few repaired strings left over from last year. I haven't had any issues with any of them. Older ones are showing..
Vankyo Projector Power Control
I posted earlier about the dirt-cheap Vankyo projectors that some people use for their displays (for rear or front projection). These things are about as cheap as you can get for reasonable quality. One problem with them is there is no way to control the power without either physically pressing a button on top of..
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..
JST Connectors
UPDATE: I revised my thinking on this after realizing I was dead-wrong about xConnect connectors. See it here. This started out as a side-note for my Pixel Data Cables story. I decided it needed it's own write-up... I've seen a lot of hate for these online, usually from people who have spent a small fortune..