What are you changing this year? Elements you are building or installing for 2023

[someoneAUS]

Looking at the strip I would say it was every other hole originally and now its every hole wired alternate?

 

[Indigogyre]

When you say you doubled the strands @Indigogyre , did you cable tie or join in another way together two strands you'd already made, or did you cut fresh 100 long strips? If you joined, would love to see how!

Neither, my original strips were 50 pixels spaced 2" apart. So, I just inserted another 50 pixels in the empty holes which would give me 100 pixels on 1" alternating nodes. They start at the bottom and go up 50 then come back down. The trick was making sure they all started in the same place and ended in the same place.

My strands were wired up-down-up-down for 200 pixels per port. so the bottom alternated between the start of the string or the end of the string. For alternating pixels each strand starts with pixel one in the lowest position. So, I either had to start above or below the pixel that was already there depending on if it was the first or last pixel. I mixed up my first couple but then learned to check everything. I took some pictures while I wired a new strand to mimic the old ones. I worked through all my old ones already.

I thought it was easier to do alternate nodes instead of pulling out 1200 pixels from strips and then pushing 2400 pixels in.

Here is a sample of the alternates nodes when testing the first 50 and the last 50 with different colors.


if you want to see the rest of the pictures let me know.

 

[Jake1234]

Neither, my original strips were 50 pixels spaced 2" apart. So, I just inserted another 50 pixels in the empty holes which would give me 100 pixels on 1" alternating nodes. They start at the bottom and go up 50 then come back down. The trick was making sure they all started in the same place and ended in the same place.

My strands were wired up-down-up-down for 200 pixels per port. so the bottom alternated between the start of the string or the end of the string. For alternating pixels each strand starts with pixel one in the lowest position. So, I either had to start above or below the pixel that was already there depending on if it was the first or last pixel. I mixed up my first couple but then learned to check everything. I took some pictures while I wired a new strand to mimic the old ones. I worked through all my old ones already.

I thought it was easier to do alternate nodes instead of pulling out 1200 pixels from strips and then pushing 2400 pixels in.

Here is a sample of the alternates nodes when testing the first 50 and the last 50 with different colors.
View attachment 24443

if you want to see the rest of the pictures let me know.

I'd like.to see other pictures, and how you are going to do this in xlights? Thos what I would like to do next year with my tree.

 

[BAZMick]

I also made it my mission to not use zip ties (or very few) and i succeeded

 

[Iain]

One of my wish lists for this year was to double my Megatree from 1200 to 2400 pixels

I’m interested to know—as I hope to add a mega tree next year—what the benefits are? Is it purely better resolution for better faces/effects? Or is there more to it?

 

[Indigogyre]

I’m interested to know—as I hope to add a mega tree next year—what the benefits are? Is it purely better resolution for better faces/effects? Or is there more to it?

For those interested I created a new thread just with the details on how I updated my Megatree strands.

Updating My Megatree

There are many different Megatrees but this one is mine. My megatree started life with 24 - 50 pixel strands spaced 2" apart. It was nice and looked awesome from down the street but was a little harder to see details when someone was fairly close on the sidewalk or in front of my house. This...

auschristmaslighting.com

 

[Pavle]

First test of my lightsaber was a success

 

[Indigogyre]

Yard Day 1? - Spent some time in the yard today putting things out. We'll call this 40% done for today. Still need 4 more Mini-Trees, a MegaTree w/ Topper and my 5 triple Arches to put out. Ran out of rebar stakes, so will need to get some on Friday.

 

[Pavle]

Need to install / wire up 6 snowflakes, a little bit of re-rendering and playlist setup and I am in business for the season!!

 

[ryanschristmaslights]

Well after a storm that went through Adelaide earlier this week, one out of two bigger mini trees is back into position after it managed to go wandering after managing to break free of its support pole. Upon testing the tree last night one of its pixels had stopped working. On inspection a resistor has gone brown. Given tonight is lights on for me I just swapped out the string and all works again.

How is everyone is going, are you on track to light up as planned or has poor weather set you back?

 

[Indigogyre]

Yard Day 2: The days are getting further apart due to other commitments. The next thing up most likely will be the megatree sometime next week I think.

Day 2 was me finally hanging my GE baby Grand Illusions on the first floor. They hang lower than I planned so I will need to raise them up a bit.

 

[Indigogyre]

Yard Day 3 - The rise of the MegaTree!

Technically this is the start of day 4 but I missed the day 3 image so I took it before starting work on day 4.


Since I started to build the tree I thought perhaps I should build the star for the top of it. Upgraded to a GE 36-270 this year.


Oh yeah, I built a F16v3 controller into a CG1500 to run the tree. I'll take a picture when it is hooked up to the tree I guess.

 

[ryanschristmaslights]

Laugh all you want, but it only took me five nights to realise I had two separate elements operating in reverse. Tonight I finally corrected it. Nothing was wrong in software, I just mistakenly connected the first element's cable to the second element's controller output and vice versa . Oh and I only realised this mistake after videoing the display and watching it back .

 

[Skymaster]

Don't worry @ryanschristmaslights I did the same thing this year too; took me quiet some time to realise it as well. Fortunately I'm not videoing until this Saturday though

 

[Indigogyre]

Yard Day 4 - The Star 's Revenge

Well, not sure if this is a total win or not but the Megatree is functional. The star is having issues though. It'll start the sequence and then go into weird random lock up mode. Need to get it sorted out.