Website updated

[beeiilll]

I finally got around to updating my site and added some photos of this years display.

Now if I can only get my camera figured out and get some videos, I will get them posted on there as well.

Happy New Year

Bill

[DanCampbell]

Bill,

I enjoying browsing your site, especially the About Me page 'cuz it's like dejavu (all over again).

My inspiration was a retired neighbor who was also ham operator. He got me started in electronics. And my sister recently came across parts of a Noel sign I'd built around age 8 or so. Using C7's, of course.

Now 40+ years later we're discovering animated displays, LOR, and... I don't know about you but it feels like a bunch of lifelong interests coming together to create a whole lot more than a hobby.

So when I greet our visitors, I'm listening for signs that they might be interested in getting started. You never know how sharing a passion might change somebody's life.

Thanks for sharing yours.

[NWSanta]

Hey Bill,

Display looks great! Need to get a railing on those stairs and deck though!!!

You have a great yard for your display though...
Happy New Year
-Evan

[JeffF]

Nice display and pictures. I really like how "round" your tree is... how big is it? I used three 10' sections of PVC for my base this year and it seemed a little too "thin". Are you using 4 or 5? Or more? Just curious what I should shoot for next year.

Again, nice work on the display!

-Jeff

[Dennis Cherry]

Where did you get the enclosures for the LOR Boards?

They are really nice.

Does it take any modification to install the board?

[beeiilll]

Jeffrey wrote:

Nice display and pictures. I really like how "round" your tree is... how big is it? I used three 10' sections of PVC for my base this year and it seemed a little too "thin". Are you using 4 or 5? Or more? Just curious what I should shoot for next year.

Again, nice work on the display!

-Jeff

Thanks Jeff

The Tree is a 21 foot piece of 1-1/2" Galvanized pipe that I dropped 3 feet down into a sleeve in the ground. So it is 18 feet to the attachment point of the lights. The "ring" is 5 pieces of 1" gray electrical conduit (pays to be an electrician some times:D) that I used. I used C6 - 70 count LEDs for the strings. I am thinking of going to 4 sections next year and raising the ring up about maybe 2 feet off the ground so that I can take the strings back towards the center pole, but haven't really decided yet. I may leave it like this because I want to go to 48 channels for the strings and 144 strings of lights next year. I only had 28 channels and 56 strings of lights on there for this year.

Bill

[beeiilll]

Dennis Cherry wrote:

Where did you get the enclosures for the LOR Boards?

They are really nice.

Does it take any modification to install the board?

Hey Dennis

I found the enclosures on ebay. I wish now that I had bought more of them since they worked out great. They are just the right size for a controller and nice and weathertight.

I am getting a couple of Nema 12 - 30 x 36 x 8 metal enclosures in a couple of weeks and I am going to make one with 64 channels for my mega tree and the other one will probably have 64 or 80 channels that I can set out to run a dozen 4 color mini trees and arches.

If I find anymore of these enclosures I am going to snatch them up myself. But If I find a bunch, I will offer them to the folks on here for the cost that I pay plus shipping. I have a friend that works for a telephone company and he said that they have a very similar box to this one and are probably going to be replacing about 30 of them with a bigger box, so he may be able to get me the old ones.

Just have to wait and see what happens.

Bill

[beeiilll]

NWSanta wrote:

Hey Bill,

Display looks great! Need to get a railing on those stairs and deck though!!!

You have a great yard for your display though...
Happy New Year
-Evan

Hi Evan

Yea, I have only had the deck built for 18 years now so I probably should put a railing on it :shock:. Always seems like there is something else to do or fix first.

Yes the yard is big. Good thing I never got around to landscaping it . Certainly is nothing in the way of the lighting.

Bill

[beeiilll]

DanCampbell wrote:

Bill,

I enjoying browsing your site, especially the About Me page 'cuz it's like dejavu (all over again).


Thanks for sharing yours.

Thanks Don

Yes what goes around, comes around seems like doesn't it?

I kind of let myself get caught up in the day to day life of work for a living and not much else for the last 20 years. With a couple of accidents and illness this year I had a lot of time to think and decided that it was time I did something I like and wanted to do for a change.

I was heavy into model rockets when I was a kid as well and I have taken them back up as well lately. I am looking at getting into the high powered rocketry field now. I have a 9 inch diameter by 14 foot monster rocket that I have started building to get me back into that field.

Time I used some of my stored up knowledge and did some things that are fun before I no longer can. And it should give the folks around here something to talk about for awhile:D.

Bill

[T34 Flyer]

Good job. I need to work on my web site.

[Dad02]

Bill,

The website and display look great. Definitely a nice area of NY up there.