New Props

[dibblejr]

11 minutes ago, MichRX7 said:

Man, that is the last time I let my wife win an argument. She was determined it was 2" and I said it was 1", then I started questioning myself and thought I'd better update the thread before someone tried to make these with too thin of PVC. Please ignore everything said this morning (maybe I should be drinking) and go back to my 1" PVC from the original post.

The spikes would work. Basically the stakes I use on it are skinny spikes and metal. They are really long/thick tent stakes that I bought because they had little LED lights on the end that I tried to point at wires. That was a bust, but they are really good stakes, lol...

I'm also building a new one today that is going to be skinnier and less tall that will be going out in the yard. The tall ones go on the porch this year and one nailed to a tree.

Fight the good fights. Gotta let the wife win occasionally. LOL

JR

[tlogan]

Well, well, well... look what FINALLY showed up at my local Walmart! I completed assembling all the lamp posts and started working on my 10 small tomato cage trees and three of them had 1 string dead (2 strings of 50 on each tree). Turns out I didn't have any extra multi-strings on hand so ran over Wally World. And low and behold,  three stacked cartons down below the blue, white and multicolored. This was the only carton and it was half and half. Maybe I should have grabbed some extras. 

FINALLY

 

Edited November 24, 2019 by tlogan

[tlogan]

OK, re-figured out how to embed the photo. I couldn't get it to work using the wife's notebook. 

Here's the pic embedded....

[MichRX7]

So @tlogan can finally stop screwing around and finally start putting out some lights. I have 6 of 9 boxes installed and tested. Hope to finish the test tomorrow. 

[dibblejr]

Finally got my newly designed 20' MT frame and base (trampoline base) up today. Tomorrow I may start hanging the lights on it. Made a slight mistake while adding the cords for the star and the crank hook head catches on the way back down during the test.  Not gonna worry about it until next year. (note to self, do not let the tied cords hang down) . Next time it goes up it will have about 17000 lights so bringing it back down should be easy, even if it rips the start cords apart.

The trampoline base will allow the lights to be suspended off the ground to avoid the water if it floods like last year. Turned out perfect about 5" off the ground. And it happened to be the same 20' diameter as my old pvc base. Donated by a guy who saw my tree get flooded last year.

Anyone looking for a 20' Radio Antenna tower and can get to AL let me know. Will let it go affordably. LOL

Got my 360 15X50 pixel tree completed and tested, great.

Gonna build a fireplace next. But Ive already tested it now just have to decide front steps or raise 40' to my highest window frame. Replacing my singing Santa with it.

JR

[tlogan]

13 hours ago, MichRX7 said:

So @tlogan can finally stop screwing around and finally start putting out some lights

I DID put up the two strands of icicles I planned. One over the garage and one over the front door. Had to replace the fuse in one. The garage has a gutter over it so it's pretty easy with the clips. Over the door requires clips to be installed into the wood. There is no gutter or overhang with shingles. A number of years ago I installed little plastic clips with nails in them, but over the years the clips got brittle and broke off so I just stopped putting any lights over the door. Yesterday I got up there and replaced all the nails and one remaining clip that was still hanging on and installed little white coated cup holders. They should last a LOT longer. And I replaced the three strings of multi-color strings on my tomato cage mini-trees. AND I completed the last of the lamp posts. Did I say that already?

I also configured my two new controllers (one AC and onw Pixie II) and started testing the new RGB bulbs and tweaking the sequences.

Hopefully, the weather will hold this weekend (possible rain), I'll get all the sequencing tweaked over the next couple of evenings and I'll get everything out and running by Sunday night. The only ladder work will be to get the new RGB bulbs over the door and garage behind the icicles. I think it will look pretty good. And should be pretty east since the clips and icicles are already in place. I plan to leave the icicles on constant (they are incans, anyway) and the rest of the lights are easy to reach trees and bushes and ground props.

@dibblejr - I am humbled. I don't know how you do it. But I know that feeling when something  works out like you thought it would (like your trampoline base). 

[dibblejr]

On 11/23/2019 at 8:52 AM, dibblejr said:

Just an idea here to add to your frame. Instead of wire to secure to the ground you could drill a hole in each end and use the spikes from your fav hardware store to secure. I do not use a pvc frame but I use spikes to secure everything to the ground. Most of my controllers are mounted to the prop with a few exceptions. I used old realtor sign frames for my mini tree controllers and they are back to back similar to what you do.

Just though I would mention the spikes, a lot of people use the plastic stakes. Around here the plastic ones are useless with the hard ground.

JR

Hit quote to my own messages and don’t know how to unquote myself, LOL

I May be trying the stand pictured above for my newly designed mega tree. It takes 6 controllers and in the past they all attached to my tower real easy.

Not so with a pipe so I will remotely place my controllers next to one of the trees I have . Making 3 of these will be cheaper and easy to find parts than the metal sign frames.

JR

[MichRX7]

Well, I had my first lights on/full sequence running test and nothing blew up, so I'm feeling pretty good this evening. The only thing left is to hook up the stereo, speakers and FM transmitter and until Friday to start the schedule running.

Man those posts are bright though, might have to figure out how to dim them down some. I don't want to have to go through 30+ songs setting their brightness down.

[DLH lites]

WHEW,  Sunday morning  7:15 am was on the roof ,got all three of the mounts up and cross member done and hung the 5  led snow flakes, each has two colors of led rope ,blue and white.  Took a tumble after getting off the 12 foot ladder and banged my left knee, the leg I just got out of the hospital for. Yeah its black and blue  and sore,I am on heart meds so one little bump and i look like I have been is a brawl.   

The front of the house is mostly done ,Just have the big hedge to trim and then add 20 sets of nets , and put up a 7 foot wire tree that is wired with blue leds.  THis year I have 32 more channels now 64  and  That used up a 500 foot reel of spt1 added to what was left over from last year.

Sunday night test  every thing worked but one snow flake on the roof wouldnt light the white rope,  went nuts OMG something wrong with the controller ,panic, I knw the snowflake worked.   Monday 7:05 am up to the roof with a ac cord to test , it worked , with my toner and meter found the vampire plug at the controller was defective changed and back in business.  The FM transmitted is up ,speakers hidden in the bushes played a cd while working in the front yard, neighbore were putting up their lights and they said turn it up , we rocked out all day.  Did test last night and noticd the blue nets kind blink a little during fade HMMMMM what could that be , I have three controlles pluged into a strip and in one outlet ,may try seperating them ,keep ya posted. Looks like we will be ready forThanksgiving night.   Better get that hedge trimed,  Good luck yall be safe out there .  It's  67 degrees here in fort lauderdale, had to put on long sleeve shirt and pants golly !!!!!

David

[MichRX7]

On 11/25/2019 at 7:20 PM, dibblejr said:

Hit quote to my own messages and don’t know how to unquote myself, LOL

I May be trying the stand pictured above for my newly designed mega tree. It takes 6 controllers and in the past they all attached to my tower real easy.

Not so with a pipe so I will remotely place my controllers next to one of the trees I have . Making 3 of these will be cheaper and easy to find parts than the metal sign frames.

JR

How'd they work out for you? Between our Cruise and the Holidays I haven't been able to get online as much.

[MichRX7]

And @tlogan is there video somewhere of the lampposts? I've been searching to see them. I'm working on editing my videos together now.

[MichRX7]

On 11/26/2019 at 8:26 AM, DLH lites said:

WHEW,  Sunday morning  7:15 am was on the roof ,got all three of the mounts up and cross member done and hung the 5  led snow flakes, each has two colors of led rope ,blue and white.  Took a tumble after getting off the 12 foot ladder and banged my left knee, the leg I just got out of the hospital for. Yeah its black and blue  and sore,I am on heart meds so one little bump and i look like I have been is a brawl.   

The front of the house is mostly done ,Just have the big hedge to trim and then add 20 sets of nets , and put up a 7 foot wire tree that is wired with blue leds.  THis year I have 32 more channels now 64  and  That used up a 500 foot reel of spt1 added to what was left over from last year.

Sunday night test  every thing worked but one snow flake on the roof wouldnt light the white rope,  went nuts OMG something wrong with the controller ,panic, I knw the snowflake worked.   Monday 7:05 am up to the roof with a ac cord to test , it worked , with my toner and meter found the vampire plug at the controller was defective changed and back in business.  The FM transmitted is up ,speakers hidden in the bushes played a cd while working in the front yard, neighbore were putting up their lights and they said turn it up , we rocked out all day.  Did test last night and noticd the blue nets kind blink a little during fade HMMMMM what could that be , I have three controlles pluged into a strip and in one outlet ,may try seperating them ,keep ya posted. Looks like we will be ready forThanksgiving night.   Better get that hedge trimed,  Good luck yall be safe out there .  It's  67 degrees here in fort lauderdale, had to put on long sleeve shirt and pants golly !!!!!

David

Sorry we didn't stop by when we went from FLL to Miami, but it was daylight. Did you post any videos?

[DLH lites]

yes  vimeo.com/382510454 let me know what ya think

 

David

[MichRX7]

43 minutes ago, DLH lites said:

yes  vimeo.com/382510454 let me know what ya think

 

David

Looks great! I especially like the Santa. Now I'm sad we missed it.

[dibblejr]

1 hour ago, MichRX7 said:

How'd they work out for you? Between our Cruise and the Holidays I haven't been able to get online as much.

Love the new design. A true one person job. I was even able to add lights to it to get back to where they were before.

So spoiled my CCR tree will become a winch in 2020 as well.

My current CCR tree frame is gonna be cut and the middle section will be a 12’ matrix on wheels like my current matrix. 

[MichRX7]

7 minutes ago, dibblejr said:

Love the new design. A true one person job. I was even able to add lights to it to get back to where they were before.

So spoiled my CCR tree will become a winch in 2020 as well.

My current CCR tree frame is gonna be cut and the middle section will be a 12’ matrix on wheels like my current matrix. 

Awesome, I can't wait to see pictures of the new CCR tree. Next you can add a motor and make it spin. And really mess people up by spinning the lights the opposite direction. 🤣

[DLH lites]

Thanks Mich, the santa was just a cut out with his arm up and I motorized him so he could wave, folks get a big kick outa him.

 

David

[tlogan]

2 hours ago, MichRX7 said:

And @tlogan is there video somewhere of the lampposts? I've been searching to see them. I'm working on editing my videos together now.

Still working on a video. In the meantime, here is a daylight picture.....