In the year 2010 we will be near lands end, out in D-o-u-g-l-a-s-v-i-l-l-e that is where we will be, a whole new house and we will have a light show-s-t-i-l-l
To the tune of “In The Year 2525″
Light Up status.
Halloween stuff is completed and waiting for tear down after Halloween. Once that is done we can clean up the yard for the last time this year and get started putting the light elements in the yard.
We have the first (my) house almost done, Roof, Eaves, some bushes. Second house is almost done as well. We need to complete the roof today. Basically everything that needs a ladder.
We will likely get started on the third, fourth and fifth house today if the weather holds up, now that we have a lot of the stuff out of hiding.
All our premade light elements are ready to go up which will be about the 2nd week of Nov.
When we are done we should have
Light count 150,000 to 200,000 Lights,
5 Houses Synched together
~750 Channels of Lynx and LOR
~64 songs synched to the lights
Yes there will be a Display this year …
I think we will call it “its DUNN”
but you will have to wait to see the new digs …
We did some testing on the LOR LYNX combination of controllers. I had a LYNX Dongle, VIXEN for the Sequencing software. A Lynx express, a Lynx SSR and several LOR controllers.
First we had connected the dongle to each individual device to make sure each one operated. OK ..
Then we set the addresses in 2 of the LOR Controllers 1 (1 thru 16) and 9 (129 thru 144). The crossover cable between the DONGLE and the LOR box worked.
We set the LYNX box to 1 through 16 as well to see if that was possible .. Basically doubling the ampacity of channels 1 through 16. So now the connection is from LYNX Dongle to the IN side of LOR controller via Crossover. Then OUT the LOR via crossover cable went to IN LYNX. That worked so then we connected the SSR to the OUT side of the LYNX controller. Again no problem and tested OK
Then we added in a second LOR controller the the OUT side of the SSR. Again we needed a Crossover cable. it all tested great.
So bottom line as long as we use the right cabling, and crossing over to the different controller types we were fine in building up the DMX Controller Universe.
Notes to self .. keep in mind the LOR controller numbering scheme. Make sure your crossovers are correct.
Now where is that 6 foot circle I need to build?
So I have my dongle, and my crossover cable and had some sequences, but it is now time to start to get the real plan together. how many, what, where, when and how.
How many, that will have to wait as I can build only so much before I have to call it quits and get on with the what and when parts and the sequencing part. That time has pretty much come.
tara wants me to do some pinwheels as seen at the Mini and I really like the Leaping arches that Larry setup. There is also the Large fan which was way cool as well.
My granddaughter and I set a 20 foot fan up for Mother’s day. She was the director, I had 4 songs that were almost done. The fan took 15 channels so there was a center to it.
While I built the fan she was practicing her directing of the music.
The fan was built with 2 10 foot 1″ pvc pipes, and a short U for the center tie. 2 rebars pound in the ground about 18 feet apart. The fan was a good 6.5 feet high. It took most of the day to string the 30 sets of 100 count lights so they look like a fan when they were lit.
Since there was some math to do and Shae was into fractions at school. I took the opprotunity to show her how to use what she learned. SO we had (1/2) half a pie and we needed to cut it in 15 (1/15) slices. She pondered the idea for a while. Didn’t quite understand why we used half of a pie for the likes of a whole fan.
I showed her a whole pie and cut it in half and stood it on end. She then saw how a fan was like half a pie .. and now we need 15 slices. I knew we weren’t going to convert the 18 foot diameter to inches, then calculate the circumfance and then find out the size of each the slices .. that was beyond her at her level. SO we just played with cuting the 1/2 pie into 15 pieces .. not quite the math I had planned but Shae can now see how handy it would be to know howw to calculate that kind of thing.
So we were already to go and had my daughter and of course tara, both mothers come out and sit in the chairs that we had placed. Shae introduced herself as the director and the show started … She did an incredible job of directing the fan to the music as if she was a professional … and recieved a standing ovation from the mothers.
SO take time to get the kids involved with you. Shae alwasy asks as soon as she comes to the door to visit “papa what are we going to build today”
with the Christmas rushing upon me …. there will be lots to build, Leaping arches, fans, Firesticks, stars, Pinwheels … hmmmmm what should I do first ..
Part of the rebuilding is adding in DMX controls. So I needed to build a DMX controller. The truth be known is that I already had a controller, My PC. In fact I have several but we will talk about that in another post.
What I really needed was a way to get my computer to talk DMX.
They call it a USB DMX dongle, I call it a DMX protocol interface. All the parts we will need are listed here at DIY Light Animation
So it is over to DIY Animated Lighting site and sign up. The DMX controller is about a 20 part project that takes about 20 minutes to build after you get the parts.
Requirements: Soldering pencil, Solder, flux, A little alcohol to clean things up and some parts that are ordered on line at mouser.com . I got my lynx Dongle board from RJ over at DLA. Here is the Manual on it. I tested it after I had built it and it worked fine with what I had available.
Since I had LOR equipment already (reuse) I made a Lynx LOR crossover cable.
NOTE you will need the latest firmware on the LOR boards.
This Crossover cable gives me the ability to take the DMX signal my computer now is able to do (LYNX Dongle) and send it to my LOR boards via my crossover cable. You will need 1 crossover cable for each set of LOR controllers as they do pass-through the now DMX signal correctly.
There are 2 programs I use Light O Rama because there is some great stuff in there and Vixen another very flexible Light sequencing program.
There are some distinctive differences but similarities as well. LOR talks LOR language. A language that talks to the LOR boards as well as can put out DMX with it own DMX controller. LYNX talks DMX and can talk to the LOR boards at a DMX level with the use of a crossover cable.
Is there any differences, YAH. Is it important … not really all you need to know is there is differences,
They both use the same protocol, so they can be tied together with a little work.
People ask me, “do you use both programs” and I say Why not? … I have several Screwdrives, a couple of hammers, different saws and drills .. so in the same LIGHT this is just 2 similar but different tools. Are they compatible? Close enough for me as I use a LOR to Vixen convertor program .
So I will start with LOR and build up some of the sequence there, then use my convertor and convert it to VIXen and finish it off there.
I also like an add in Plug for windows media player for my LOR boards for quick and simple shows called LORVIS. Basically download and install it and it will turn your LOR controller in what at one time was called a light organ.
The first Item to do always is communications, and with this project done we have our communications.
See ya next time.
We had a great time at the mini, with the neighbors there was about 38 people, light enthusiats about 28.
We had several demonstrations such as Holiday Light Designer Pro, A program that helps you build a sequenced light show. Some real quick stuff about I do the power and cabling. Lynx hardware and Vixen software. There was a arch winder, A PVC 4 of July display. JIm and Larry came over early in the week and we set up the Tent, tables, and chairs and some of the items that were too big to do the day of the event. We had a Light O Rama demo and we had great food. We used Light O Rama to show off the items we had built that day. Traffic Stopped Neighbors came over and a great time was had by all.
So now it is time to start building the Christmas display. This years theme I think will be Classical Christmas. Not as In traditional, but as in classy, Maybe classical Music. More like Great Christmas traditions and music.
I am rebuidling from the ground. I will rebuild, repair, and recycle as much as I can. We may even go a little bigger then before adding in some neighbors houses to the mix.
So this will be that journey.
Happy Mothers Day
We have a date and somewhat of a plan if your are interested in attending PM me
Details
here is the update for the week ..
location Smyrna GA http://soundoflight.fairyweb.com
A few folks have come by .. there is only 5 folks that have sent in their deposits.
The plan so far,
Dates: April 24, 25, 26
Friday April 24, night is casual, mostly I will be here setting up and those that have spoken to bring canopies, and equipment can come by to set up,
yes you can bring equipment and we can set it up and light it up if you want, we will mostly Sit around the firepit, roast marshmallows, and drink, I would like most of the equipment set up by 10 AM Saturday so we can get started as quick as possible. We have a lot to cover
If you have any chairs or tables to bring, go ahead and bring them. or you can drop them off earlier in the week.
We will have a station kind of setup, a welding station, a talk and screen station for Presentation type stuff, A mini tree station, a Mega tree station, a Lor station, a Antenna and radio station, and the list can go on and on. if you want to see something or have something to show PM me and we will get you lined up. The station will stay up and after the formal tracks are done, you can split into groups and get more info from any of the stations. Those who are in charge of stations I need your presentation times ASAP
Saturday is the actual Meeting Date, we will start arriving and then around 9:00 we will start the talks and demos around 10:00 am,
We have welding this year. We have a metal bending station,
around 6:00 PM Saturday we will have supper, but there will be snacks throughout the day. After supper will be the lights on, so we can see what the things we built during look like at night.
If you want to present something of interest let me know ASAP so we can get it on the list.
Saturday after supper can also be the swap meet, but we can go again Sunday if we are not done, so Sunday will be a chill day and take down.
We do have some RV parking here if we need it, but make sure you let me know so I can arrange the space for you. if you need a hotel also let me know and I will see if we can a good rate at one of the local hotels here.
I really would like to know the count as quickly as possible, so that I can arrange for meals and the projection Tent.
once I get a few more folks we can get online or a conference call and finalize some more details.
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Title: Last Night of lights
Location: 3294 Dunn Street
Description: The light show comes to an end this evening, running until 9:30 PM … we will be back next year
Happy New Year
Start Time: 17:30
Date: 2009-01-06
End Time: 21:30
New years eve!
Happy New year to everybody.
The Light Display will be on until January 6th, the 12 days of Christmas. Then I will pack it all away and start planning for next year.
There were lots of people that made this years display possible. I would like to thank my family who either stopped by and or convinced me to do it this year.
The neighbors here are incredible people and with their support and help made it possible to have a light show. It is very special that they are now a part of the display (not physically) but with their support and encouragement it was possible to do the light show this year.
To Joe who even while under the weather came over and did Santa Claus for all the kids both young and old. Also Joe, took time to talk to a little girl (Granddaughter Shae) and convinced her to think that maybe just maybe she had better believe at least for one more year. *SMILE*
We raised a few hundred dollars for Fur Kids, and collected over 2000 Toys for Tots.
I am glad for all the new friends we made and the old friends that make the journey over to the display as part of their Christmas tradition. One came from Boston, because it is tradition. The couples that came the first year now bring their Children. And the Brand new couples that will make this a tradition of theirs.
May we all have Peace and love and keep this Christmas spirit alive for the New year.
it is not that we do something big, it is not that we do something we are rewarded for, it is that we do something that makes our world a better place and that Peace, Love and Hope lights our way.
Happy New year to you and yours and may the best of everything everywhere be yours.
Happy new Year form Bill and tara.
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