DiyLightAnimation
Fun => The Porch => Topic started by: zwiller on January 02, 2013,
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Kudos to RJ for the gear and everyone that helped me out (especially this past year with the SS gear). <res.
Here are some of my vids for 2012:
[REMOVED OLD LINK] https://vimeo.com/56736848 (https://vimeo.com/56736848) (REVISED)
https://vimeo.com/56626870 (https://vimeo.com/56626870)
https://vimeo.com/56626529 (https://vimeo.com/56626529)
Hope you like them as I froze my tail off filming them... ;D
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Great job. Still love the illuminaries.
Steve
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Great job on the sequencing, I need to take some pointers from you! <res.
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NICE!! I really like the effects on "Christmas Time is Here". Did you use nutcracker or LSP for those? Color fades are great as well. Very simple, but effective.
I had heard the music from your first one, but did not know what it was called. Might have to do that one next year. Love songs with a good beat and strings. Would love to see your sequence if you don't mind sharing. If not, I totally understand. Again, nice job!
Thanks,
-Keith
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Classy stuff there Sam! You're giving me more good inspiration for this next Christmas. Thanks for sharing.
John
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Very nice!!
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Great job Sam. How does the new member like it? ;) Congrats for a great show and a tax deduction to boot! ;D
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Thanks for the kind words. I really wish the camera work was better. Man I need to make it a point to watch my show more often. I see so many things I didn't notice when playing it from the sequencer. :o
Not sure if you can tell but the zwilluminaries ;D now have lids. I find this helps diffuse the leds much better since they are mounted horizontally. The lids were a marked improvement to me. 4 led square modules on 3' centers mounted on a 2x4x12 ripped in half. It worked out well and keeps them nice and straight, simple to set up too.
Everything was done on LSP. First year with it. I really like it. The effects are transitions and truthfully they did not render well at all from what I sequenced. I can post the beat track of Palladio if interested. Also reminds me to post the vixen stuff of my prior years...
Thanks John. Long time no talk. There is a certain level of quality I am trying to keep but I didn't think anyone really noticed.
The little one is doing well and more alert each day. She sure is fond of our Christmas tree...
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Awesome show!! <pop.. I really like the RGB around the windows, I might be doing something similar this year.
Awesome show with awesome sequencing!!!
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Great job Sam!
What did you use for the spot lights.?
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Sam that was a real nice job of sequencing! I like the setup you have very clean and neat but still a lot of color and action.
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Sam, I had to go back and watch these again when I got home. Very tight sequencing. It is amazing.
Since I am still on the fence to go RGB for next year (mainly due to cost, but maybe just start small), can I ask were those RGB nodes or flexstrips? How did you put them up?
Would you happen to have any daytime close up photo's of them (i.e. the ones on your pillars) as I am amazed at how they look like one continuous line and not bulbs spaced apart, if you are willing to share your knowledge.
Thanks
Steve
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What did you use for the posts on either side of the porch?
It almost looks like the plastic rectangles from Ray Wu, since it appears to have about 3 RGBs side-by-side (horizontally).
Something like:
[ @ @ @ ]
[ @ @ @ ]
[ @ @ @ ]
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Awesome Sam,
Hey do I have to pay royalties if I modify slightly you zwilluminaries design?
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Sam great stuff, thank you for freezing your tail off. My lights are off and I still have not made a video not that I would want to share it.
You should think about sharing your sequences. You could be the new Holdman. I love the use of transistions in Christmas Time. Probably the best example of their use I understood to date.
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Real nice job. The strips and floods really make the snow glow beautifully
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Thanks again for the kind words.
These are the spots. http://www.ebay.com/itm/280942189525?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/280942189525?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649) For 10W they are bright! The part in Christmas Eve at 2:37 with them vs 4 aethers is pretty intense in person.
Everything but the columns are flex strips. Cavu2u is spot on with the rectangular modules. Cheesy pic attached. I made a jig to get equal spacing of 2.5" to led center. I can get more pics and more info if you want... Ask away!
Royalties for the Zwilluminary (tm) are only due when using or the modifying the official company product which is not in any shape or form to be construed as a large cottage cheese container. ;D
Haven't worked out the logistics etc but I would like to share some sequences in the future.
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Thanks Sam
Are the Flexstrips encased in anything or how do you have them attached?
Steve
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Nice show. The columns are a great Idea.
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What did you use to drive/control the spots? I like the effect they give.
Thanks,
-Keith
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Im guessing he used MR16's for the floods
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The flexstrips are not enclosed at all. Pic attached. They are mounted with the clips that came with them plus a dab of silicone adhesive every 6-8" or so (I ran out of clips). I plan to add more clips once they are down. I also used more silicone adhesive near the wires for added protection. Not sure if Ray ships them with all flexstrips but mine came with the clips, an assortment of splicing and end caps, and adhesive... Knock on wood, they have seen alot of rain, snow, wind, and below freezing temps and are still going. I had to show off the corners which were alot of work to ensure they lined up. There was alot of sketching and measuring that went into these...
In the past I wrapped the columns with incans for 4 channels of 100 each channel so making them rgb was just an upgrade. You can some cool things with the columns even with just 4 channels of incans. See some of my older vimeo vids for ideas.
Yes Sebastian there is a MR16 is powering the spots. Although I have to admit when Keith asked the question it made me think... :o You could use a dsc. This would come in handy for remote areas. It's actually hard to believe that much light came from 80w total!
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Boy I am having the worst time posting lately... I had rekey things a few times (all user error of course) ;D
Anyway... Due to extreme OCD I fixed and tweaked the Palladio sequence. >:D Yes I dragged my ladder out and fixed the errant spot on the upper left!
Planning to shoot a new vid along with several other sequences tonight. That is, if the snow slows down... Wish me luck!
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Yes Sebastian there is a MR16 is powering the spots. Although I have to admit when Keith asked the question it made me think... :o You could use a dsc. This would come in handy for remote areas. It's actually hard to believe that much light came from 80w total!
Could you use a DSC? That's what I was wondering. I do not have one or have any experience with them and do not really know their capabilities. Guess I need to read up on them.
Thanks again and nice show. Looking forward to more videos.
-Keith
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I don't have any DSC's either but I imagine it would work fine for powering 3 spots. Nice little form factor. Something that will make you consider the DSC is the fact I ended up needing a ton of wire to connect the spots to the MR16. I didn't realize that at first and it adds up. So one would need to compare the costs of the MR16, power supply, wire, and connectors versus DSC, cat5, connectors, and wire. If enough of you guys like the spots then maybe we could ask RJ to consider modding them to rgb. Similar to these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LED-Underwater-Spot-Light-10W-12V-RGB-Color-Changing-Light-/280897198833 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LED-Underwater-Spot-Light-10W-12V-RGB-Color-Changing-Light-/280897198833) I am not aware if any dumb rgb versions of this fixture...
Some new vids:
https://vimeo.com/56736848 (https://vimeo.com/56736848) Palladio Revised
https://vimeo.com/56737633 (https://vimeo.com/56737633) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer- really disappointed the camera failed to capture all the great color. Not sure if you can tell but there is red on green, blue on orange, purple on yellow. Although this one is still missing some of the detail that I had in previous years, it is by far my best kid friendly sequence. I plan to add Grinch this year, heavy with green... ;D
https://vimeo.com/56738916 (https://vimeo.com/56738916) Wizards in Winter (if you like the spots check out the section at 2:30)
and lastly....
https://vimeo.com/56736590 (https://vimeo.com/56736590) Wish Listz
Besides a new camera ;D, if anyone has suggestions to improve my show please speak up. Nothing wrong with some constructive criticism.
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I still think the show is awesome, the only thing I'd suggest is adding an RGB Mega Tree... With your sequencing capabilities, it would be a sight to see! Other than that, I have nothing I would complain about. Doing a great job!!
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Thanks jem. Great suggestion. Come to think about it I think the reason I never did a SS mega tree is due to the fact I remember when everyone was having issues with first generation nodes with their mega. It was ugly... That said, seems like those issues are basically behind us and that tree that Keith (lonewolf41) did is just perfect to me. Another cool thing is Ray is releasing a new node which looks like it will work well for megas.
I guess everyone else is chicken to criticize. >:D
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if you do the mega tree, i recommend placing the ssc in the pvc with two holes in the bottom cap. and attach the ssc to the bottom of the line that supports your tree to help keep water out.
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I don't have any DSC's either but I imagine it would work fine for powering 3 spots. Nice little form factor. Something that will make you consider the DSC is the fact I ended up needing a ton of wire to connect the spots to the MR16. I didn't realize that at first and it adds up. So one would need to compare the costs of the MR16, power supply, wire, and connectors versus DSC, cat5, connectors, and wire. If enough of you guys like the spots then maybe we could ask RJ to consider modding them to rgb. Similar to these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LED-Underwater-Spot-Light-10W-12V-RGB-Color-Changing-Light-/280897198833 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LED-Underwater-Spot-Light-10W-12V-RGB-Color-Changing-Light-/280897198833) I am not aware if any dumb rgb versions of this fixture...
On just the white sports are there just the 2 wires (positive/negative)? Trying to figure out how you could use a DSC. I like the form factor and was thinking about a couple. I don't have that far for the corners of my house so I may just do the same with a mr16 (since I have one already)
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What's to criticize? I wish my show would come together as well as yours does, but go buy a new camera. Justify it by needing to take pics and vids of that new baby. She could never disagree with that. LOL
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Great idea for SSC's Chris. Thanks. I am rather surprised how well everything including my SSC's held up this year. I didn't do much in terms of waterproofing, in fact all my SSC's are just stock.
Yep, the spots are 2 wire. Pics attached. They also have a pcb. I couldn't really determine what wire was what so I just went with blue - hot, brown - ground worked OK I guess. If you look closely on the pcb you will see MR16... Also, the light is actually very well built, machined aluminum etc. It's kinda heavy actually. The spot light throw is due to a large glass concave lens.
I think with a DSC you will need to tie all grounds together. RGB are each one light.
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Thank you Sam, didn't mean to hijack your thread.
Ill second, hard to find anything wrong with the sequencing considering I wished I could sequence like that.
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Jim, I can't get a new camera if I plan to add a mega tree... ;D The camera I have does just fine for what I need (pic attached - first tubby!) with the exception of the light show vids. I can deal with that.
Todd, you're not hijacking anything. Happy to give the info.
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Very cute, Ill admit I miss those days (don't let my wife know that).......
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What a cutie. If I lived closer, my wife would love to babysit that one.
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I might need a babysitter the more I look into mega trees... Lots of opinions, options, and work... (oh yeah, let's not forget money ;D)
Jim, while doing some research on sharing sequences I saw post of your over at DIYC about ultrashows. Are the sequences any good?
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I have no recollection of what I might have said about ultrashows or when. What are you looking for? A place to post them? Did you look at landolights.com or the libraries at LSP or DoItYyourselfChristmas.com? Regardless of where you post them the whole problem of downloaded sequences is whether or not they fit the "downloadees" layout or style. I probably have well over 100 downloaded sequences covering LOR, LSP, and Vixen2.1/2.5, yet I am still using a basic set of 6 to 8 sequences because a) I can't really make the download fit good with my layout or b) after looking at it or trying to make it fit my layout I just do not like the downloaded sequencing or maybe just the music. When I look at your videos I can see how I would translate your layout to mine, but how well it would work is another ballgame. Tools like xlights help in translating from one sequencer to another. I keep using Vixen even though I own LSP 2.5 and LOR S3 and I think I finally understand the differences of using the grid or the transitions of LSP. Vixen tools like the mapper utility, editable adjustable preview, and the routine loader as well as nutcracker make it fairly easy to stay with Vixen for me. Maybe this year I will try some LSP stuff again. I quit working on LSP in 2011 because I was having to much trouble trying to import my sequences from Vixen to LSP and I was running out of time. I think it is a little easier and also better understood now so I would just have to recreate my default controller layout and preview to try it again. I commend you for your willingness to share. For those of us that are talentless when it comes to sequencing you will be a godsend.
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Jim, we are very much on the same page. I believe the key is a generic layout which I haven't figured out yet, but have some ideas. If I took the time to create this layout and condense the channel count it might just be doable.
Ultimately, I will give you guys a few good sequences to get you hooked until you beg for more and are willing to pay for my mega tree... ;D
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we'll just send you all our old bad nodes hehe
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Willing to Trade:
Custom sequencing. References available upon request. I will sequence the song of your choice for 128ct tested and burnt-in Ray Wu SS nodes... ;D
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I do not have any nodes but WILL WORK FOR SEQUENCES. Now if I can only photo shop a bum holding a will work for food sign. to will work for sequences.
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Light show was very nice, some excellent use of the nodes there. Loved the Bethleham star.
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Thanks Tony. Been wanting to do one for years. I didn't have the room for the larger holiday coro star so I had to make one smaller. The build went pretty straightforward and now I wonder why I put off so long. This year I am thinking I will mount it somehow to the chimney to give it more of real Bethlehem star look since it will be high in the air.
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I do not have any nodes but WILL WORK FOR SEQUENCES. Now if I can only photo shop a bum holding a will work for food sign. to will work for sequences.
Shaun,
It will be close to 60F Saturday, just get it all down and in the garage. I will put it away... ;D
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GREAT display. VERY well done
Yep, the spots are 2 wire. Pics attached.
Are those pictures of the floods that you used or is that the bright white lights you used on the top corners of the house and throughout?
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Thanks.
The pics are the spot lights on top corners etc. For floods I used 4 aether II's on the ground. 2 per side. 1 directly under the window and 1 at 45 to the side of my entrance.
I actually am considering adding 2 more to the top sides of the entrance to saturate 2nd floor... Anyone have comments or suggestions?
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For video taping one of the biggest problems is that the LED's are so bright it tends to wash out colors. A few ways to get around this are one to film when it's twilight (this is the best time to do still shots also) then you can "darken" the video while editing and it will look darker out and the colors will come out better. Another option is to shoot the video on manual one or two stops down and use manual focus (as the bright to dark tends to screw up auto focus anyway)this will get you a little better video of the lights. On LSP website GaryH did a pretty good video on using Adobe Audition to clean your video in post.
http://www.lightshowpro.com/centralized-training-videos/3599-editing-your-video-using-adobe-premiere.html#post20979
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Thanks Jeff. I saw that tutorial. I am looking for a new camera that has some adjustments and options, my current gear does not. I plan to tear down Sat so these vids are not going to be reshot. I gotta buddy that is a pro photo guy and am going to get him to help me with the upgrade.
Soooo, I assume you basically saying ix-nay on second story aethers? ;D
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I say yes for second story aethers.
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Ok, so for 2013 that's 2 aethers II's, and a partridge in a mega tree.
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On LSP website GaryH did a pretty good video on using Adobe Audition Premiere to clean your video in post.
http://www.lightshowpro.com/centralized-training-videos/3599-editing-your-video-using-adobe-premiere.html#post20979
Watching Gary's video makes me realize how much better Adobe Premiere Pro is compared to Adobe Premiere Elements. I just couldn't justify the cost difference ($500+ vs. $95) anymore. But, while slower and not quite as user friendly, Premiere Elements will still do everything I saw Gary doing. Just takes more time. If you are willing to spend even more money for hardware, you can add one or two HIGH END nVidia Cuda video cards and offload most of the video processing load for rendering. Probably worth it if you make a living editing video.
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No offense to Gary, but I only saw maybe a 10% improvement with the editing... I will look into Elements. Seems like a bargain for $100.
After talking with my pro photo buddy I am focusing my money on the front end and not post. No amount of post production will fix a video shot with my iphone rubber banded to a tripod... ;D
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Very nice. Good job.
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Thanks!
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Wow, and great job!
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Thanks, zacutt!
I'm getting alot of emails with regard to my columns. They were really just a cheap afterthought. I am starting to suspect that it was because I focused some sequences on them... Anyone willing to comment on their favorite part of my show? I would really like to improve what folks are interested in.
I had no idea until my Sister in Law visited, but my daughter and my SIL favorites sequences are:
https://vimeo.com/56736590 (https://vimeo.com/56736590)
and
https://vimeo.com/56736590 (https://vimeo.com/56736590)
I am serious guys, don't hold back on the criticism. I plan to add 2 aethers to the 2nd floor, a SS mega tree, and move my Bethlehem star to a higher point.
Please, any suggestions appreciated. Thanks!
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Very nice Sam.
Your sequences are tight. Anyone who has programmed a show can tell you spent a lot of time on each song.
In my opinion the Bethlehem star looks good where it is (in the center of everything). It pops when you use it in the show.
Nice use of the flood lights. I agree about adding two more to light the second floor.
The spots are a different element, not seen in many shows (yet). I like them.
I like the way you have each side of your yard balanced. If you are thinking about adding an RGB tree I would consider adding two; one on each side to keep the balance.
Your house is sharp, clean, well sequenced, some unique elements. Again, very nice.
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2 mega trees?! Ok, no more ideas... ;D I think it's a great idea actually. Maybe scale things back from a single 16' to 2 -10' or something.
Thanks for the kind words about the show.
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Very helpful. I'm going to get some 1x2 or maybe 1x1 to frame mine too...with new windows coming in this late fall, my wife would kill me if I tried to figure a way to mount on the new windows.
The flexstrips are not enclosed at all. Pic attached. They are mounted with the clips that came with them plus a dab of silicone adhesive every 6-8" or so (I ran out of clips). I plan to add more clips once they are down. I also used more silicone adhesive near the wires for added protection. Not sure if Ray ships them with all flexstrips but mine came with the clips, an assortment of splicing and end caps, and adhesive... Knock on wood, they have seen alot of rain, snow, wind, and below freezing temps and are still going. I had to show off the corners which were alot of work to ensure they lined up. There was alot of sketching and measuring that went into these...
In the past I wrapped the columns with incans for 4 channels of 100 each channel so making them rgb was just an upgrade. You can some cool things with the columns even with just 4 channels of incans. See some of my older vimeo vids for ideas.
Yes Sebastian there is a MR16 is powering the spots. Although I have to admit when Keith asked the question it made me think... :o You could use a dsc. This would come in handy for remote areas. It's actually hard to believe that much light came from 80w total!
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Very GOOD.
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Very helpful. I'm going to get some 1x2 or maybe 1x1 to frame mine too...with new windows coming in this late fall, my wife would kill me if I tried to figure a way to mount on the new windows.
My frames are 2" strips of 3/8" exterior ply. Not saying I am against 1x per se but ply is cheaper, lighter, stronger, and flexible in a good way. (long time wooddorker) I did my whole setup from 2 sheets including the north star and have a half sheet left.
I hear ya about mounting to the house... I've done displays a long time before finally succumbing to some permanent mounts (2 years ago). Mounts for window frames are on the trim and not window itself... The way I figure it is safer and faster. The temporary solutions I used in the past were very tedious to put up and take down. That's dangerous working on 2nd story and roof line... My wife and I are very particular about our house and we both agree the few mounts are not an eye sore or problem.
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Thanks - I was wondering about pressure treated wood vs what I'd get otherwise....only can find 2x2 boards that are pressure treaded...maybe 3/8 ply is the way to go...if I can find some outdoor grade material. i'll take the trip to home depot/lowes this weekend and see what the options are. just I have a skill saw and my lines are never that straight with the skill saw and the precut 1x2s are always square :)
I've learned a ton so far about mounting from my flexstrip mega tree and star on the garage so far and i'm very disappointed with my garage peaks. I have a good idea for the roof outline though....hope the 104' of pvc (perimeter of my roof) can be mounted in a way that it doesn't sag in the middle when I put in some t's and middle joints...if it does my backup plan is the 1x2s and then pvc mounted on top of that with little u brackets screwed into the wood...then a couple of big clamps off the soffit to hold it down...and/or...some weights hung down the other side of the roof and tie them to the pvc (if that picture makes sense).
that is my project for the weekend (starting Friday)
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Exterior ply is not PT but uses waterproof glue. If it gets painted with a decent exterior paint it should last a long time since it is only exposed to the elements for 60 days or so. It should be easy enough to find someone with a table saw to rip your strips for a sixer. If not, local high school shop, cabinet shop, contractor.
I used pvc before and unless it schedule 40 it will sag but it was much better than just using clips. Sounds like you have a good plan. Try a few things on a lower section of the roof to test and you'll come up with something that works.
Only other thought I have is maybe keep it simple like me and just light the front of house... You can always go full Griswold later if you want! I am a big believer that a smaller layout with good sequencing always looks better than a large layout with poor sequencing.
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I'll ask my son if his high school has a shop....I know the catholic school locally here does, but not sure about his public school...have a friend around the corner who has a nice table saw....might load some wood in the back of the truck and go visiting :)
I'm using sched 80 (grey) for the pipe and sched 40 for the couplers. will post up some photos of the build of the tree and my roof outline. Overall I have built my 12 strand mega tree (quality build, easy to take down) with a nice coro star topper with about 60 dumb pixels (not so easy to take down, but have a better way for next year), 3 arches 10' length each with 12mm nodes drilled through the 3/4" pvc - 120 lights in total built, the garage peaks done with 96 lights in total across the 2 x12' lengths. want to use the left over flex strips to build 2x10' vertical strips for the garage. Have 400 or so dumb string nodes into 8 channels for my singing tree in one upstairs window, and will build two window frames with smart strings (100 lights in total - the windows are 80x40") and finally the roof outline. Then I have a bunch of LEs and SSRs that I can use to light up a walk way full of simple candy canes or little mini trees...still trying to source those as right now I just have 4 candy canes from previous years. I've struggled with sequencing and still learning vixen and hls but have spent lots of time with xlights the last month and pretty comfortable with it from all the wonderful tutorials Sean has been hosting.
OK...coffee time and then walk the dogs and then work and then back to flexstrips tonight :)
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Schedule 80 which is code here is nice stuff. Pretty rigid so I would assume you should not have an issue with sagging. After watching your arch video I think you work well with pvc so stick with it and forgo the ply. Great job!
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Here is the results of a really nice sunny day, a day off work and lots of motivation to get this roof outlined!!
Ended up using 1x3s because my 3/4" pvc clamps go out 3", so couldn't use 1x2. It was tough to get this built without any nails, but I was able too. It doesn't look too bad in the day light, will look awesome at night!!
Tomorrow I'll be back at it trying to get the rest of the lights strapped down to the PVC. It is taking me about an hour for 100 nodes once I get into the swing of things. About 150 lights done today across the top, but the top part was the most work as that's the way I was able to get the frame to stay put (there is eye bolts drilled through the PVC and I have counter balances on the other side of the roof). And with the way I raised the frame off the roof in a few sections is great too because the rain can still run off into the eaves.
With any luck I will have a video for the roof tomorrow night...we will see!