help with an idea of lights on posts

[trekster]

I wanted to take eight, 3 inch pvc pipes and wrap 6 channels of lights on each.  It would be 48 channels and exactly 3 expresses.  I made plans and drawings.  Then thought about making letters or shapes with the matrix.  Now I think it should be 7 by 7 = 49 channels.  I think the odd numbers makes it split up better for making letters and shapes right?  Has anyone done something like this?  Attached is the picture I started with but I think I need to change it.  I want to keep it one color and about 3 expresses.  I could go 4 expresses.

My other question is spacing between the posts.  I originally was thinking 8 posts 12 feet wide.  Two 2x4's 12 feet long for the top and bottom to make a 10 foot by 12 foot matrix.  Any touoghts on the width of the matrix?

I know the rigid rgb strips are big for a matrix but this is what I want to do.

Ron

[bcstuff]

The best matrix I have seen like that was by Downs Family Christmas. His matrix is a little larger but you might be able to scale it down and get an idea of how it might look. Check out the 12 days of Christmas video:

Quote from Downs Family Christmas/
The LED Matrix Display has 16 poles with 24 strands of lights on each pole. The top of the lights are 14 feet in the air, and the poles are spaced 2 1/2 feet apart.

Link to website:
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[trekster]

Thank you Brian.  That is what I had in mind but not that big.  That gives me ideas of what can be done with a simple matrix.


Ron

[rm357]

Dot matrix need about 5wide by 7 tall per charater with a 1 dot space between characters to implement both upper and lower case letters. If you only do upper case, you could probably get by with 5x5.

RM

[trekster]

Dot matrix need about 5wide by 7 tall per charater with a 1 dot space between characters to implement both upper and lower case letters. If you only do upper case, you could probably get by with 5x5.

RM

If I understand your statement then 7X7 will work?

Ron

[jeffcoast]

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Wow, that looks really nice. I don't have much of a yard to do any of that stuff, and the trees I have are just too big for me to encircle them with lights like that. We circled the trunks, and left it at that.

[rm357]

7x7 will work, but 1 characterat a time is not much towork with.

I purchased 8 of the rigid strips to make a 30 wide by 8 tall matrix (only need 7), but even that only gives ~6 characters at a time. If I have time after building everything else, I may still do it...

Tune to
            97.7FM

Merry
         Christ
                  mas

RM

[dmoore]

I've done tons of work on this subject of "large" scrolling text displays that are directly controlled via the sequencing software.  The first thing I'd give a lot of thought to is the sequencing software, that choice will make it really hard or super easy.  I'd give some serious though to going with pixels over standard channels, not only will it be much easier to setup, have a LOT less wire plus you will get full color.

Here are some links to the downs display, which by my calculations, cost $6,500 using LEDs and the LOR controllers he uses.  The same setup with Lynx Express would be right around $5,300:

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[trekster]

Thanks to all.  My main idea was not scrolling text.  Last year (my first) I have 4 posts on my front porch.  I made each 4 channel red for a total of 16 channels.  I liked very much the effect of the moving up and down and side to side.  I wanted to make something with a little more movement.  Maybe a few shapes etc in a 7x7 matrix.

Ron