DiyLightAnimation
Fun => The Porch => Topic started by: rrowan on January 03, 2013,
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This is for everyone to add what they have learned doing this "hobby"
I will start off with a few things:
Number One rule: NEVER NEVER put a controller or any smart device in a location that you can't get to it doing your show season. I will guarantee that it will fail while covered with snow or ice. Example I used to have a LE on my roof. Guess what I had problems with it. Once I mounted it to my back wall and ran custom extension cords to the lights its been working great for two years.
Number Two rule: Once a show is running don't make any hardware changes to it unless there is a problem. Example - Your show is happily working and some wise guy named Rick R posts that his new conductor works great. Now you build yours and you have problems getting it setup properly causing you stress. Now what wise guy Rick forgot to mention is he worked out his setup issues before the show started. So just don't do it. Live what you setup and tested before the show season and test new hardware later when there is less stress and the DLA members have more time to help you with any issues.
Number Three rule: (only because I like the number 3) Its Never too early to start working on your sequences. Its the longest part of the hobby (hardware is quick and easy compare to sequencing). You don't need anything but a computer and your imagination. Of course a digital picture of your house will help with the preview.
Bonus rule: Remember no matter how stress you are about if the light(s) blink at the correct millisecond no one but you will notice it. Your audience will just enjoy the lights and music. So remember to have fun with the hobby otherwise why do a hobby you can't enjoy?
Ok now lets seem more things everyone has learned so far. I don't care if its your first time or your 100th time.
Have fun with it.
Rick R.
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Stop trying to catch up to others and work with what you have.
Read the assembly manual twice and understand it before going gung ho in the assembly <fp. (not saying I did not do this of course)
Always take advise from other members as they are not trying to hurt your feelings, they are trying to help you (without knowing what your skill sets are).
And finally, which I believe is the most important rule of all: Be grateful every day for finding this community and always be an active member within it.
Steve
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Never plug an aether directly to the house outlet.
Check all your connection before applying power. This will save your fuses.
Start setting
Up your display sooner than you think. This allows you to test your lights.
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Some additional rules:
Do what you love. Sequence to songs you love.
Listen to the spouse's input. If she/he wants four leaping arches this year, guess what is going to be in the show this year? Her/his involvement will help you stay involved with your hobby.
Plan early, plan earlier. You will NEVER be starting early enough.
Involve your neighbors. They are the ones who really have to put up with your choices more so than you do. In truth, you voluteered them to watch and listen to your show each night. Doing something to involve them in the process will help the annoyance greatly.
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Be realistic with your projects and timeline most of all set an cut-off date for your projects!!
that way you can truly have fun setting up your Display.
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Everything will take longer to do then you figured on
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Establish up front the last (I mean final!) date when you will make no more changes to your plan.
There will ALWAYS be one more thing that you want to do, and if you let it carry you away -- soon you will have nothing to show for all of those grand ideas.
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Waterproofing. Get it right.
Small things can make a big difference, and in some cases can keep someone from getting hurt. Small things, like keeping the connections off the ground. Or, turning the pigtail connections so that water flows down over the sealed part of the connector -- and not into the contacts. :)
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don't underestimate setup time, plan on it raining...
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Bonus rule: Remember no matter how stress you are about if the light(s) blink at the correct millisecond no one but you will notice it. Your audience will just enjoy the lights and music. So remember to have fun with the hobby otherwise why do a hobby you can't enjoy?
I'm am a regular guest to the show in my neighbors yard. And hate it when he can't get his lights to go off and on at the right millisecond. :)
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At tear down DO NOT throw away something that you swear you will never use again!!! As rules state above, things take longer than you plan so that past item you just got rid of just may need to be used again!
I have things in my display that I take down and say that I won't use again that have lasted me 5 years longer and still go up every year! ;) ;D
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Almost all kids love songs by the Chipmunks.
Plan on taking twice as long to sequence than originally planned.
Make a plan and stick to it.
Label everything even if you know you won't forget where it goes.
The light string that is the hardest to get to is the one that will go out first.
Gremlins exist.
John
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Never plug an aether directly to the house outlet.
Why not?
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Never plug an aether directly to the house outlet.
Why not?
I think he met Aether II which is 12v ac not 120v ac
Rick R.
P.S. Thanks everyone for their wisdom. Keep it going!!!
Like:
Get the Radio Shack desolder iron for those times you need to remove a part from the board. Its worth every penny they ask for it.
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Failure to plan is planning to fail. Make sure to have backup hardware. Murphy's Law dictates that as soon as you decide to NOT have a backup piece of hardware, is the very moment your hardware will fail. This also goes for having spare triacs and optis on hand as these are sure to be needed when you least expect to need them.
One thing I have learned is that there is always someone who has done a bigger (and usually better) show than I ever have dreamed of doing. The axiom to this is that there is always (usually? LOL) someone out there smarter than I am (and more skilled). Most problems that occur have been solved many times over by quite a few folks. The worst thing you can do is NOT ask for help.
Stealing ideas and construction ideas is not only okay, it is encouraged -- for light layouts and for ideas for sequencing.
The most ridiculous song is usually the most popular for your Halloween show (PSY's Gangnam Style this year, LMFAO's Party Anthem last year). Embrace it. It helps to have a teenager in the house to let you know what is 'cool' and will work.
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Failure to plan is planning to fail. Make sure to have backup hardware. Murphy's Law dictates that as soon as you decide to NOT have a backup piece of hardware, is the very moment your hardware will fail. This also goes for having spare triacs and optis on hand as these are sure to be needed when you least expect to need them.
One thing I have learned is that there is always someone who has done a bigger (and usually better) show than I ever have dreamed of doing. The axiom to this is that there is always (usually? LOL) someone out there smarter than I am (and more skilled). Most problems that occur have been solved many times over by quite a few folks. The worst thing you can do is NOT ask for help.
Stealing ideas and construction ideas is not only okay, it is encouraged -- for light layouts and for ideas for sequencing.
The most ridiculous song is usually the most popular for your Halloween show (PSY's Gangnam Style this year, LMFAO's Party Anthem last year). Embrace it. It helps to have a teenager in the house to let you know what is 'cool' and will work.
And speaking of Back-up, Please back up your sequences regularly onto a USB flash pen so that if you do have problems with your computer. You are not dead in the water.
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What ever you budget for the year, only spend about 75% of it on lights and hardware. The other 25% will be used on "little stuff" (wire, connectors, tape, etc.)
Listen to the spouse's input. If she/he wants four leaping arches this year, guess what is going to be in the show this year? Her/his involvement will help you stay involved with your hobby.
I really have to echo this one... My wife was invaluable to me. Not only her help, but her input and ideas, and it gave us a wonderful opportunity to work together on something we enjoyed. She's now involved in the planning for this year's halloween display!
And as everyone else has said, have fun. There is pride in a job well done.
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Hit the after Christmas sales (may be too late for this year) for the little things (extension cords, etc.)
Ask the group about when vendors have their sales for things like strings of light. Most sales of these items require bulk purchases (cases not strings) and are usually in mid-summer.
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#1 - Mother Nature is a huge fan of your show, but she is not a friend of it....(Wind, Rain, Snow, etc. will make an appearance at your show and if you are not ready for it they will make a mess)
#2 - Never change your software after you have your show running (just because there us a new update or patch does not mean you should get it. :))
#3 - With everything you do always keep three things in mind:
- Where am I going to store this?
- How long will it take to setup and tear down each year? (can I improve on that)
- What's my plan for when it breaks?
#4 - Make it a family hobby
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Allow enough time to possibly get sick. (start setting up as early as possible). I was sick for a week after Thanksgiving.
Be prepared for unforeseen things like the city deciding to resurface the street in front of your property. Right in the middle of November during prime setup time the completely rebuilt the main street in front of my house. Wasted about 10 days waiting for them to finish before setting up most of the front yard.
Always have have spare parts all the way down to extension cords and main power cords. I had a main power cord supplying one of my big elements flake out early one evening. Had a Lynx express burn out a channel, a SSR4DMX loose a channel, etc. etc. I even had a dumb SS Hub flake out. Last year I had a power supply running my Mega Tree fail to run properly even though it was supposedly rated at the current needed.
Even though you have set up things and tested it inside there is always something that will not work when you set it up outside. (The SS Hub that flaked out).
As has already been said that things take at least twice as long or more to do than you estimate. The simplest seeming thing may take you half a day to setup and make work.
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1) Check your lights and controllers BEFORE you set them up in the display
2) Don't climb higher than you are willing to fall
3) The sign on the ladder that says - "Do not step above this rung" is there because someone once stepped above that rung while violating number 2 above perhaps while trying to make up for number 1 above.
4) Parachute Landing Falls (PLF's) are not just for parachuting. They are critical come set up time when it is possible that any of the three lessons above are about to be relearned.
Steve
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When your getting no dmx signal, try a different cat5 cable, even if the one your using is new.
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PAITINCE
If things are going wrong or you are not hitting your schedule step back and take a break it does wonders.
Stay within your budget.. It can get out of control quick if you don't plan and even then there seems to be the tiny little hidden costs that sneak up on you
size doesn't matter !!! Its the heart you put into it.
Include the family and try to keep your time budgeted so it won't cause issues
:)
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Even though the lights are off, there is 120v on those leads (or whatever v applies to your case), and your body actually is a decent path to ground
Your sequences will never be finished
A place to tinker with the stuff all year long makes planning much easier and more productive
There is a whole lot more DIY to this hobby than building boards ... All the RGB connections, cat5 running, extension cord making and routing, mounting, and waterproofing took considerable more brain power than following the wiki build instructions for the hardware
The software that the members have developed and share freely in this community is awesome ... I am so thankful or that
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We are are own worst critics most things we see no one else will.
Get in on coops early even if your on the fence as to how many you need/want.
I have had more trouble with store bought stuff than homemade.
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1) Check your lights and controllers BEFORE you set them up in the display
2) Don't climb higher than you are willing to fall
3) The sign on the ladder that says - "Do not step above this rung" is there because someone once stepped above that rung while violating number 2 above perhaps while trying to make up for number 1 above.
4) Parachute Landing Falls (PLF's) are not just for parachuting. They are critical come set up time when it is possible that any of the three lessons above are about to be relearned.
Steve
Steve are you related to Clark Griswold ? ::) ;D
Rick R.
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To the new people:
When you think you know how many extension cords you will need,
Double that number when you are actually buying them.
If you bought too many, you will need them, along with more new ones, the next year.
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1. Make sure you have enough power to run the display you planned. You may need to add a couple of spare circuits.
2. If you not sure don't be afraid to ask.
3. Unless it is something your show can do with out, have a backup for it. (I had a brand new 1000watt PS quit the second day of my show, thankfully I bought a spare)
4. Take time out to enjoy your show, even better drive the neighborhood and see how others have decorated.
5. Make sure to tell RJ how much you appreciate his time in developing all these neat toys we use.
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well, everything thing that i have learned this year(my first) has already been mentioned. lol but i guess i'll give my thoughts.
1. i'm glad i started in july, but i wish i would have started in January!
2. BACK UP! BACK UP! BACK UP! AND DID I FORGET TO MENTION, BACK UP! lol nothing worst than spending over 50 hours on your first song from scratch, EVER, and thinking that you lost it!
3. i was fortunate in my first year and didn't have any equipment failure, i did how ever have my mega tree blown over by wind.(60mph gusts). wasn't as bad as it looked but still could have been prevented.
4. i started laying a beat track to monster mash last night. i am not letting things sneak up on my this year!
5. give yourself a designated area to run your show and leave it alone!
6. now that i know how long it takes, i will start putting up the show in september.
7. i will leave 7 open for all of the other stuff i learned but if i type it all in here, you guys will yell at me for writing a book! i crammed 20,000 lights, 192 dmx channels and 1686 channels of rgb for my first year into 6 months and i owe EVERY bit of thanks to all of the people in this forum that dove right in and made sure i knew what i was doing.
here is to an awesome 2013
duane
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If possible, build an extra element item when making them. If wrapping lights on PVC or mini tree, make 1 spare. That way if a something goes wrong during the show season, you can swap it out with the spare and fix the broken one later.
Also, buy spare strings and pixels. You will need them at some point in time.
Craig
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Beware of "scope creep", especially in late summer or early fall. Resist making those last minute major changes that seem like they would take your display to the next level. They can wait for next year.
And..get comfortable with the word "more"..you will always need "more" of something..money, time, SPT, plugs, fuses, etc.
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If you're making the jump into RGB stuff, don't sell off your old stuff just yet.
come show time, you'll still wish you had some of it... <fp.
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Is anyone gonna go through this list and make a grass roots wisdom page for the wiki? *grin*
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My #1 rule after couple years in this hobby.
"It doesn't have to be PERFECT!"
I've been enjoying this hobby a lot more since I started following this rule.
Leo
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Attend a mini or two or three. They are great for meeting like minded folks and picking up ideas.
Find all the folks you can who do animated lighting in your area. It does not matter what hardware they are using the problems and challenges are all similar and it is great to know someone you can call to talk to or visit with. We have 6 shows in my town and probably 15 or so in the county. I have gone out of my way to meet everyone of them.
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Start early and plan to spend time with your family ( wife kids and dogs). One or two days a week starting now will free up time when the sun is shining and people want to do things.
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If you don't want to have to rebuild your flying reindeer contraption, tie it down in more than one spot when the winds get above 20mph (4 spots seems to work perfectly) and don't run it if they are above 15mph, there will be other nights to run it!!!!
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^^^^Show off!^^^^ ;)
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1) Check your lights and controllers BEFORE you set them up in the display
2) Don't climb higher than you are willing to fall
3) The sign on the ladder that says - "Do not step above this rung" is there because someone once stepped above that rung while violating number 2 above perhaps while trying to make up for number 1 above.
4) Parachute Landing Falls (PLF's) are not just for parachuting. They are critical come set up time when it is possible that any of the three lessons above are about to be relearned.
Steve
Oh the wisdom here!
My small contribution:
Remember this, if Murphy decides to spend the holiday at your house you can always run half the lights static and you will STILL have a far better display than nearly every other house in your town.
Just do what you can and don't sweat the rest. After all, this is supposed to be FUN!
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That reminds me.
Add a 'Static' sequence to your show for those that want to photograph it (it also lets you locate lights that have gone out). You might even announce that it's being turned on for pictures. I feel that somewhere around 15 to 30 seconds should be sufficient. I am debating for 2013 to do it every 2 songs.
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^^^^ +1 ^^^^
Great idea! I am adding Charlie Brown Christmas next year. When he says 'light please" they will all come on. Thanks for the idea.
Rick S
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Hi Guys,
Some of my thoughts:
1. Always keep the wife (spouse) happy. As others have said let the family help come up with new display elements and songs as well as involving them in the hobby so it is fun for all.
2. Creativity is your best friend and worst enemy.
3. Sequencing.......
3. Before adding strings of lights (legacy) to any display item label the plugs on both ends with a sharpie or paint them the corresponding color.
4. With the creativity try to be ingenious and come up with ways to mount and store elements to make setup and tear down easier. Don't be afraid to use something in a manner different than its original purpose. This is especially important in my circumstance (go Navy) where I might not be home for the holidays. This gives the wife the ability to set up either a simple static display or run last years show (ties into #7 also).
5. Share your ideas so other can use and/or modify them for their needs as this is what the community is about.
6. Get a dedicated show PC and try to organize a file structure that allows you to easily find things on the computer related to your display, software, sequences, hardware, etc.
7. Take pictures and make plans of your display as this will make setup easier for next year (so you remember how you did something).
8. Don't go broke supporting the hobby, see #1. As addictive as this is, don't spend $4000 dollars on lights if you can only spend $400 dollars. Be realistic with the amount of money that you can spend (not charge) so you don't break the bank. The people that have awesome displays have typically been doing this for a long time or have a better paying job than you or me.
9. Have other hobbies that you can turn to when you are burned out or need to focus on other things, mine include sport shooting with the family, woodworking, playing paintball with the wife and kids, spending time with the wife (date night), spending time with the kids (movie/game night) and spending time with friends and family (barbecues).
Lastly and in an effort to quit rambling see my last lesson learned.
10. Always keep the wife happy, see rule #1 and always repeat.
-Rich
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+1
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If you tell people that your show will start on the day after Thanksgiving, don't kill yourself by staying awake 48 hours doing marathon setup.
Start a day late. Maybe two. You're not getting paid to do this.
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Leaving on a set of display items at night is good for security and also also making filming much easier.