My first year of blinky lights!

[salongaopm]

Took several videos but can't get it right. I am not sure if the problem is the video camera or my display...maybe both.    . Below is the 'not too bad' of them all. 

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[travailen]

The show and the video looks great!  nothing to appologize for in my opinion. I like your mega tree. I hope to add a mega tree for 2011. could you share how you built it and what light strings you used and how you controlled it.

Rick S

[kbowen]

Took several videos but can't get it right. I am not sure if the problem is the video camera or my display...maybe both.    . Below is the 'not too bad' of them all. 

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Starting to build my own this year & have a few questions, if you don't mind. How many channels did you use all together & how many in your megatree ? Like your display, had some great effects. Nice job !

[salongaopm]

The mega tree is an imitation of Weber Spiral tree. Below are the materials used for my tree:

Height= 20ft (using 2 fence rail pipe)
diameter= 7-8ft? (not sure)
32 strings of 20ft mini led from garden ridge
16 channels - 2 strings per channel
additional channels for mt topper and strobes - one each
16 pcs of 1/8g x 25ft wire rope to form the tree
3pcs 1/8 x 25 ft wire rope - to support the tree
19pcs turnbuckle
16pcs eye bolt
1 pc galvanized floor flange (1 1/2? enough to fit over the fence pipe)
1 pc galvanized pipe - length=4"x? (not sure of the size. should fit to floor flange and over the fence pipe)
1 pc high duty rigid eye pulley ( You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login )
Nuts/bolts misc size to secure pulley and winch
mega tree hooks - available at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
boat winch - to raise the MT hooks - similar to this: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
2pcs 2x4x16 lumber/stud - cut into 4ft ea for mt base
3pcs 30" auger anchors - found here: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

The mt hook and strings are basically raised. Wire rope are anchored to the wood base to form a christmas tree then strings are wrapped around the tree.

More info below:

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[meman]

Wow, great job! The spiral tree is a awesome, but I like the individually controlled wisemen characters on the lawn too.

Mike E. 

[trekster]

Great job on your show.  I like your Spiral mega tree.  Mine is 16 feet (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login).  I am curious on the construction of it.  I am wanting to make a bigger version spiral next year.  Maybe your way is easier then the way I put up mine.

How did you attach the lights to the wire rope on the spiral mega tree?  So then you attached the first several feet and then raised it and attached it and then again until it was all the way up/done?  Can you give more info and provide some daytime pictures of your tree so we can see better how you built it?  I know you gave a very good description already but more please 

Thank you for sharing your video.

Ron

[Jeffl]

Very impressive for the first year. 

Your video looks fine.  I haven't found anything any harder to video tape than moving lights in the dark.  unless you have a 5K video camera it's not easy.  Yours looks good.  I find that we are overly picky on our own work but in reality it's much better than we think.

[ThaiWay]

Looks like you made great use of those LE's Adrian!  Well done.  I liked your Music Box Dancer vid too.

Merry Merry

[salongaopm]

Great job on your show.  I like your Spiral mega tree.  Mine is 16 feet (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login).  I am curious on the construction of it.  I am wanting to make a bigger version spiral next year.  Maybe your way is easier then the way I put up mine.

How did you attach the lights to the wire rope on the spiral mega tree?  So then you attached the first several feet and then raised it and attached it and then again until it was all the way up/done?  Can you give more info and provide some daytime pictures of your tree so we can see better how you built it?  I know you gave a very good description already but more please 

Thank you for sharing your video.

Ron

The lights are zip tied to the MT hook and base only.
 
B_Regal78,  a member from PC explained it well on his post. Below was his post:

"To keep going on with this tree's specific construction, the tree was just over 17' tall measured from the hook head to the base ring, with a base ring between 6 and 7 feet in diameter. A length of two strings per channel per color (14 channels total / 3 colors) were connected end to end, which would go from the hook head to the base ring. The 8 equal length cables that would form the cone and the light strings are attached to the hook head. The cables are attached to the base ring and since two light strings are "longer" than the tree is tall, the light strings are staked to the ground outside of the base ring. The hook head is raised and cables are pulled tight. At this point, the tree would look like the attached picture. This specific tree wrapped each color independently. A string (two strings connected end to end) is "unstaked" and wrapped approximately 1 1/2 times around before it is attached to the base ring. The excess string (and there was not much) was laid on the ground toward the pole. The next 13 strings of the same color are done exactly the same way. The following two colors are wrapped. The strings are then zip tied to the cables."

"Here's the picture of the tree with the hook head in place and the cables forming the cone taunt and before the light strings are "wrapped." Notice how they are "longer" than the tree is tall..."

Picture posted on PC by B_Regal78:

[salongaopm]

Looks like you made great use of those LE's Adrian!  Well done.  I liked your Music Box Dancer vid too.

Merry Merry

Yes I did! Thank you very much!

And thanks to all for everything!

[salongaopm]

Starting to build my own this year & have a few questions, if you don't mind. How many channels did you use all together & how many in your megatree ? Like your display, had some great effects. Nice job !

I have 8 LE's but using only 108 channels. There are 18 channels total in the mega tree...16 channels for the strings, one for the tree topper and one for the led strobes.

[krgoodwin]

When the boss (aka wife) saw your video, the mega tree got added to the requirements list.  You gave a good description on the hardware and I've looked at the Weber web page but I could use some insight into the software.  As a newbie I am trying to get a handle on what software to baseline (planning on using Lynx Express).  Also what sequences are available.  I gather from reading the posts, that the sequencing is a tough part and my software experts have always told me to stand on the shoulders of giants whenever possible (in other words, dont' invent the wheel again).  Any insight would be greatly appreciated.  Your display was outstanding, so much so I would like to copy part of it!!

[salongaopm]

Thanks!

I used vixen for sequencing and running the show.  Almost all of the sequences I used are from Palombolights (as posted in You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login ) and Holdman  ( found at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login ). Big thanks to them. Without their sequences, I surely won't be able to make a descent show. A lot of free sequences are also available at Landolights.com ( You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login )

I forgot to include some materials I used for the mega tree.  I will update the list.

[salongaopm]

I uploaded more videos...total of 9 for now.

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[krgoodwin]

Thanks for info, I appreciate the time you've taken in order to save me some.  My quick once-overs had given me the impression Vixen was the software of choice.  What bothered me is that the info introduction on the wiki pages was stating one needed to install a .net release that is circa WinXP.  I have seen posts from people that have successfully used it with Win7 64-bit so I would guess the wiki info had stale.  Tnx again, your additional videos were fun watching especially the Robot intro.  You do a good job linking the show to the audio source.