99 days

[REM]

Man, I'm so far behind it's not funny. I still have to build my 50A remote subpanel, 3 more tri-color segmented arches, assemble more electronics, sequence my whole show, take a vacation...

Oh, and we found out we're having another baby.  Now I have to finish off my upstairs.

Remember how I said there's plenty of time to sleep when we're dead?  I'm livin' it now!

--Ron

[Sloanhaus]

My suggestion is forget the subpanel, go ahead and use the money for leds... You will save so much money over time its not even funny... 1st your electric bill will be less, you dont have to worry about heat sinks ever again, you dont need as many extension cords because you can have 10 strands hooked together, you wont need as many channels because you can have more than 3 strands of lights on each channel, you wont have to replace lights every two years because they last longer, your show will be twice as bright, best of all, leds dont fade. I had blue incadescent lights last year and they were completely faded by week 3 of my show... Not going through that again. Anyways, just an opinion...

Congrats on the baby, my wife is due middle of October, so I am trying to build a setup that will allow me to put over 50,000 lights up in two days. The wireless is going to really help me out with this. I am going to have around 14 expresses, and 16 other devices all on wireless. I have built all my boards and 4 of my rx wireless devices. I have ordered the parts for 14 more and as soon as RJ releases the next batch of wireless boards I will be soldiering late into the morning. Not sure if you saw my video or not, but I would make as much as your show modular so that you can just set things out and be done with it... With wireless, its plug and play.
Sloan

[REM]

Yeah there's definitely some truth to all of that.  I probably will reinvest in LEDs after this year.  I have looked at several of your videos.  Great ideas indeed. I am trying to do similar things myself. Most of my show this year will be 200-300' from the house out by the road but I'm still trying to pre-decorate and light my props so it's easy to set up. 

One of my biggest dilemmas is whether to integrate video and use LSP or leave it out and just go with Vixen.  I can't decide if I want to try to set up a screen and all especially since I can't project from a "safe" place.

Thanks for the congrats. Hope everything goes well for you guys in October as well.  Keep your "other family" in the loop 
 

[Sloanhaus]

My advice is to not set up video... Since your display is so far away from the house, you are just begging for trouble. If you really wanted to do video, I would have it only play on nights when you plan on being out by the display, otherwise you are going to have someone come onto your property and steel the video and possibly other items. It still amazes me that someone could be in such dyer straits that they would steel from someones Christmas display... I guess its hard to understand when you are a person that likes to give. Good luck to you and again, congrats on the baby.

[Cobergas]

Ahhh setup will be a BREEZE this year... No house to setup on.. No lights to soothe me to sleep.. Not being able to see the lights every night.. Wait.. Maybe there will be a problem this year.. Bill... I am bringing a tent over. It will be a permanent camping session from Thanksgiving to New Years.. I will miss out on the fun if not...

Surprises... Surprises....

[Sloanhaus]

NO lights.... I am shaking right now.... How can you have no lights.... Put them on your car, wrap them around your waste,,, do something... you cant have no lights,,, that like having peanut butter and no jelly, ham no burger, come on, for crying out loud....

[Cobergas]

I am going to have no lights.. Just not on my house because this year I will probably be homeless.. So to speak. My original house I will be renting so I have come up with an alternative.

[KeithTarpley]

shhhhh.....

...all the georgia group stay quiet....  maybe chris won't notice while he looks for a place to live...

keith

 

[Cobergas]

Or maybe secretly there is a plan to take over the world.... 

[magic8192]

I feel like I am behind too!  I still have a long way to go. 

Mini's are still the way to go for me.  Mini lights are cheap!!  Especially if you hit the after Christmas sales. 

When LED's get cheaper, I will switch over.

[WWNF911]

Am I the only one that feels the urge to switch over to the new, greener LED's but admittedly prefer the mini's? I don't know what it is but they just seem like a warmer light to me. Nothing like it. When theyre gone I will definitely miss em. Kinda got the same feelin this year when I fired up some old C9's. I thought, ... Man those look good.

Trying not to think about how far behind I am. All the wife wants to do is tell me about the things she wants me to do on the weekends. All I want to say is,... "ARE YOU NOT PAYING ATTENTION WHEN I TELL YOU ABOUT ALL THE WORK I HAVE YET TO DO??" (She knows that when I'm working during the week, I can't do a blippin thing)

I've got to have a sit down with her. She clearly doesn't understand obsession!  (Did I just say that?)

Shutting up.

Leon

[mschell]

re: C9's

I recently purchased a bunch of C7 LED replacement bulbs from Paul at CDI.  The intent was to go back to the "retro" look in outlining my roofline.  I happened to have had a few incandescent C7 sets that I re-used.   When I put the LED replacements in, they were MUCH brighter than the incandescents, and looked so much better than the originals.

So I'm sold on the LED's.  In fact, the white version of the LED's are "sun white" which look very like much the incandescents.

[blearning]

88 sleeps till lights on ...

Man now that sounds like we need to get cracking ... and I'm not talking smoke

[blearning]

On this 88 day,

I put together some LEs, mounted heat sinks and then into boxes and attached cords ..

not bad as I got the laundry done as well ..

[jnealand]

On this 88 day,

I put together some LEs, mounted heat sinks and then into boxes and attached cords ..

not bad as I got the laundry done as well ..

Tell them how many LE's you have built so far.  I'm not telling, but you make me tired when I talk to you, please slow down so the rest of us can feel better about what we are doing.  LOL

Jim
another Georgia blinky flash newbie / enthusiast