🎄MEGATREE Update (2020) 🎄

I added a huge star to the top of the megatree this year so I had to change a few things. Amazon links: https://www.amazon.com/shop/canispaterchristmas?listId=WESXFMPFKIX6&ref=idea_share_inf

https://youtu.be/RGanA5DCJhw

25 thoughts on “🎄MEGATREE Update (2020) 🎄

  1. Joseph Lewis

    Jeff, it’s been a long time since we last spoke. I have a question if I can pick your brain for a moment. I have an ESPixel Stick and I can not get it to work with FPP v 4.5 I have set both to unicast and multicast and it will send any data to it. I can however send something directly from xlights and it works fine. Any help would be welcomed, good Sir.

  2. Dog Father Post author

    FPP outputs and ESPixelStick inputs need to agree. Sounds like you have it correct between xLights and ESP, but I’d check the output of the Pi. Also, the Pi defaults to outputting on eth0 so you may need to change that to wlan0. That does mean the Pi will be sending everything out over WiFi which may/may not be what you want.

  3. Joseph Lewis

    Thanks Jeff for the reply. I figure out what it was shortly after I type up my question. It was a really dumb mistake on my part. For got to check the box to active E1.31 in FPP. Today I setup a new VLAN connected WLAN to my house network, then put the eth0 in the light show VLAN. Also setup a new wireless network in that same VLAN and connected the pixels stick to it. Success on that part. Now my show data is isolated to VLAN 10. I know you have spoke about the ESPixel Stick in past videos, it is a neat little device, but do you use it at all in your setup? I’m trying to convince the wife to let me spend some money and maybe to a small tree this year, but worry it wouldn’t be able to handle output of 700 or so LED.

  4. Dog Father Post author

    Glad you got it working. I don’t use WiFi pixels in my show. WiFi is saturated where I live and it wouldn’t work reliably for me. I’ve heard you might get a universe or two, but it depends on so many factors as to how well it works. I prefer to run copper (Ethernet cable) or use an FPP remote if I can’t run copper.

  5. Joseph Lewis

    Thanks again, I got good news. The wife and I spoke about this again and after three years of wanting to do something, I convinced her to let me do a tree. I bought the following, Falcon F4v3, 1000 5v 12mm pixels, Mega tee kit from boscoyo. Even pick up the Blue Sea fuse box you just spoke about. I have two 5v 350watt 60 amp power supplies already, so I am good there. I even got myself a nice FM transmitter. Drop some money today, but I’ve wanted to do this now for over three years. It a small start, but it a start nonetheless. I hope I can get this all up and running, that’s the next challenge.

  6. Joseph Lewis

    Well, last night was a very sad night for me. Nothing terrible happened to family or friends, but one’s dreams just got crushed. I was having an issue with my new falcon board and I just kept going at it and going at it until the inevitable happened, a huge over look. I thought maybe I had a bad pigtail, so I took it apart and directly plug the pixel string into the board. Unknowing to me, the injector wires on this particular set of pixels are just barely showing the copper. Still no luck, I could see data flowing over to the board by looking at the stats. I reached in the box to ensure the connecter was seated and the injector wire touched the fuse on port two. Now the board is gone…dead, no sign of life. Nothing other than the three green lights at the bottom. This may sound dramatic, but I am so devastated right now. It’s been my dream for three years now to put on a real light show. Even though it was going to be small, it still was what I have dreamed of ever since I watched The Great Christmas Light Show fight. Christmas time brings me so much joy and I can express my joy through lights. I was always the one who got out every year and decorated my childhood home ever since I was able to. I love everything about Christmas, the joy it brings the kid and grandkids, celebrating our Lord and Savior, just everything about it feels my heart. I am sorry that this blog is so long but just needed an ear to hear my heart tearing into pieces. Maybe next year it will happen. Thanks for all the help and reading the really long post. Have a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year.

  7. Dog Father Post author

    Sounds like all you did was blow the fuse for that port. Can you try fixing the power injection wiring and try another port or swap the fuse with another port?

  8. Joseph Lewis

    I wish that was the case. Board will not come on at all. No lights at all, even the screen on the board is gone. I am not sure where to turn on this one.

  9. Dog Father Post author

    Call David a call (mountain time). His number is at the bottom of the pixelcontroller.com web page.

  10. Joseph Lewis

    Jeff, David really pulled through for me. There is one thing I learned from this is. I will never stick my hand in a box that is hot ever again. Until I get the other one in, I will just build a matrix, and then maybe my stuff from Boscoyo will come in. I just may leave the lights up longer this year and enjoy them for the time I missed out on.

  11. Aaron

    Iā€™m looking to build a 20ā€™ mega tree. I was wondering is there a product list of what to buy and from who? Iā€™m new to this and been reading tons but thought I would ask your opinion.

    Thanks for your help.

  12. Dog Father Post author

    For a tree specifically, I recommend bullet-pixels (wiredwatts.com) and stay away from strip pixels (I have a video on those), use mounting strip from Boscoyo (https://boscoyostudio.com/product-category/mounting-strips/) and ball-bungees from Amazon (https://amzn.to/39NqHUg). You’ll also need a topper to hang the strips on at the top, but I’m not sure what you plan to build yourself. Go through the beginner playlist if you haven’t already since it covers the basics of running pixels (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW).

  13. Joseph Lewis

    Jeff, It’s me again. I have a question again if you don’t mind answering. I found a free sequence for sequence armory that I like and want to use if possible, but I am having some trouble. I am using the latest version of XLights and haven’t had any trouble important thus far. This one has me a little stumped. So it is the dueling trees. When I open and render the file the trees are sold red when they should be talking. I noticed it was done in 2019.38, so I download it and installed it and the sequence runs fine in that version. Am I doing something wrong when importing it into the latest version?

  14. Dog Father Post author

    Go to the model and import the singing faces stuff on the model. OR they used some kind of shader you don’t have. Check into the xlights Zoom room and they should know how to get you going.

  15. Joseph Lewis

    Thank Jeff, I just saw the zoom room and just hopped on. Looking forward to watching your new video.

  16. Joseph Lewis

    Good Afternoon Jeff,
    It’s me again. I have a question to ask. I bought one lot of 1000 5v pixel from Aliexpress and I can not get a single one to light up. I can not imagine that all 1000 of them are bad. What could be the difference in them? I will put the link below if you have time to look at them. I remember now, I was testing with these LEDs and they weren’t working then. Which made me reach in and make sure they were seated and that lead to my first board getting fried. Thanks for the help

    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000239654341.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.22454c4dItuluq

  17. Dog Father Post author

    Not really enough information for me to go on there. You tried connecting them up to the controller and get nothing on any string? That seems like something else going on. Make sure you have them wired to the controller correctly. You should be able to see GND, 5V and DI/DO on the pixel somewhere.

  18. Joseph Lewis

    Yes, sir, I have them plugged into a working controller. I bought two sets of 1000 just in case this would happen. I paid more of them on amazon, but they are working perfectly right now as we speak. I finally got the tree up and going with those. As a matter of fact, one of the strands from amazon ( which I used on the tree) was bad, so I used one from Ali, and that’s when I realized they’re not working. I have the data all flowing in the same direction, and power injection throughout the tree. Thank goodness they are the last strand of the set. I have tried plugging ( Aliexpress nodes) them up on both ends into port three of the controller which I verified is working by moving the nodes from port two over to port three and the nodes from port two worked just fine. I was just testing 50 nodes on port three, so it’s not a power issue. Maybe I did get a bad batch not sure really.

  19. Wayne Johnson

    Hey Jeff, Ive been watching your videos for a while now and started the pixel craze this year! I have Falcon F4v3 with smart receivers, 12 volt pixel strings with no power injection. Ive noticed on the Xlights face book that there has been a lot of pixels catching on fire! Wouldn’t the fuses on the receiver board shut down power to the pixel string? If not anything I can do to get more protection?

    Thanks
    Wayne

  20. Dog Father Post author

    There isn’t enough data to know what is going on or why it’s happening. It isn’t new, but I think more people are reporting it. I’ve never had one catch on fire, but I run all mine at 30% which may have an impact. I am doing a test and will have a video out ASAP.

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