Tag Archives: boscoyo

🎄Mini Tree Problem & Matrix Repair (2020)🎄

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I had a little problem with the mini trees. I put them together backwards. I’ll show you the difference. I also had a pixel go out on my matrix so I show the repair. Thankfully, the weather cooperated.

🎄Colorlight Update & Mini Trees (2020)🎄

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I need to update a couple of items from the last video. There is a slightly simpler way to set the Colorlight cards. I also show off my mini trees I’ll be adding this year.

Keith’s awesome video: https://youtu.be/wuEE-LMJHH4

Black Friday! SetUp Day (week) – Part 2 (2018)

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Message to new subscribers and completed setup. Complete walkthru and some prop construction details.

Keith’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf7uLhUObAk
My beginner playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFyrAfJ-kKd4ZfPdXWIt8v_bav61mW_KW

My online course for RGB Pixel beginners: https://bit.ly/2NgNJFm (designed to bring someone up to speed quickly – you won’t need to take this course if you’ve seen all my videos)

Amazon Links: https://amzn.to/2PJoNY5

SetUp Day (week) – Part 1 – Still Fabricating (2018)

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Started setting up the display this week because I have a lot to do (new stuff) and weather may not be great as we get closer to Thanksgiving. I didn’t make a ton of progress, but am set up for the weekend work.

AWESOME CHROMA-MESH CLEAR Matrix – Prop Build (2018)

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Should I start selling this jig? I think it’s pretty awesome! I built it to help me assemble a 512-pixel, ChromaMesh 3″ CLEAR matrix from Boscoyo Studio.

Using Music in Your RGB Pixel Display (2018)

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This is an update to my RGB Pixel Basics series about using music in your display. We cover FM transmitters, finding an open frequency near you and uploading a video of your display to YouTube.

RGB Pixel Display SetUp Day

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING! It took much longer than anticipated to get everything set up, but it’s done! Almost showtime!

SetUp day is when I set aside time to actually set the display up for the season. Ideally, I’d have all fabrication done and just need to set everything up. I don’t believe I’ve EVER had an ideal situation – I’m always fabricating something. So not ideal, but it just adds to the time required to get everything ready.

I started off fixing the power injection problem I had last year on the mega tree because I did it wrong. You should transfer data and GROUND (or negative) between strings. I only transferred data which allowed stray voltage to affect the lights. Turning brightness down to 30% solved most of the flickering problems, but it did not eliminate them. So I’m putting new ends on each of the twelve strings so they can be used interchangeably and I’ll wire them up as needed.

The first prop to set up is the lights along the back fence. The fence faces a street so I have a string of 175 pixels mounted to EMT. I tie-wrapped each node to the EMT. I highly suggest getting a tie-wrap tool for stuff like this. It makes tightening and cutting the excess much easier.

The new window outlines needed some fabrication and my solution was to use rebar for the cross pieces. The vertical Boscoyo strips stay straight by themselves, but the horizontal strips need support. I tie-wrapped each horizontal node to rebar using an alternating pattern of bottom two holes and top two holes in the strip. That seems to keep the pixels straight. I used masonry bits to drill holes in brick for the eyelet standoffs and the windows are now outlined.

The mega tree was fairly easy to set up this year since it didn’t require any fabrication. I used the ASAP pole design from last year and was able to string the tree while it was horizontal. Once the strings were attached, the tree was pushed upright. I connected the ends (bottom) of each string to an 8-foot PVC ring with Ball Bungees and staked the ring to the ground at several points around the ring. This adds support (once the mast was cranked up) and does not need guy wires. Granted, the tree is less than 15-feet tall, but a nice gust of wind will topple it without the support from the stakes.

It took several hours to fix all the electronic issues I had, but some of that was anticipated due to the new stuff. I had planned on filming that part, but I quickly realized it was going to be a longer process that I thought. Reconfiguring the controller was the easy part. Finding that I had not connected pigtails to the controller or not having wire connected well took some time. Then there was the large 288-pixel wreath with a bad ground that took and extra day to resolve.

All in all, it was fun setting up the display. A few challenges to overcome, but I’m ready for showtime!

Good luck with your displays and Happy Thanksgiving (if that’s something you celebrate where you are)!

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Central RGB Pixel Controller Box Rebuild

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I’m rebuilding my main RGB pixel power and data distribution box, leaving room for expansion for next year.

I try to run most of the lights from a central controller box underneath the mega tree. I created a box last year that worked great, but did not have room to expand so I rebuilt it this year using some lessons learned form last year. I also got some new cable glands to hold onto the wires protruding from the box. They don’t make it water tight, but they do hold onto the wires well so they won’t get pulled away from the controller if I happen to accidentally trip over the wires.

I also used a different layout for the internal components. I left room for expansion as I’m sure I’ll add more pixels next year and will need more power supplies. All electronics are mounted to a 1/2″ piece of MDF. The board can not be removed once the wires are attached, but provides a solid base for everything and adds a little weight to the box.

I mounted the controller and expansion board to a piece of PVC “wood” left over from the P10 sign build and oriented that vertically to save some room. It makes it a little hard to make connections, but since that won’t happen a lot, I felt the tradeoff was worth it in space saved. The box is tall enough to add a second controller on top if needed.

I used fuse blocks for power injection distribution for safety. Last year, I totally bypassed power distribution on the controller, but felt I could use it this year for props that don’t need power injection. It does make managing power among the four power supplies a little trickier, but given enough thought and planning, it can be done.

I’d still like to build a small cover for the box as I’m using trash bags and straps to secure it. A cover in the shape of a Snoopy house or Christmas present would hide the box and provide some protection from rain or snow.

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