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.
Tag Archives: how to
THE STAFF OF ZARTON – Prop Build (2018)
I finally got around to putting the Chroma Poles together I picked up at Christmas Expo and why I gave them a new name.
RGB Pixel Power Injection and a Cable Snake (2018)
Finishing up preps on the sticks, I encountered a perfect power injection example. I also created a cable snake for the line from the controller to the first pixel.
xLights Value Curves Example (2018)
Happy Father’s Day! This is a short tutorial about a powerful feature in xLights called Value Curves. It extends what you can do with normal effects. I used them a lot last year.
Gil’s original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ0DJfTV0l4
My online course for RGB Pixel beginners: http://bit.ly/udemy-basics-coupon-16
IT’S A COURSE, OF COURSE! AN ONLINE COURSE (2018)
I’ve been working on an online course for RGB pixels and it’s finally out! Here’s what it’s about and why I did it.
The course is hosted on Udemy. http://bit.ly/udemy-basics-coupon
The course is designed to take someone new to pixels through everything they need to know to get a show up and running. It covers both hardware and software. There’s even a section on sequencing using xLights that even people running shows might want to check out. If you take the course and like it, please leave a good review with a couple of sentences about how it helped you or why you liked it. Reviews really help a new course get noticed. If you see something that needs changing, please let me know that too.
Home Assistant RGB Pixel Pathway Lighting (2018)
This is a slight departure from my normal RGB pixel display videos. We look at using strip lights as pathway lights and controlling them through Home Assistant. I go through setting up Home Assistant and programming the NodeMCU modules using Ben’s code on GitHub.
SD Card Formatter: https://www.sdcard.org/
Etcher Image Writer: https://etcher.io
Home Assistant: https://www.home-assistant.io/
CloudMQTT: https://www.cloudmqtt.com/
Arduino IDE: https://www.arduino.cc
Multi-sensor GitHub Page: https://bit.ly/2GUnSmQ
Pixel controller GitHub Page: https://bit.ly/2IKBLR7
Parts Lists:
Multi-Sensor
- Raspberry Pi 3 B (not the B+) https://amzn.to/2JEcuJR
- Raspberry Pi 3 B+ https://amzn.to/2GRRuBt
- NodeMCU Development Board https://amzn.to/2qp1A2s
- Mini Pyroelectric PIR Sensor https://amzn.to/2qqaa07
- **Adjustable PIR Motion Sensor (5-pack) https://amzn.to/2qoLZ2f
- DHT22 Digital Temperature & Humidity Sensor https://amzn.to/2IOgFl3
- TEMT6000 Light Sensor https://amzn.to/2HvcWJE
- 50-pack RGB (dumb) LED https://amzn.to/2GVxxWt
Pixel Controller
- Logic Level Converter (may not need this) https://amzn.to/2qqajkb
- DC-DC Buck Converter https://amzn.to/2Jzn4lj
- 5A 12V Power Supply https://amzn.to/2GUD27V
- Aluminum Channel System https://amzn.to/2JBjlDT
My YAML configuration for this:
# Binary Sensors binary_sensor: - platform: threshold name: isdark entity_id: sensor.light_level lower: 100 hidden: true # Regular Sensors sensor: - platform: template sensors: rgbtemp: friendly_name: RGB Temp value_template: >- {% if states('sensor.temperature')|float > 79.9 %} Hot {% elif states('sensor.temperature')|float < 70 %} Cold {% else %} Just Right {% endif %}
Automations
- alias: Stair Pathway Lighting On trigger: - platform: state entity_id: binary_sensor.isdark to: 'on' - platform: state entity_id: sensor.rgbtemp condition: - condition: state entity_id: binary_sensor.isdark state: 'on' action: - service: mqtt.publish data_template: topic: "mqtt/topic" payload: >- {% if is_state('sensor.rgbtemp', 'Hot') %} {"state":"ON","color":{"r":255,"g":100,"b":100},"brightness":6,"effect":"solid"} {% elif is_state('sensor.rgbtemp', 'Cold') %} {"state":"ON","color":{"r":100,"g":100,"b":255},"brightness":6,"effect":"solid"} {% else %} {"state":"ON","color":{"r":100,"g":200,"b":100},"brightness":6,"effect":"solid"} {% endif %} - alias: Stair Pathway Lighting Off trigger: - platform: state entity_id: binary_sensor.isdark to: 'off' condition: - condition: state entity_id: light.stair_strip state: 'on' action: - service: mqtt.publish data_template: topic: "mqtt/topic" payload: '{"state":"OFF"}'
ESPixelstick RGB Controller Setup (2018)
Pixelsticks are small, WiFi RGB Pixel controllers. YOU MUST FLASH THEM YOURSELF TO USE THEM. There are two ways to flash or program a Pixelstick. This video covers using the java tool (TLDR) as well as flashing from the Arduino IDE.
Renard Plus ESP WiFi Pixel Controller Kit: http://renard-shop.com/home/37-es-wifi-pixel-controller.html
Arduino IDE: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
Board Manager Link: http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json
ESPixelStick GitHub Repo: https://github.com/forkineye/ESPixelStick
Amazon Links: https://wp.me/P3deDh-fN
Using Music in Your RGB Pixel Display (2018)
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.
HOW TO GET STARTED with RGB Pixels (2018)
Here’s the basics for getting started using RGB Pixels for your light display.
Falcon Pixel Controllers: www.pixelcontroller.com
SanDevices Pixel Controllers: sandevices.com
Falcon Player Software: falconchristmas.com/wiki/Falcon_FPP
xLights sequencing software: xlights.org
Lighting 101 Manual: bit.ly/2FpyHMq
Christmas Expo: www.christmasexpo.com
Keith’s YouTube channel: bit.ly/2tjYhNM
Amazon Affiliate Links:
Raspberry Pi 3 (board only) amzn.to/2jtVXvt
Raspberry Pi 3 (full starter kit) amzn.to/2Ad7oli
MeanWell 12V Power Supply amzn.to/2kaWnLC
Non-MeanWell 12V Power Supply amzn.to/2oI2p5K
Christmas Lighting Forums:
AusChristmasLighting.com
DIYChristmas
DoItYourselfChristmas
FalconChristmas
xLights
PlanetChristmas
Facebook Groups:
Advanced RGB Pixels and Controllers
Official xLights Support Group
FPP, Falcon Player
WHAT ARE THESE THINGS CALLED – Sticks? (2018)
I finally put these things together, but I have no idea what to call them other than “sticks.” They look kinda cool and I need more verticals in the display.