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.
Tag Archives: tutorial
Some Good, Some Bad, Some Ugly (2018)
I had some time this past weekend to work on one of the props bothering me a little. The new frame did what I wanted. After reaching a stopping point, I noticed something really bad.
Black Friday! SetUp Day (week) – Part 2 (2018)
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)
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.
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"}'
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.
DMX Moving Head, Falcon & xLights (2018)
DMX moving head lights are gaining popularity in lighting displays. We can automate them in xLights and run them from a Falcon F16V3. They’re also a lot of fun!
2PC 60W RGBW Mini Beam Spot Moving Head Stage Light DMX Bar Party DJ Disco Light
RGB Pixel Wall Washer Rebuild (2018)
The Wall Washer turned out to be an ineffective design. I changed out the pixels in order to throw more light.
RGB Pixel Wreath Rebuild
I had planned on replacing the pixels in the wreath prior to the season last year, but ran out of time. The wreath made that a priority this year. The video includes a power injection demo.