Fixing and maintaining xmas lights
- Thread starter damo1271
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lithgowlights
Dedicated elf
- Joined
- May 6, 2010
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- 1,023
Don't forget to add software issues that are not really issues, just you don't think the way your software does 
I reckon I spend only a very small amount of time on fault finding and repairs.
Most of my time is spent making display elements, cable harnesses and control gear.
The time to actually put it all up if fairly small by comparison.
As for sequencing, I only do animations and they are only started once the lights are up.
Most of my time is spent making display elements, cable harnesses and control gear.
The time to actually put it all up if fairly small by comparison.
As for sequencing, I only do animations and they are only started once the lights are up.
Benslights
Dedicated elf
most of my time is helping others fix there displays in chat then working on mine
mborg10
Michael Borg
On my 6m tall mega tree from 2016 pixels I have changed 22 pixels so far. 23 once the cherry picker gets here next week.
Benslights
Dedicated elf
so far out of 15000 channels I have only had to change 2 pixels
lithgowlights
Dedicated elf
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- May 6, 2010
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Swapped out 6 on the 2080 Pixel matrix as 4 had dropped a color and 2 occasionally flickered. A handful of other pixels and LED's probably meant out of 23K LED's I changed maybe 12, and that's an average each year.
None of my repairs need cherrypickers - they are all much easier to fix thank goodness
None of my repairs need cherrypickers - they are all much easier to fix thank goodness
Just curious, how do you replace in-string pixels ? The wire between two pixels is too short to allow placement of heatshrink to slide onto the joins. Do you just use electrical tape ? Or do you use crimps (but then how do you waterproof them ?
My method can't be the best way .... I put an extension on each side, so to replace 1 pixel, I am doing 2x3 joins on each side.
My method can't be the best way .... I put an extension on each side, so to replace 1 pixel, I am doing 2x3 joins on each side.
The heatshrink only needs to be 15mm long to cover the joint. How short are the wires?
- Thread starter
- #11
I use the same method as David.David_AVD said:
I just finished changing out 2 dead pixels. Mine are spaced 100mm apart (standard Ray Wu spacing). I cut out the dead one, split the wires, then use 15-20mm of heat shrink on each wire. I make 2 x 3 joins on each pixel - that is no extensions wires needed. I tend the cut the wires closer to the dead pixel (rather than 1/2 way between them) so I get a little slack to overlap for the join.
David_AVD said:
Ray Wu pixels, with 100 mm inter-wire. But I do have heaps of custom ones.... with 25mm interwire (didn't realise the future problems when I ordered those.
I like to be super cautious, so I have 35mm over the join, and then a bigger heatshrink over all wires, and that one gets the silicone, and this is 60mm of 6mm heatshrink. Idea being to reinforce the wires, as well as water proofing the lot.