My Technicolor pixel install on the roof...

nutz4lights

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
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305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
Hey all,

Like many of y'all, I ordered the Technicolor pixels last year so that I could use them in conjunction with the C9 bulb covers to get that old-fashioned look. Little did we all know that there would be quality issues. Anyway, mine didn't arrive until December 1st, so needless to say, they didn't make it up for my display last year. I told myself that the first thing I was going to work on this year was getting them up on the roof and testing them out... that way, if they were going to fail, I would know now instead of in the fall... and I could ask Ray Wu to replace them. I went through the process of putting them up over the last couple of months, which was not easy... I have documented my build details in another post: http://auschristmaslighting.com/forums/index.php?topic=5677.0

Of course, they all worked just fine in the garage... ;) and when I finally got around to powering them up on the house, they didn't work (the left side of the house uses four legs out of an e6804 that is mounted up peak of the house and the section above the garage uses three legs out of a p12s that is over there on the garage ridge). They had been out in the rain and elements for probably 3 weeks before I got the controller boxes finished and everything hooked up and it did rain in that time.

So I have a video that I recorded and it is at:

https://vimeo.com/album/2723819/video/91886915

I used Lightshow Pro to control the lights and I have to admit... since the first time I put C9 lights on my roof in 2005, I have always wanted to be able to sweep them left to right which I can do now! The downer, which should be obvious in the video, is that, like everybody else... I have dead pixels and strings... I have already emailed Ray Wu and he promised to replace all of the strings with the new & improved Technicolor strings... of course, I still have to spend another 2-3 weeks re-zip tying the new strings to the PVC... but at least the PVC is already cut to length and I have done it once! Things usually go quicker the second time you do them...

Okie dokie... well... enjoy and I look forward to any comments... see something I did stupid? Let me know!

-Louie in Melbourne (Florida!)
 

AAH

I love blinky lights :)
Community project designer
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Dec 27, 2010
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4,188
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Eaglehawk
Looks good Louie
From a distance it almost looks like pixel strip but the individual pixels show out well when you get up closer with the cam. The frames produce gorgeous straight lines on the ridges.

Did you do something stupid? Yes. You let your wife into the "man cave". The video shows her escaping while you were distracted. :)

nutz4lights said:
Okie dokie... well... enjoy and I look forward to any comments... see something I did stupid? Let me know!
 

nutz4lights

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
Hah... she is a real trooper... I was hell bent on testing those out that night and at 10PM, I told her that we had to get the 8m extension ladder out so that I could fix a loose connection up on the front of the house. I wanted to record video that night... she also is responsible for zip tying half of the 900 Technicolor pixels...

I was definitely interested in having tight pixels spacing... The strip is around 3cm spacing for 30 per meter type... I am glad I settled on 7 to 11cm spacing. In order to go any tighter, the numbers wouldn't have worked out to 25 or 50 pixels per pole and I prefer to keep things simple.

The pole definitely keeps things straight... on our old house, I used to put up 400 each of red, green and white, using shingle and gutter clips and I used to have people ask me how I got them so straight... my answer was "its amazing what 30-40 hours spent on your roof can do!".... the poles keep things straight but also greatly reduce time... I bet I had a total of 6 hours on the roof this year and I assume it will get quicker in years to come. The time spent up front zip tying obviously won't have to be repeated each year.

-Louie in Melbourne (Florida!)
 

Bill Ellick

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Dec 31, 2011
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282
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NY
Pretty amazing looking there Louie! It certainly will turn some heads with a show.

I know what you mean about "time on the roof"! I currently put up strings of C7 Leds on my roofline using clips and it does take a lot of fussing to get them straight like we like them doesn't it? But worth it when you get them on and finished though.

I am debating what to use for RGB at this point myself for the roof line when I convert to RGB. Those look pretty awesome and I do like the retro C9 look on there. I am considering using strip though for mine instead but yours makes me stop and wonder again - LOL.

Your approach to keeping them on the ridge looks quite good though. My only problem up here in NY is the snow depth to worry about! I would have to keep them about a foot and a half up off the roof to have them keep from being buried.
 

nutz4lights

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
Another local RGB'er used strip on his house and I was super jealous when I saw it. I honestly am equally happy with mine now that I have seen it, probably because I pushed the Technicolor pixels so close to each other. From the street, the shoot lighting beam looks pretty similar to Scott's strip on his house, only the little dots are a bit taller...

Louie in Melbourne (Florida!)
 
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