Another hello!

[noisymime]

Just another introduction post to say hello. I currently have a basic ~800 LED setup that I run using a combination of ESP32s and arduinos but looking to size things up a little this year. Aiming to add around 2500 LEDs in a roof strip + medium tree (mini-mega tree style) in addition to the stuff I've already got. Will be moving the whole thing over to a Falcon F16v3 and a more robust power arrangement than the mess I've cobbled together previously

 

[djgra79]

Welcome to ACL officially! You won't be disappointed with the Falcon board, rock solid and great for future expansion.
Ask any questions you have in chat and make sure to share your progress this year.

 

[AAH]

Welcome to ACL. Looks like you've been lurking for nearly a year now. What part of Vic are you in?

 

[noisymime]

Up in Ballarat, so outside the worst of the covid mess thankfully.

I signed up last year after we went around looking at lights last Christmas and my wife expressed how unimpressed she was at my efforts at the time
I work in electronic hardware/firmware design (automotive) so had always gone for a more DIY route, but don't have the time anymore to come up with something more complex, so the Falcon seems a good way to go.

 

[AAH]

Ballarat. Cold versus covid. I might take the covid option over Ballarat's cold.
There's getting to be a fair number of displays over in Ballarat these days.
I spend about an hour or 2 a year talking to 1 of my customers over in Ballarat. He started off tiny with LOR running some singing faces but this year he's moved to some pixel window and borders. He's over the road from the greyhound track if you're doing a lights tour at all. I'd love to get over to have a look at a few Ballarat displays but I barely see any of the Bendigo ones. I spend all my nights out ensuring the visitors have enough sugar in their systems to keep them going

 

[noisymime]

Finally starting to get things together (yeah I know it's late November!). One of the things I'd been mulling was the best way to attach the strips to either the guttering or the colourbond panel just below them. I had seen a number of designs for magnets combined with conduit, but I wanted to see if I could do these without the long conduit lengths (I've got about 30m of roofline I'm going over).

I've ended up making and 3d printing a heap of small fasteners with magnets in the back. They took a while to print (Over 150 over them) but make install/uninstall SUPER easy. I was slightly worried about flexing of the strip, but it really doesn't appear to be an issue at all and the strip is held very firmly in place.



I've heat shrunk some clear over them to provide some rust proofing, but forgot to take a photo of that