Build Your Own Sleigh

MarcD

Full time elf
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Sep 7, 2012
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338
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Heathwood Qld
A few people here have expressed interest in building a sleigh similar to ours. The sleigh is far and away the most popular feature of our display. Not just because of the sleigh itself, but the interactive dashboard. The sleigh even leaves Virtual Santa in the dust.


So, in the spirit of sharing, I took a whole stack of hi res photos of the sleigh as we pulled it apart today. These aren't glamour shots, they're raw images showing the way its constructed, the disassembly process (or assembly process if you view them in reverse order) and even the storage. The plan is to stick them on dropbox and post the link so people can download them and ask questions. Hopefully, I can help others avoid the mistakes I made.


Interested?
 

AAH

I love blinky lights :)
Community project designer
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Dec 27, 2010
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Eaglehawk
I'm interested.
I want 1 as a display element rather than something the rugrats can climb on as the wires I have running aound my yard are madness.
 

Bill Ellick

Full time elf
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Dec 31, 2011
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NY
I would also love to see photos and some "how to" on the construction please.
 

the grinch

I guess I could use a little social interaction
Joined
Jun 23, 2013
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angle vale s.a.
Marcd thats very kind to share your knowledge of the sleigh not sure if will make one but am curious of its structure as it seems to withstood a bit of punishment with kids bouncing in it every night
 

MarcD

Full time elf
Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
338
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Heathwood Qld
Click here to access the photos on Dropbox. There are 43 images. As I said, they're not pretty (weeds and all). Feel free to ask any questions you like an I'll do my best to answer them.

The sleigh has been in use for four years now and in that time, literally hundreds of kids and adults of all ages have given it a thorough workout. This year, I had to replace two broken switches. That's the first time I've had to do repairs in four years. Believe me, this thing takes a beating at times.
 

AAH

I love blinky lights :)
Community project designer
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Dec 27, 2010
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Eaglehawk
Wow.
There's a fair bit of work gone into that panel Marc.
Do the switches just light up the LED's/lights immediately adjacent to them?
How did you do the map/panel graphics?
For safety I'd recommend having fusing right at the power supply as you can never tell what rugrats will do to any accessible wires. Also on safety I'd consider putting the power supply inside some sort of IP rated enclosure. The light and warmth can attract critters who can get into the power supply and ruin your/their day. The final safety thing is I'd consider running an earth wire up to the aluminium control panel. The last thing you want is the possibility of giving rugrats a tingle if there is a problem with your power supply like a critter shorted between the mains input and 1 of the 5V lines.
 

the grinch

I guess I could use a little social interaction
Joined
Jun 23, 2013
Messages
464
Location
angle vale s.a.
Yes I had a peek love how it flat packs. Here is some questions im sure have answered many times and I may of read previous how long does it take to assemble and disassemble .also looks huge how long height and width is it.once again great job and thankyou for sharing
 
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