Hi all, the addictive world of computer controlled xmas lights has taken hold of me.
Last year, I moved house and it seems that my new street has a thing for xmas lights so i thought i'd join in this year but of course, I can't do it half-assed - I have to show them up!
After coming across a random Youtube 'wins' vid and seeing a clip of 'What does the fox say' early this year I was on a mission.
I have an extensive background in computing, electronics and programming so I have spent the last few months developing my own arduino based sACN controller(s) to use with Vixen, I have been collecting lights for the display and making up some display items as well.
I would describe my display as a 'Frugal' one, not using anything 'off the shelf' for the display control and sourcing as much as i can from the likes of AliExpress etc.
The sACN controller is fully developed and working with 64 5Amp PWM outputs per controller (I've built 4!). The cost to build them is about $20 each so they are super cheap but take a lot of time to assemble.
I have also written a program in VB for displaying static images on computer screens that is controlled by sACN so I can control images with Vixen - This can be used for faces etc.
I still have a long way to go but I've managed to sequence up some lights and do some practical testing and I love it!
I hope I can give back to this little community as much as it has already helped me out.
Andrew
Last year, I moved house and it seems that my new street has a thing for xmas lights so i thought i'd join in this year but of course, I can't do it half-assed - I have to show them up!
After coming across a random Youtube 'wins' vid and seeing a clip of 'What does the fox say' early this year I was on a mission.
I have an extensive background in computing, electronics and programming so I have spent the last few months developing my own arduino based sACN controller(s) to use with Vixen, I have been collecting lights for the display and making up some display items as well.
I would describe my display as a 'Frugal' one, not using anything 'off the shelf' for the display control and sourcing as much as i can from the likes of AliExpress etc.
The sACN controller is fully developed and working with 64 5Amp PWM outputs per controller (I've built 4!). The cost to build them is about $20 each so they are super cheap but take a lot of time to assemble.
I have also written a program in VB for displaying static images on computer screens that is controlled by sACN so I can control images with Vixen - This can be used for faces etc.
I still have a long way to go but I've managed to sequence up some lights and do some practical testing and I love it!
I hope I can give back to this little community as much as it has already helped me out.
Andrew
