So I am in Thornbury and been a closet xmas light exhibitionist for maybe 8 years... Each year I add something new.
This year I added some stars hanging in the air - next to my mega tree - which has always been my centrepiece. Each year I say I am going to go computerised and I never get there... The display gets packed away and brought out too late to start wiring up controllers and programming it all... Each year I say to myself start working on it in July or October - but I never remember.. Comes December and its a rush with all the silly season activities.
Anyway - I believe I have the best display in the street - I average a car stopping every 30 - 60 seconds each night - which is not bad considering its a side street that normally would get a car every two to five minutes.. (It helps having a 2 story house - as you can hang more stuff !)
The Kids and wife are on board these days - in the early days - my wife would just call me Mr. Griswald from that movie with chevy chase.
This year, I feel as if I did achieve something - all my lights have been converted across to LED - much brighter ! Thats around 7000 bulbs I believe.
And for the first time I have used RGB SMD strips - WOW loving the colours that you can sequence. As the quick trial I have 5 spiral trees made from 5m of SMD strips... I am loving the RGB and can see much more of that being used next year !!! (I paid around $36 for each $5m strip with controller and power supply - from ebay as an experimental thing!)
Which brings me to my question / comment - I love the RGB so much - I can not wait until xmas next year to use them - Australia Day and Easter will now require a decoration to be hung !!! (Maybe I am related to the Griswalds?)
For Australia Day I intend to make a 2m flag to hang from the balcony - I saw some LED flags on Ebay - but at $399 - reckon they are a ripoff and gimmick - but have stolen part of their idea...
Anyone done an Australian Flag ? What did you do, how did you make it ? What tips have you got ?
I am thinking of using SMD strips - powering most as the blue background - covering it with blue tinsel to give it a bit of shimmy effect, running SMD strips and tinsel diagonally as required to get the union jack in the appropriate colours - and then bunching some white LED's together for the southern cross (which I could flicker / flash)...
Might look alright - but no wow factor for animation....
Alternatively its going to have to be some smart addressable SMD's that I can program an animation - rotate the flag - have a kangaroo jump across - pork chop - hmmm... as I type this I am liking the idea - but I know my bank balance wouldn't like it - LOL
Let me know your thoughts / what you have done...
WOW - What a long introductory post !!!
Enjoy! 8)
This year I added some stars hanging in the air - next to my mega tree - which has always been my centrepiece. Each year I say I am going to go computerised and I never get there... The display gets packed away and brought out too late to start wiring up controllers and programming it all... Each year I say to myself start working on it in July or October - but I never remember.. Comes December and its a rush with all the silly season activities.
Anyway - I believe I have the best display in the street - I average a car stopping every 30 - 60 seconds each night - which is not bad considering its a side street that normally would get a car every two to five minutes.. (It helps having a 2 story house - as you can hang more stuff !)
The Kids and wife are on board these days - in the early days - my wife would just call me Mr. Griswald from that movie with chevy chase.
This year, I feel as if I did achieve something - all my lights have been converted across to LED - much brighter ! Thats around 7000 bulbs I believe.
And for the first time I have used RGB SMD strips - WOW loving the colours that you can sequence. As the quick trial I have 5 spiral trees made from 5m of SMD strips... I am loving the RGB and can see much more of that being used next year !!! (I paid around $36 for each $5m strip with controller and power supply - from ebay as an experimental thing!)
Which brings me to my question / comment - I love the RGB so much - I can not wait until xmas next year to use them - Australia Day and Easter will now require a decoration to be hung !!! (Maybe I am related to the Griswalds?)
For Australia Day I intend to make a 2m flag to hang from the balcony - I saw some LED flags on Ebay - but at $399 - reckon they are a ripoff and gimmick - but have stolen part of their idea...
Anyone done an Australian Flag ? What did you do, how did you make it ? What tips have you got ?
I am thinking of using SMD strips - powering most as the blue background - covering it with blue tinsel to give it a bit of shimmy effect, running SMD strips and tinsel diagonally as required to get the union jack in the appropriate colours - and then bunching some white LED's together for the southern cross (which I could flicker / flash)...
Might look alright - but no wow factor for animation....
Alternatively its going to have to be some smart addressable SMD's that I can program an animation - rotate the flag - have a kangaroo jump across - pork chop - hmmm... as I type this I am liking the idea - but I know my bank balance wouldn't like it - LOL
Let me know your thoughts / what you have done...
WOW - What a long introductory post !!!
Enjoy! 8)
