LawrenceDriveLights
Senior elf
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2018
- Messages
- 582
I was looking at the various ways everyone was doing arches from bending conduit into a arch and using cable ties to attach strip or pixel nodes, using PEX tubing (or air seeder tubing) with strip inside or even using coro cut into arch shapes and attached to conduit etc.
I decided I wanted the diffused look so I purchased some Air Seeder tube from
https://www.colliermiller.com.au/pr...-hose-32mm-white-u-v-resistant-tube-32mmx38mm
It arrived quickly and my first intention was to build the arches like most had done with strip inserted in the transparent tube.
When the air seeder tube arrived I went with the similar approach that others have used of a 32mm conduit T for a base to attach the tubing to and I used some scrap left over from a previous project 5mm aluminum flat bar between the bases to help the arches keep their shape.
I then decided to go down a slightly different path to the other arch builds I had seen I wanted to use pixel nodes instead of using pixel strip.
So I did a little test of drilling some 12mm holes in the inside of the the air seeder tube that forms the arch and inserted some 12mm bullet nodes, after a quick test I decided they looked great, with some very minimal “hot spotting” from the individual nodes (the hot spotting looks worse in the video, and is hardly noticeable).
I had a different idea about this and decided to go down a different path and use pixel nodes.
Here is a Youtube video of my “Pixel Node Arches”.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmGTMtDbwkU&t=1s
I did make the first arch a little longer and taller (approx. 2000mm base and approx. 1200mm high but after having a quick look where I wanted the arches to be located for my display they seemed a bit big, so hence I went with the smaller size).
Basic specifications for my Arches are;
12mm square pixel nodes (as they sit nice and flush in the air seeder tube, bullet type nodes would work ok but I liked how the square nodes fitted).
50 nodes per arch @ 50mm spacing.
Arch base width approx. 1600mm
Arch height approx. 900mm
View: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ld0tfuod8ggt43s/Photo%2013-6-18%2C%2010%2021%2002%20am.jpg?dl=0
I modified my original jig I used for the house outline to help drill the air seeder tubing with a 12mm spade drill bit, with the stop set on the drill press to only drill on side of the tubing.
Drilling the air seeder tubing for the square nodes
View: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2sn9wcej3w0zxk7/Photo%2021-2-18%2C%209%2000%2046%20pm.jpg?dl=0
I first looked at using bullet type pixels and they looked like this;
View: https://www.dropbox.com/s/vqblerndhqgyvyq/Photo%2021-2-18%2C%209%2050%2026%20pm.jpg?dl=0
I then went with the square type node as they sat nice and flush against the air seeder tube
View: https://www.dropbox.com/s/t1fhrfuf2sep5nr/Photo%2031-8-18%2C%207%2011%2034%20am.jpg?dl=0
I decided I wanted the diffused look so I purchased some Air Seeder tube from
https://www.colliermiller.com.au/pr...-hose-32mm-white-u-v-resistant-tube-32mmx38mm
It arrived quickly and my first intention was to build the arches like most had done with strip inserted in the transparent tube.
When the air seeder tube arrived I went with the similar approach that others have used of a 32mm conduit T for a base to attach the tubing to and I used some scrap left over from a previous project 5mm aluminum flat bar between the bases to help the arches keep their shape.
I then decided to go down a slightly different path to the other arch builds I had seen I wanted to use pixel nodes instead of using pixel strip.
So I did a little test of drilling some 12mm holes in the inside of the the air seeder tube that forms the arch and inserted some 12mm bullet nodes, after a quick test I decided they looked great, with some very minimal “hot spotting” from the individual nodes (the hot spotting looks worse in the video, and is hardly noticeable).
I had a different idea about this and decided to go down a different path and use pixel nodes.
Here is a Youtube video of my “Pixel Node Arches”.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmGTMtDbwkU&t=1s
I did make the first arch a little longer and taller (approx. 2000mm base and approx. 1200mm high but after having a quick look where I wanted the arches to be located for my display they seemed a bit big, so hence I went with the smaller size).
Basic specifications for my Arches are;
12mm square pixel nodes (as they sit nice and flush in the air seeder tube, bullet type nodes would work ok but I liked how the square nodes fitted).
50 nodes per arch @ 50mm spacing.
Arch base width approx. 1600mm
Arch height approx. 900mm

I modified my original jig I used for the house outline to help drill the air seeder tubing with a 12mm spade drill bit, with the stop set on the drill press to only drill on side of the tubing.
Drilling the air seeder tubing for the square nodes

I first looked at using bullet type pixels and they looked like this;

I then went with the square type node as they sat nice and flush against the air seeder tube

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