Let's build a library of useful display building, how to and sequencing videos

ryanschristmaslights

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During the Adelaide Mini last weekend it was asked in an open discussion where someone should go to find tutorials, how to's and even build log video for the various topics and issues that we face when creating, expanding and upgrading our festive Christmas light displays - like how to build a mega tree, methods for outlining your house windows in RGB, and a virtually endless list of other topics/considerations.

The videos recorded at the minis for the last few years (and available on AusChristmasLighting's YouTube channel) have turned into a great resource collection in my opinion (at least once they've been edited and uploaded ;)). Out there somewhere on the world wide web there are other videos that people may find useful ... if only they could find them in the first place. So if you come across a video that you've found helpful why not share it on AusChristmasLighting so other members can also check it out? :)

In the media area since the AusChristmasLighting site upgrade earlier this year there is a sequencer tutorial and how-to section where YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook video links may be submitted into the Vixen and xLights sub-sections. Would a section like this for display building and how-to's be worthwhile? And do you think there should be sub-sections (and what sub-sections do you have in mind)?
Videos (and photos for that matter) submitted to the media gallery may be tagged (just as forum posts can be) to make them easier to locate. For example a pixel string mega tree building video might include the tags rgb, pixel nodes and boscoyo if their mounting strips have been used.​

Perhaps in time related display building videos could even be added to existing or new pages in the wiki - although wiki pages are searchable at the page level not the individual video level as media gallery submissions are.
 

livetoride

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Great idea. IMO its best to utilize the wiki as best we can, and then if theres more info than needed they can be linked from the wiki to the media section under subcategories so its easier to find? Or just skip the wiki step and have a media section based on the wiki with the subsections so you can look at mega tree mounting without watching the lights and power side too it. Im happy to help break videos down and tag them etc!
 

Ralphyf1

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2 Brook Court , Kidman Park
Excellent suggestion Ryan, Some sort of index of video's and their contents would be most useful to me. If I can help you at all with it just let me know. cheers
 

jimmeh

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Apr 25, 2017
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that is a great idea! as being a noob myself if i could find how to videos and instructionals easy then it makes it 10 times easier and less confusing and less stressful. i have searched youtube and google and the results always have 1000000 videos you dont want to watch and maybe 1 or 2 that you do that is what your looking for so finding how to's on this site would be GREAT :) just my two cents lol
 

ryanschristmaslights

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Great idea. IMO its best to utilize the wiki as best we can, and then if theres more info than needed they can be linked from the wiki to the media section under subcategories so its easier to find? Or just skip the wiki step and have a media section based on the wiki with the subsections so you can look at mega tree mounting without watching the lights and power side too it. Im happy to help break videos down and tag them etc!

I agree the wiki would be great for this since anybody* (*provided they have posted on the forum) can edit, reorganise and add to the existing information or create new pages of information and that's what makes the wiki even better as an information and knowledge resource. The wiki has Common Display Elements , Hardware and other areas where pages could be created containing related display building/how to videos and other details or assets could be attached or linked to. E.g. links to boscoyo for a mega tree pixel node build video, a wiki file attachment for an xlights model for a coro singing faces build guide (yes! the wiki will accept *.xmodel files O_O)... etc etc. Somebody could even summarise the video if they wanted to. :)

A combination of wiki pages and a media section (or sections?) would offer the best of both worlds, with wiki pages for grouping videos into pages (e.g. mega trees) and providing additional context if relevant, and then individual searchable videos under media. Videos in the media area can only belong to one category (or album), but could be added to more than one wiki page if there is reason to (e.g. perhaps a boscoyo mega tree video might appear in a 'how to hang pixel nodes' wiki page as well as a 'how to build a mega tree' wiki page, hypothetically speaking).

Perhaps we can roll with the one 'display building' media section and introduce sub-sections when the amount of display building/how-to videos increase, like I've done with the sequencers media section (xlights, vixen & other subsections that all display in the parent section).

How does this sound?
 

videoman3857

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Although classed as a full time elf, I am only into my second year of blinky things and would so make use of this fantasmagorical idea.
So much time is wasted searching for help on so many things.
The idea of using the Wiki and linked media sounds great. Even better when members can add to it.
Sections and sub sections sounds great and easy to use to me.
A Page with "Light Display Building" with sub topics like. Mega Tree. Singing Faces, Stars, mini trees. as an example would be great.
"Controlling your system" would be great too. Controlling via LOR, Controlling via DMX, Controlling via E1.31
Controlling via a pc/laptop controlling via Raspberry pi.
Yes, Yes, Yes having finger tip access to this step by step information with a couple of mouse clicks would be fantastic !
 

djgra79

My name is Graham & I love flashing lights!
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Editing Wiki pages scares me (didn't help that when I went do the mini page was when we updated the site!) but I do like how organised it is, as it can sometimes take time to find specific info you need within forums. Plus having a media section of how-to videos will be a great resource.
 

ryanschristmaslights

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The new wiki platform on this updated site is easier to use IMO, with things like the 'wiki areas' where pages will always reside under to exactly one of them. This avoids 'uncategorised' pages where on the old system they would only by findable though search (if you knew what it was called) or an 'Uncategorised' list (if you clicked through several pages). And then attaching a page to a category is also easier now that there's no need to type things like "[[Category:XYZ]]". Typing a few characters in the categories field will show suggested categories that start with the characters entered e.g. "LED" suggests "LED string pages" and "LED panel pages" at the time of posting. There are a few wiki help pages too: https://auschristmaslighting.com/wiki/Help

Anyway the beauty of videos submitted to a category in the media section (aside from the search factor) is any AusChristmasLighting member could add those videos to an appropriate wiki page (or pages) if they wanted to. So for example @DavidJ247 (thanks!) submitted his own video of assembling/attaching pixel nodes into Boscoyo pixel mounting strips and I thought it would be a great addition to the Mega Tree element wiki page. So using the media section's "Share this media" BB code I added it in to the wiki: https://auschristmaslighting.com/wiki/Mega-Tree#Boscoyo-pixel-node-mounting-strip. There's some non-video content on this page too ... much of it thanks to @livetoride :).
 

ryanschristmaslights

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A little quiet in here, so I thought I'd ask you all what sorts of helpful videos have you found while navigating around YouTube and other video sharing sites? Perhaps you'd like to paste links to any videos you've found helpful inside this thread.

And it doesn't have to be display element building either .. maybe it is a video about controller wiring that has helped you? For example this video of powering the f16v3 I'm sure will help somebody out there :). This video was created by Leechburg Lights and not myself, so you'll see I have credited them in the video description.

https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/controller-configuration.9/
https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/display-building-videos.8/
https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/xlights-videos.5/
https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/vixen-videos.6/
 

Doctor_007

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Apr 28, 2017
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Toowoomba
A little quiet in here, so I thought I'd ask you all what sorts of helpful videos have you found while navigating around YouTube and other video sharing sites? Perhaps you'd like to paste links to any videos you've found helpful inside this thread.

And it doesn't have to be display element building either .. maybe it is a video about controller wiring that has helped you? For example this video of powering the f16v3 I'm sure will help somebody out there :). This video was created by Leechburg Lights and not myself, so you'll see I have credited them in the video description.

https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/controller-configuration.9/
https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/display-building-videos.8/
https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/xlights-videos.5/
https://auschristmaslighting.com/media/categories/vixen-videos.6/
I'd have to say that alot of the leechburg lights video's are helpful with different types of lights and setting up controllers and boxes. Would need to go back through my YouTube history but I can add a few suggestions here if they aren't already up somewhere.
 
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