mini-pixel tree

nzlongfellow

Dennis from NZ
Joined
Jan 2, 2014
Messages
538
Location
Lepperton, Taranaki
sck1ng said:
I got 4 trees done from yesterday to today.. Have four more to go. Have to figure in power injection also as 200px is too many. Should I inject at the end of the 200 or in the middle between px 100 and px 101?
To answer your question about where to inject it does not matter if it is at the end of 200 or on the middle. The voltage flow either way.


For what it is worth....
Just wired up 3 of my 24 mini trees, 50 x 5V pixels each the same as yours.
they have 3m of 0.5mm 4 core security cable on each one. Buck converter at the base as per Plasmadrive's drawing.


Test with ALL WHITE ON.
24V supply output = 24.5V
End of 1st string of 50 pixels = 23.8V
End of 2nd string of 50 pixels = 23.4V
End of 3rd string of 50 pixels = 22.9V

As the voltage can drop to 12V to the Buck Converter and still give 5V I don't see a problem with going to the max of the first cable but I intend to put 4 sets of 6 trees on a Pixlite 4.
 

plasmadrive

Full time elf
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
248
Location
Elk Grove, CA
nzlongfellow said:
sck1ng said:
I got 4 trees done from yesterday to today.. Have four more to go. Have to figure in power injection also as 200px is too many. Should I inject at the end of the 200 or in the middle between px 100 and px 101?
To answer your question about where to inject it does not matter if it is at the end of 200 or on the middle. The voltage flow either way.


For what it is worth....
Just wired up 3 of my 24 mini trees, 50 x 5V pixels each the same as yours.
they have 3m of 0.5mm 4 core security cable on each one. Buck converter at the base as per Plasmadrive's drawing.


Test with ALL WHITE ON.
24V supply output = 24.5V
End of 1st string of 50 pixels = 23.8V
End of 2nd string of 50 pixels = 23.4V
End of 3rd string of 50 pixels = 22.9V

As the voltage can drop to 12V to the Buck Converter and still give 5V I don't see a problem with going to the max of the first cable but I intend to put 4 sets of 6 trees on a Pixlite 4.
I tested out to six trees of 55 pixels per single cable run from the 24v supply using the white 4 core cable from Ray. When I connected the 7th tree, the drop was too much and the current draw became substantial. (it was at about 16v at the 6th tree on all white before I connected the 7th.

As it turned out in the end I split it up by universe for both power and control. That allowed me to fuse the cables at 3 amps and I could run an even longer distance with the small cables. I had plenty of those cables left over from the Plasma Icicles so it was handy to use them.

I could have used a e6804 to drive the entire 12 trees, but I didn't want any data issue with distance since I really haven't figured out where I am going to put them in the display yet.. :p
 

plasmadrive

Full time elf
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
248
Location
Elk Grove, CA
Those look very cool. I was kicking around whether to go spiral or linear. In the end I went linear as it fit my programming style better.

I can't wait to see yours in action! Nice job!

Craig
 

plasmadrive

Full time elf
Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
248
Location
Elk Grove, CA
nzlongfellow said:
Mine are the same as yours. I am going to run mine on 12V or 24V with Buck Converters, (they just arrived today :D :D :D ) I will start wiring now and see the result.
You could run a heavy gauge wire for +ve and -ve but the data will still be lost at 5V.
Attached here is the wiring done by Plasmadrive using Buck Converters.

Will post my results when I got some done.

There is an update to the drawing which incorporates the entire system.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/qkywrwym7z0bczs/MPT%20CONNECTION%20DIA%20REV2A.pdf?dl=0
 

sck1ng

Apprentice elf
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
77
So I decided that my mini-pixel trees were not the best for Halloween so instead of putting them away for a few weeks, I gave them a little dress up ;)

Plastic party table covers over some acrylic light covers from Home Depot and just put them over the current trees I have completed.. Now when Halloween is over I just have to pull off the cover :)
 

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logandc99

Dedicated elf
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
1,153
Very clever idea. What happens if the wind gets up..... do you call them all Marilyn? :D


Last year I had spiral tress with 100 pixels per tree cable tied sideways like NZlongfellow's pic and the light is perfectly good with them cable tied that way. I have rectangular modules on the top of each to make a 5 pointed star but need to inject power to them.


I do really like the look of the trees done linear (video in another post - were probably plasmadrive's.... can't remember now) as it gives quite a different effect. Might change my other 4 RGB dumb trees (from 2 years ) into linear pixel trees and put them between the spiral trees.
 

nutz4lights

Full time elf
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
305
Location
Melbourne, Florida
I love it! Now you've got me thinking... not a good thing when I start thinking... I think I see our 48 pixel mini trees forming a mighty ghost army next year!
 

BundyRoy

Dedicated elf
Joined
Apr 9, 2014
Messages
1,026
nutz4lights said:
I love it! Now you've got me thinking... not a good thing when I start thinking... I think I see our 48 pixel mini trees forming a mighty ghost army next year!

Was thinking about that. I wonder if with 48 trees you could somehow make it look like there was only one ghost but he was moving around the yard. Sort of like an animated cartoon. Not sure if it would work though as the ghost that was on would shine on the one before and the one after which would ruin the effect.
 

damona

Full time elf
Joined
Oct 23, 2013
Messages
296
Where did the DC to DC converter come from... I Notice a lot of the small ones, do not have a lot of amps??
 
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