Show documentation

[Kent]

What are people doing to document their show to make setting up easier in subsequent years? Do you do it all from memory, or have you written something down?
Do you label you cables? If so, what sort of convention do you use to make it easy to find which cable goes where?

At the start of the 2023 season (ok, let's be honest, halfway through), I was laying out cables and trying to work out what went where. In particular, I was scratching my head for a while connecting up the mini trees and arches until I remembered I'd put the smart receiver and DC/DC under the third tree instead of the first. Also, I didn't recall what order the presents were connected, then after checking the visualiser in xLights, I forgot that I needed to connect a T & power injection just before the large present.

This evening I took a screenshot from xLights and marked it up just with the receivers and cables that went out (ignoring the pixels to receiver connections to minimise clutter).

Taking the trees and arches on the left as an example, I was thinking of labelling the first tree on the left L1, then labelling the input connector 9C-2 to indicate it connects to the second output on the smart receiver labelled SRX9C (making it channel 10 on the F48v4). I'd then label the input connector of tree L3 9C-4, as it connects to the fourth port of the same smart receiver.
Various props / strings that are expecting power injection could have PI indicated on the input connector.

As for how to mark the connectors in a durable way, I believe I've seen other forums threads that cover that aspect.

 

[Johnnyboy]

Lots of different ways to label everything as long as it makes sense to you and easy to reference.

I did a similar thing to you for each F48 output. The below image is from one of my boxes that has two receivers in it

 

[Indigogyre]

I honestly have not bothered for the last three years because everyone year the layout changes and is not the same. I've added and adjusted everything for three years. This 4th year might be different though. here is what almost worked for me:

0. Mentally prepare myself and sort of pre-plan house areas and controllers. I break my house out into segments: Second floor left and right, garage, yard and Megatree.
1. Assign the props in visualizer to the controllers.
2. Take screen shots of the visualizer setup.
3. Hook props up one at a time to the right controller port.

OR
1. Ignore everything
2. As I hook a prop up I take a note on which prop is hooked up to which port
3. Adjust the visualizer to match notes.

OR
1. Be totally confused as to why props are not working per previous attempts
2. Turn controllers on test mode and figure out which prop goes to which port and fixed the ones I messed up
3. repeat above until everything works.

This year I plan to 3d print a LOT of cable connector numbers so as I hook up a prop to a port I can put a number clip on the cable ends to match the ports. Maybe that will help more this year.

 

[gingrbredman]

As many of us in this crazy hobby, I find myself being a little OCD, and do a lot of documentation to keep myself on track. I keep an Excel file, saved to my OneDrive so I can access it anywhere, with the details of my layout. Each section of the display has its own tab, so I visually map out where everything goes, and then assign the port, and what kind of pixels are at each location.

I do have to change it every year, as I do move things around, and 2024 will be no different. Here is just a sample of my roof receiver and the pixels up there. The roof pixels are for both Halloween and Christmas, but if I had a prop that was Halloween, and then it was replaced for Christmas, I'd have it in the list that way. for example, my Halloween spiders get taken down, and replaced with Snowflakes. These props will be on the same port so I just note it on the spreadsheet. It took me a long time to get that document together but does save me a ton of time when I'm at the PC, or setting up physically.

 

[Adsy]

I find a printout of visualizer works best for me .I try to keep as much cabling together per box as possible ,but where I can't they are labelled

 

[thewanderingpine]

I’m hoping to not change much for next year. But like @Indigogyre everything basically changed every year until now.

so this season I put away most of my receivers with all the data/pi attached. And I printed labels (outside and inside) outlining what it is and what it connects to.

Will see how much change I can inflict between now and November.

 

[Notenoughlights]

I have a multitude of spreadsheets, text documents and a large range of photos and videos of all the connecitons/wiring at various different controllers.

The roof array for example used to take 2 hours to connect all 50+ wires and then test each section to make sure I didn't reverse something, I've condensed that down to 10 seconds by connecting a set of 2 big 50 pin D-SUB plugs, which takes away all of the pain of setting that aspect of the show up.

The majority of everything else has a number assigned for each prop starting from 1 counting up to the final string that gets plugged into that particular prop, i.e the driveway matrix has 1-35 and the plugs are labelled 1-35.

All the controller ports are logged in text documents along with all the IP addresses for controllers so if I need to access them I don't have to try to remember what one is correct.

I find photos help the most though, "where did that item go, or what went here" strikes all the time after everything has been down for a few months.

Still, if someone else was to try to set everything up, they would struggle bigtime as a lot of it is just a remembered layout.

 

[Skymaster]

Everything is documented in a spreadsheet that gets modified each year based on how I change my layout. This is predominately for port and power planning.
I map it out in my head with PI and the like. All the cables being custom, and white, have their purpose hand written onto them, esp. for the things that don't change.



The spreadsheet is then used when installing props, and when setting up visualiser.

 

[fugley]

I have a multitude of spreadsheets, text documents and a large range of photos and videos of all the connecitons/wiring at various different controllers.

The roof array for example used to take 2 hours to connect all 50+ wires and then test each section to make sure I didn't reverse something, I've condensed that down to 10 seconds by connecting a set of 2 big 50 pin D-SUB plugs, which takes away all of the pain of setting that aspect of the show up.

The majority of everything else has a number assigned for each prop starting from 1 counting up to the final string that gets plugged into that particular prop, i.e the driveway matrix has 1-35 and the plugs are labelled 1-35.

All the controller ports are logged in text documents along with all the IP addresses for controllers so if I need to access them I don't have to try to remember what one is correct.

I find photos help the most though, "where did that item go, or what went here" strikes all the time after everything has been down for a few months.

Still, if someone else was to try to set everything up, they would struggle bigtime as a lot of it is just a remembered layout.

not meaning to sound rude but yours is just a little different than most !
im a little shocked that's all you do to remember how it goes together
sure i can see all those lights from dunedin night lol

 

[djgra79]

I too have a spreadsheet that I update and replace each year.
First tab has all the controller port connections including an image of my roof and yard to know where some props should go (although after many years with little change this is commited to memory. It also has all my cable lengths and what is attached to what prop. EG the length of the data cable and PI cables for that prop. Whilst I usually keep them physically attached to the prop during storage, having the spreadsheet helps making sure I still have theright connections.
Another tab has PSU info and number pixels attached to each calculating (at 100% white) the total load as I plan for worst case scenario.
Another tab has my major costs tallied up, like pixels, connectors, PSUs and coro etc. Bunnings trips are not included.
Also have another tab for my old moving head xlights paramaters.
I also have a tab where I plan out what songs and therefore total show length for programing the schedule.

 

[Notenoughlights]

not meaning to sound rude but yours is just a little different than most !
im a little shocked that's all you do to remember how it goes together
sure i can see all those lights from dunedin night lol

It's not too much different than most. A huge majority of my lights are not pixels, and just plug in to the little 31V 8 function controller plugs though that should all be changing hopefully for this years display and possibly spanning to next year if all goes well.
Remembering what adapter goes with what set of lights is the worst part..

I also have been doing this light display for 6 years at this house, and many years before hand at other previous houses, so things have just adapted slowly over the time.

Oh, and none of my wires are identical, which helps me keep track of what goes where. Long alarm cable goes to the firework. Short alarm cable goes to the big arches, medium alarm cable goes to the small arches etc.
Speaker wires with 6 spurs for power injection, all 12 of those go to the big megatree.
All the very short alarm wire lengths go to the smaller mega tree
The cable with the X connector on the end is my DMX line for the flood lights
The big 50 pin plugs, well they match with the other big 50 pin plugs for the roof
The icicles, they're the extension leads cut into lengths that perfectly fit the guttering.
Bells, they're self contained
Circle, self contained again
Lights under the carport - 2 cables labelled 1-4 and then 5-8 match the engraved numbers at the ends of the strings on the wooden structure
Star - refer to photos or you're going to get it wrong.
small christmas trees down driveway - trial and error, 4 cables that don't go with anything else.

Mostly committed to memory.

 

[Skymaster]

<snip>

Mostly committed to memory.

And now conveniently documented here should you forget

 

[Notenoughlights]

And now conveniently documented here should you forget

I'll just forget where I documented it

 

[Indigogyre]

Now I feel peer pressured into making a spreadsheet so I cannot update it

 

[vk3heg]

You guys have spreadsheets!
I just go by the xlights layout/visualizer, printing out a sheet of paper for when hookup times comes.
I put all the props up first (except for the megatree) and then do the cabling back to the control center. Each lead is then labeled to what port they should go into.