Wireframes
Wireframes
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A Better/Cheaper RGB Pixel Matrix Solution?
I’ve been thinking about adding some sort of pixel matrix to my Christmas display so I could do more messages, graphics and video. A P10 RGB panel display or pixel mesh solution was going to run a minimum of $600 plus a lot of labor but I would have a low resolution RGB panel prop to really add pazazz to the layout. Ouch. Then I walked through a local big box store and saw a 50″ TV for $200. For about $100 I could build a weatherproof enclosure and have a hi-definition screen in my Christmas display. As an extra…
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Make your own wireframe for the yard
Ready to create your own wireframes to continue the theme you have evolving in your Christmas display? You can always go to a local welding shop but it gets expensive in a hurry. Bergmann Lights has a series of videos to help you wrap your head around building your own wireframes from 1/4 inch steel rod. This video covers selecting an image, cutting the steel to size, welding it together and then painting it. Standby while we load this from YouTube…
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Light-O-Rama
In 1975 Dan Baldwin was a newly minted computer science wizard and had just married his longtime sweetheart, Mary. That first Christmas together they bought a three foot tree upon Mary’s insistence and a family tradition was born. For the next 20 years that little tree, plus some accessories, was just about all the decorating the couple did for the holiday season. Something changed in 1995 when Mary took it upon herself to go outside and string a few lights along the top of the fence. Dan looked at her work and said “we need more lights!” Soon there were…
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GFCIs
We all love to drive around and look at Christmas lights. We compare, critique and gather new ideas (aka: copying someone else’s) while commenting on everyone’s design, but as soon as it rains, what happens? Everything goes dark. What causes it? A protection we electricians call GFCI (Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupters) is a must for your safety when around a Christmas display. A ground-fault occurs when there is a break in the low-resistance grounding path from a tool or electrical system. The electrical current may then take an alternative path to the ground through the user, resulting in serious injuries or…
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Wireframe tips and tricks
It seems that these days everyone is going to the LED lights. They use so much less electricity and seem to last longer than the old-fashioned incandescent mini-lights. Unfortunately, for long time decorators changing can be costly. In many cases, there’s nothing wrong with incandescent decorations if you give them gentle, loving care. You can expect many more years of life. There are some tricks of the trade for quickly refurbishing those old wire frames that are lit in incandescent lights. The obvious fist thing to do is replace the bulbs on the wire frame. This can be fairly easily…
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