Icicle Drip Lights

[Photovor]

Been a while since I've milled around these forums... but here it goes.

I saw some new 'icicle dripping' lights out there this year that basically consisted of a clear acrylic tube, with 10-12 white leds in a vertical fashion. The LED's chase from top to bottom (solid on/off, no pwm), but then on the last LED at the bottom, the LED stays on a second longer, then fades. Then the cycle starts over again.

I think I saw a price on them of like $99 / 5 tubes about 10" long. Circuit looked very simple, and only had one smd chip that controlled the action (charlieplexed led's, with probably the last one separately addressable).

Anyone seen what I'm talking about (I know Gemmy has similar products, but these weren't made by them). I'd like to consider re-creating this. I had a similar project that I created last year that did about the same thing, but used pwm to fade the trailing LEDs.

[ErnieHorning]

Check out this thread, there's even code at the end if you want to give it a try.

http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5870&highlight=%27icicle

[Photovor]

Check out this thread, there's even code at the end if you want to give it a try.

http://www.doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5870&highlight=%27icicle

I remember that thread now.... :-), just never saw the ending to it.

Very close to what I was talking about, the code could probably be modified to mimic it exactly. I'll have to go back to the store to get the name of the company and a small video. It was certainly a unique product in the way of the pattern.

[budude]

Ponddude (Greg) has his "Blizzard" boards which are similar but not thin like those - you can see them on his site at ChristmasOnManor.com (http://www.christmasonmanor.com/store/).

[dgirard]

Another possibility is these from Ray Wu in China

http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/701799/209888808-326640443/12pcs-set-Mini-LED-meteor-light-15cm-long-each-piece-3W-AC100-240V-input-with-power.html

I got 4 sets and they do exactly what you described...12 of them per string...either multi colored (each tube one color), or white...

He also has 1M long tubes in white...I've got 20 of those too...

The shipping estimator on alibaba is wacked tho...ask ray for a quote if you're interested.

[jboyles7]

I saw them and they starting me thinking down this path --

I was thinking that after the season build a cheap board and LED string that did the drip thing, but instead of dimming -- have the A/D converter on a PIC give a value that makes it "drip faster or not at all". I think it would look like the house is melting faster. . .

Clear heat shrink in place of the acrylic (or something). . .

I added extra pics for a prototype in my latest mouser order which is due on Monday. Anyone wants to help prototype and design a standard circuit that is thin enough to fit in the heat shrink and has a variable drip. I'm game, but nothing serious until January.

I want to build it on a breakout board first to get the speed right as the signal comes in from the controller.

[budude]

There is also n1ist's "color sticks". They are essentially 8 (or 2x8) RGB pixels on a single board where each color/LED is individually programmable. They are roughly the size of Frank's SuperStrips if you are familiar with them. They use DMX and have built-in current limiting as well.

[Photovor]

Finally went back to the store and got the name of the company that had these icicle tubes I was describing. The company is Kurt Adler (kurtadler.com), which is a wholesale company.

Here's a link to the video of the tubes:
http://vimeo.com/13768115

The box claims a patent, but I didn't write down the number, and I wasn't immediately able to locate the patent on them.

[Sloanhaus]

So I am needing to do about a 100 drops and was wondering what was going to be the most economical and time saving way. I dont want to pay a 100.00 for 5 drops, but I dont want to spend 2 hours on each drop either. Has anyone come up with a good solution? I have seen that some drops are so fast that they are annoying. I really like the long drops that are slower with the sparkle at the end (dont have to have the sparkle)

Thanks

Sloanhaus

[budude]

So I am needing to do about a 100 drops and was wondering what was going to be the most economical and time saving way. I dont want to pay a 100.00 for 5 drops, but I dont want to spend 2 hours on each drop either. Has anyone come up with a good solution? I have seen that some drops are so fast that they are annoying. I really like the long drops that are slower with the sparkle at the end (dont have to have the sparkle)

Thanks

Sloanhaus

Have you seen Cory's F.A.S.T. tubes? With the new PCBs he/Phil came up with they should go together pretty quick/cheaply.

edit - here's the link - http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?15589-Finally-Affortable-Snowfall-Tubes-(FAST)

There will be a group buy for the PCBs and LEDs.

[dlovely]

There will be a group buy for the PCBs and LEDs.

Group buy already started: http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?16456-FAST-Ren48LSD-Ren4Flood-DIYC-Flood-Offsite-Group-Buy

[dlovely]

I really like the long drops that are slower with the sparkle at the end (dont have to have the sparkle)

Cory has the source code posted, would not be too hard to have the last LED or two sparkle at the end of the fall. I think that would be kinda cool. Have a bunch of tubes, then just put the 'sparkle' firmware on a few.

[chelmuth]

I was actually thinking of dropping a few Blue LED's randomly in some of my tubes. that was when it hit's the Blue it kinda makes you think for a second like did that just twinkle / sparkle or something.. Also with the source code I created you can change the drop speed.. I plan on setting mine to quite a few different speeds.. it's all commented in the ASM.