Getting it together, transmitter & signage

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

Ok, things are starting to come together this week. I am expecting my parts to arrive for my Xmus Renard 16 board. All my lights have been purchased and are ready to be set up. My three songs have been completely programmed in Vixen and the computer is ready to run.

In addition to the parts for the Xmus, I also have an FM10C transmitter on the way from Ramsey Electronics (Yes, I know, I went cheap). Many years ago I had an FM10B and that worked out well. I know the range is pretty good on them with the built in antenna.

Now my main issue is some sort of sign to announce the event. I basically would like to put up some sort of a sign that could be seen by those driving by, but yet would be built to handle the weather.

This is what I would like the sign to mention:

1) Station frequency
2) Show dates and times

I know that this is quite a bit of info to be had on a small sign, but I would like to avoid making a sign that is overly large because I am worried about the wind (which has been a nightmare lately).

I can make something on my computer, but the problem is that I have an ink jet computer and if any of that ink gets wet (due to rain), the sign would be ruined.

So I am open to recommendations as to what I could do for a sign.

Thanx,

Geo

[ppohlman]

If you do print something out from the computer, you could sandwich the paper between two pieces of lexan/plexiglass/glass and make a frame around it. That would help keep the paper and ink out of the elements.

[jukingeo]

If you do print something out from the computer, you could sandwich the paper between two pieces of lexan/plexiglass/glass and make a frame around it. That would help keep the paper and ink out of the elements.

Hmmm, I think I would like to avoid any kind of sandwiching anything because it is very possible to get condensation in between the plexi panes and then I would be back to square one.

The first thing that came to my mind was one of those LED 'ticker tape' signs, but I gathered that one large enough would be very expensive and I would still have to worry about weather proofing it, moreover I would have to worry about theft.

The next thing I thought of was to paint a piece of frosted plexi with those block lettering, and light this from behind with a string of about 20 or 30 white Christmas lights. While doing so would create a pretty good readable sign, I gathered that would also be very large.

I did scale down what I would like to say though:

"Tune to XX.X for show"
"5:30 to 9:30"
"Fri, Sat, Sun"

So that wouldn't require too much space. Something like that. The detail I am missing is that how large DO my letters need to be to be seen from the street? I sure could fit the above into a small sign, but what good will it bee if it isn't seen.

The good thing is that with something like this, I COULD block off the bottom in the event I do want to run a show during the week (perhaps just run a show during rush hour when people return home from work). But for the most part I was thinking about just doing the weekends...I still have to see.

I more then likely would turn the sign on/off via it's own timer.

As I said above, an LED sign would be nice, but I don't think it would be cheap. But the good thing with the LED sign is that I could make changes to what it says very easily. Getting one large enough, I could keep the LED sign inside the house behind one of the windows where the light show is set up. But if it is going to set me back a couple hundred bucks, I certainly would need to think of something different.

It is a tough call, but I do have to think of something quick because I would like to set up by this weekend.

Thanx,

Geo

[mwo040]

Go to a local vinyl sign company and have them cut a vinyl sticker for you listing all you want it to say. Stick them to a piece of Lexan or I used flourescent light diffueser from Home Depot or your local hardware store and stick the sign to that. build a simple 2x4 frame around the sign and use extra christams lights to light the sign up. Last year one Photovor was offering vinyl signs with the DIYC logo. You can do a search and try to find him maybe he will be able to expedite one to you if he has time. Otherwise most sign company's will make one for you for a few dollars

I have attached a picture of the one I built last year it was only about 18x30 so it is not too big and lights up great.


Hmmm, I think I would like to avoid any kind of sandwiching anything because it is very possible to get condensation in between the plexi panes and then I would be back to square one.

The first thing that came to my mind was one of those LED 'ticker tape' signs, but I gathered that one large enough would be very expensive and I would still have to worry about weather proofing it.

The next thing I thought of was to paint a piece of frosted plexi with those block lettering, and light this from behind with a string of about 20 or 30 white Christmas lights. While doing so would create a pretty good readable sign, I gathered that would also be very large.

I did scale down what I would like to say though:

"Tune to XX.X for show"
"5:30 to 9:30"
"Fri, Sat, Sun"

So that wouldn't require too much space. Something like that. The detail I am missing is that how large DO my letters need to be to be seen from the street? I sure could fit the above into a small sign, but what good will it bee if it isn't seen.

The good thing is that with something like this, I COULD block off the bottom in the event I do want to run a show during the week (perhaps just run a show during rush hour when people return home from work). But for the most part I was thinking about just doing the weekends...I still have to see.

I more then likely would turn the sign on/off via it's own timer.

As I said above, an LED sign would be nice, but I don't think it would be cheap. But the good thing with the LED sign is that I could make changes to what it says very easily. I could also keep the LED sign inside the house behind one of the windows where the light show is set up.

It is a tough call, but I do have to think of something quick because I would like to set up by this weekend.

Thanx,

Geo

[holtm]

I had vinyl cut and applied it to a piece of Plexiglas. I made a box out of scrap plywood and put a night light inside. It worked ok. The second year I added an opaque piece of plastic behind so the light would diffuse a little.

[jukingeo]

Go to a local vinyl sign company and have them cut a vinyl sticker for you listing all you want it to say. Stick them to a piece of Lexan or I used flourescent light diffueser from Home Depot or your local hardware store and stick the sign to that. build a simple 2x4 frame around the sign and use extra christams lights to light the sign up. Last year one Photovor was offering vinyl signs with the DIYC logo. You can do a search and try to find him maybe he will be able to expedite one to you if he has time. Otherwise most sign company's will make one for you for a few dollars

I have attached a picture of the one I built last year it was only about 18x30 so it is not too big and lights up great.

This looks like a great option to go with, BUT how much did it cost you to have the sign made up? How long did it take. It would have to be something I can get done in a couple of days. As it is, I am looking to set up by this weekend. I am hoping my parts come in so I can start building my controller box.

Thanx,

Geo

[jukingeo]

I had vinyl cut and applied it to a piece of Plexiglas. I made a box out of scrap plywood and put a night light inside. It worked ok. The second year I added an opaque piece of plastic behind so the light would diffuse a little.

Can you get vinyl lettering locally? It seems that this late in the game, the best bet for me is to put some lettering on a white piece of plexiglass and quickly make a light box for it.

Thanx,

Geo

[dirknerkle]

A sign shop ought to help out. Cheap, take only a few minutes.

[jukingeo]

A sign shop ought to help out. Cheap, take only a few minutes.

Usually the words cheap and fast don't work well in the same sentence. But I will have to see who can do it in my area and for what cost.

Thanx,

Geo

[WireWrap]

Usually the words cheap and fast don't work well in the same sentence.
...


Actually, you can. But quality may suffer...


You can have it (Good, Cheap, Fast). Pick any two... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


:)

[jukingeo]

Actually, you can. But quality may suffer...


You can have it (Good, Cheap, Fast). Pick any two... :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:


:)

Yeah, that is pretty much what I tell my customers as well. I am in the audio equipment repair business. I just tell people when they say, "I need it FAST" or "I need it by this weekend". My famous counterline is, "Do you want it fixed properly or do you want me to fix it so you can just bring it back in two weeks?" I actually never do that mind you. I always do quality work and the customers just have to wait.

As for the sign, I have been thinking about making an audio track with an announcement on it for my standard chases that will play in between the actual show. This way I just need a "Tune To xxxxx FM for music" sign. That would allow me to keep the sign small. In this manner the transmitter would run all the time and all of my program times and info would be on the audio track.

Thanx,

Geo

[Trip]

I can do vinyl stickers for cheap and fast, can't promise they will ship fast this time of year, but cutting stickers will take me one night.

I am not very good at layering vinyl, but if you are looking for single layer stuff, I can work with you and get you what you need.

Post up what size words you want and if you have the font file for it and what colors you are looking to do the words in and I will see what I can do and post the price public for anyone to scrutinize. I use quality 6 year calendar vinyl in both reflective and nonreflective.

[jukingeo]

I can do vinyl stickers for cheap and fast, can't promise they will ship fast this time of year, but cutting stickers will take me one night.

I am not very good at layering vinyl, but if you are looking for single layer stuff, I can work with you and get you what you need.

Post up what size words you want and if you have the font file for it and what colors you are looking to do the words in and I will see what I can do and post the price public for anyone to scrutinize. I use quality 6 year calendar vinyl in both reflective and nonreflective.

Basically I was looking for some kind of back lit sign that was lit up from behind. However, construction would be considerably longer than just using a front lit sign. My problem with using a front lit sign is glare. Reversed lettering would be better in this case (light colored letters on a dark background). So I am still kind of undecided there, but if time permits, I would prefer a back light sign.

As to what the sign itself was going to say, I initially was going to show the station frequency "Tune To xx.x" and then have the listed days and show times. However, the gears started to turn while I was making my "silent" filler chases (the chase sequences that would play between the shows). That was when I got the idea to do a voice over music recording for those filler sequences. In the voice over I could give an introduction to the event, the show times, dates, etc.

Naturally going this approach would allow me to make a sign that is much smaller and I would need just the line "Tune to xx.xx F.M. for music and info". A simple two line sign would do.

If you noticed I put x'es for the frequency...that is because I don't know the frequency I am going to use yet. I am just finishing up with building my FM transmitter kit, so in about a day or so I am going to do some test runs with the FM transmitter to find a frequency that I like.

The big issue I have with mail ordering is that I don't use Paypal. I usually pay for everything via a money order (outside of a store purchase of course in which I use a credit card).

So then the question would be about how much would a two line sign cost (with the above quote as an example) and what forms of payment you accept.

Thanx,

Geo

[Trip]

Letter color is up to you, I have reflective vinyl that will work great when you put light on it and seperate it from the background. I have red/orange/yellow/green/blue/white in reflective and red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple/white/gray/black in nonreflective.

I am fine with money orders, just takes alittle while longer with all the mail.

Size of lettering is the only thing you need to tell me. Height in inches. This will determine shipping method I will need to use because I have small envelopes that just take a postage stamp or a large envelope that will require a few dollars postage.

[IdunBenhad]

Hi:
I found a real estate agent who had a bunch of old "for sale" sign frames and she gave me one.

I went to a store called "Banners Plus" here in Yuma, AZ and they made a Coraplast sign with red letters and double sided for $22. They had 1 day service! I was able to pick up the sign the next day after ordering.

Real Estate agents use Coraplast quite often for their specials. It is waterproof and seems to stand up to the weather. So far, mine has gone through a rainstorm (rare here in Yuma) and a high wind (50mph) storm.

I thought about spraying the sign with clear plastic, but I was not sure how the vinyl letters would stand up to that. I forgot to ask the vendor.

I used two 13 watt CFL bulbs with 2 cheap reflectors and hooked it to one of the channels on the controller. The channel flashes with the music, but for the most part, the CFL stay on and ride through the flashing of the fence lights.

Good Luck and Merry Lights Christmas

Idun

[Trip]

I went to a store called "Banners Plus" here in Yuma, AZ and they made a Coraplast sign with red letters and double sided for $22. They had 1 day service! I was able to pick up the sign the next day after ordering.

Not bad, you actually have a decent local vinyl guy. I tried forever to find one close to me and I got outrageous numbers for some motorcycle stickers I wanted made. So I was forced to buy my own cutter.

[dirknerkle]

You can buy small Coroplast blanks at HD or Lowe's in the mailbox/lettering area of the store. The signs are typical garage-sale size, white and come with a wire stand.

Lots of different kinds of lettering at Kinkos', Michael's Crafts, and most any store that sells boating parts. Boat letters have to take the punishment of a lot of water, so they're excellent choices and adequately large.

[jukingeo]

Ok guys, Good evening.

Well, I have some good news I AM transmitting as we speak. I finished building the transmitter today and I am just about wrapping up my tests for the evening.

My frequency of choice is 99.7 which is a dead spot that is sandwiched between a talk radio station and a not so popular rock station.

After I got the frequency tests done, it was time to do some driving around to test for 'leakage' (meaning how far am I intruding "on the air"). Once again good news. My sound was clear for about 1 full block (400ft to 500ft) Going into all the adjacent blocks, the frequency began to drift out. I was worried it was going to go past the main roads.

I don't know why many people complain about Ramsey Electronics FM-10C. Sure it isn't phase locked, but it operates fine. If you subject it to great variances in temperature, then yeah, you will get drift. What I usually do is turn on the transmitter a good half hour before I use it. This way it is all warmed up. I had no drift tonight.

I am sitting the transmitter right next to my basement window with a mono-pole antenna extended straight up.

Granted I still have to run more tests once I get the computer fully running with the display. Hopefully there will not be any interference. I am trying to keep the transmitter as far away from the computers as I can.



Letter color is up to you, I have reflective vinyl that will work great when you put light on it and seperate it from the background. I have red/orange/yellow/green/blue/white in reflective and red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple/white/gray/black in nonreflective.

I am not too particular on the color...but I guess red lettering on a white background is good. Christmas colors.



Size of lettering is the only thing you need to tell me. Height in inches. This will determine shipping method I will need to use because I have small envelopes that just take a postage stamp or a large envelope that will require a few dollars postage.

That's the trick isn't it? I don't know myself. The trouble is that I have a 4ft high chain link fence that surrounds the yard. Given that height, that is about eye level for those sitting in a car watching the display. So a sign that is at that eye level would have to be put pretty close to the fence. I don't want to put the sign too close to the fence because I am worried about theft. So the further back I go onto the property the larger the lettering needs to be.

I thought of affixing the sign right to the chain link fence and the sign doesn't need to be large at all, but I would be less likely to light the sign because...again theft.

I am working on a voice over tonight so this way I can include all the date information and times right in the track that I am using for the "idle" chases.

So all I need the sign to say is:

"Tune to 99.7fm"
"for music & info"

Two lines that is it.

I have a couple of signs laying around the house for when some work was done on the driveway, I guess I can gauge the letter size from that to see how far back it can be viewed. It is dark now, but I could check that out in the morning.


Hi:
I found a real estate agent who had a bunch of old "for sale" sign frames and she gave me one.

I went to a store called "Banners Plus" here in Yuma, AZ and they made a Coraplast sign with red letters and double sided for $22. They had 1 day service! I was able to pick up the sign the next day after ordering.

Real Estate agents use Coraplast quite often for their specials. It is waterproof and seems to stand up to the weather. So far, mine has gone through a rainstorm (rare here in Yuma) and a high wind (50mph) storm.

I thought about spraying the sign with clear plastic, but I was not sure how the vinyl letters would stand up to that. I forgot to ask the vendor.

Yeah, I have seen those signs...in fact I just mentioned above that my dad had some work done on the drive way by a paving company and they put one of these coraplast signs out on the front curb. It is a small sign and it has various sizes letters on it. Since it has a frame I could set it in several places on the front lawn and get an idea of what size letters I need.



I used two 13 watt CFL bulbs with 2 cheap reflectors and hooked it to one of the channels on the controller. The channel flashes with the music, but for the most part, the CFL stay on and ride through the flashing of the fence lights.

I would LOVED to have a back lit, light box sign, but I just don't think I have the time to build one. So I am probably going to go with a front lit sign. I do have a staked light that you put a floodlight in it and just ram it in the ground. That is my best bet. I know I am worried about getting a glare, but for the most part I think I might only have one or two cars in front of the house and all they have to do is just 'roll out of the glare'.


You can buy small Coroplast blanks at HD or Lowe's in the mailbox/lettering area of the store. The signs are typical garage-sale size, white and come with a wire stand.

Thanx for the info. I think I am going to get up early tomorrow before work and check it out at Lowes. They might have something I like. I know that those red,black, & white "For Sale" or "Garage Sale" signs are far too small. They are great for two to four words...but I pretty much have a full sentence going on here.



Lots of different kinds of lettering at Kinkos', Michael's Crafts, and most any store that sells boating parts. Boat letters have to take the punishment of a lot of water, so they're excellent choices and adequately large.

Michaels Crafts! Darn why didn't I think of that. There are several in my area. One is within walking distance of my job and yet another is next to the Lowes!

Ok, it looks like I do have a few local options. I think I will check them out first.

Thanx again for the info guys.

Tomorrow the BIG project is finally finishing up my controller...which means running some tests. So I am crossing my fingers that the tests will pass as easily as those for the transmitter.

G'nite.

Geo

[jukingeo]

Letter color is up to you, I have reflective vinyl that will work great when you put light on it and seperate it from the background. I have red/orange/yellow/green/blue/white in reflective and red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple/white/gray/black in nonreflective.

I am fine with money orders, just takes alittle while longer with all the mail.

Size of lettering is the only thing you need to tell me. Height in inches. This will determine shipping method I will need to use because I have small envelopes that just take a postage stamp or a large envelope that will require a few dollars postage.

Hello Trip,

Well, I found an Atlas Paving coraplast sign in my dad's back yard that I thought would be a good size for my Christmas display. I used that as a base to gather some information. The nice thing is that the sign already had a stand, so I could reuse it if I keep the "Tune To" sign the same dimensions.

The sign was around 2.5' long and 2' tall. The letters were varied sizes but the larger letters showing the company name were about 4" tall. I set up the sign pretty deep into the front lawn and could make out the letters from the street. So unobstructed a 4" or 5" tall letter is MORE than enough. BUT I was looking down the driveway and should have been looking though the fence (that is what you get for rushing to do something before going to work). Granted this is in the day time too.

I would like to run another test when I come home tonight when it is dark. I am going to set up the Atlas sign where I would have the "Tune To" sign and shine a light on it. Then I will hop in the car and try to view the sign from several angles through the fence. If I can see the "Atlas Paving" letters clearly from all those angles, then I am good to go.

Geo

[Trip]

Figure out a font and if it is an exotic font where I can get the file too. Wider fonts cut better and are easier to see.

[jukingeo]

Hello All,


Ok, I had ran some more tests on the Atlas Paving sign my dad has and it will be more than enough. The largest letters are 3" tall and the phone number is even 2" tall and all are readable from the furthest distance I would place the sign.

Anyway, I did try to check out the local shops to see what they had. There were a couple of suggestions and last night I decided to hit Lowes and Micheal's

First stop, Lowes was a bust.

Lowes DID have letters, but only black vinyl or gold on black metal stick on letters. They didn't have much. Letters were about 4" tall. Mostly it was lettering to stick on a mailbox or address post. The letters were sold INDIVIDUALLY and cost $0.68 EACH!! (the vinyl letters). 10 letters and I am already up to $7.

They had the ready made coraplast signs that came with the stands and they were about the 2.5' by 2 foot (could have been 18") high and came with a variety of sayings, "For Sale, For Rent, Garage Sale, etc". They had NO blank coraplast panels. Now I know what most of you are thinking...use the reverse side of one of those For Sale or For Rent signs, right? Wrong! The sign was printed on both sides.

So with no time to loose, I declared Lowes a bust.

Next stop was Micheal's. MUCH better selection AND sizes. They had 2", 3", 4", and 6" lettering in Bold or Italics. Colors were Black, White (yes white), Red, Green, Gold, and Silver. The lettering came in packages that were about $8 with about 3 or 4 letters of the alphabet AND numbers. I grabbed a package of the red 4" bold letters.

So while I now have my letters, the problem was that Micheal's didn't have anything in the form of coroplast. Being an art store I figure they would have this material...especially with their wide selection of sign making materials. They have all sorts of papers, cardboards, oaktag, and even wood! But surprisingly no coroplast.

So being that I have the letters already, I need to know where I can get the coroplast (locally). I can steal the wire support frame from the Atlas sign I found in my Dad's yard, so I am good with a support.

I have not been to Home Depot yet, so I am not sure if they might have the coroplast. I didn't see it at Lowes, so outside of them or HD, I am not sure where I can get the stuff locally.

So that is where I am sign wise.

The good news is that I finished constructing my light controller and it passed several low voltage AC tests with Vixen running. Now this was on my test machine at work, so I still have to test it on the real rig at home. But the initial results look promising. At least I know the board works!

Geo

[budude]

If you can't find a piece of coroplast you could get a piece of plexi from various places, paint the back whatever color you want for the background and stick the letters on the front. As long as all 4 corners are tied down to your mount it should be ok.

[jukingeo]

If you can't find a piece of coroplast you could get a piece of plexi from various places, paint the back whatever color you want for the background and stick the letters on the front. As long as all 4 corners are tied down to your mount it should be ok.

I was looking for some white plexiglass today and no go. Home Depot, nor Lowes had it. All they had was the really thin plexiglass too. Oh, they did have the thicker 1/4" stuff, but only in large sizes and it was EXPENSIVE!

Frustrated by the fact that a big chain home improvement store cannot carry 1/4" white plexi, I bought a can of white spray paint and decided to give that 'Atlas Paving' sign a makeover. Yep, I spray painted it white tonight and I will affix the letters to that. Hopefully by tomorrow night, I WILL have a sign!

Geo

[rokkett]

I was really late to the game on this - I just started building my first controller in October, so the sign problem was completely over looked. Fortunately, I kinda picked a "corporate sponsor". A real estate agent friend of mine loaned me metal for sale frame with solar lights. I used a large piece of lamented paper to affix vinyl lettering to and traced the DIYC tree logo onto it with a large sharpie.

Next year, I will be more prepared - but others much wiser in the promotion department really saved my hide for this year... :)

People are actually slow in getting it - I find my self repeating constantly that the lights are not just crazy - they are synced to music. Once you turn on a radio, they instantly get it - but they seem hesitant to do it on their own for some reason...

My son has trying to impress a girl and she said that the lights were "cool". Once we turned on the radio, she scrunched her brow for a second and then it got an instant promotion from "cool" to "really cool"... :)

[jukingeo]

I was really late to the game on this - I just started building my first controller in October, so the sign problem was completely over looked. Fortunately, I kinda picked a "corporate sponsor". A real estate agent friend of mine loaned me metal for sale frame with solar lights. I used a large piece of lamented paper to affix vinyl lettering to and traced the DIYC tree logo onto it with a large sharpie.

Me too. I got also a late start because I had a Halloween project that I was tending to. During that point in time, I didn't know I was going to a lights sequenced to music thing for Christmas. I just knew I wanted to do something. So the day after Halloween I sat down and thought about it and that is when sequenced lights popped in my head.

Not having worked with Vixen before, I didn't know how long it would take to program chases. I 'thought' I was starting early but when I got to the DIYC forums, I found out that I actually was LATE!

Getting all the parts together and delays in construction did hold be back one week from my planned day of turning my lights on. So it was construction delays and NOT programming Vixen that held me up. My main chases were done right after Thanksgiving Day. And the regular chases were done a week after.

But once everything was set up and completed, I realized that I didn't allot much time to making a sign. After I seen some of the nicer more elaborate back-lit signs, I knew I was in for a time crunch.

Once again, I was faced with construction delays because I couldn't find neither Coraplast nor white plexiglass anywhere. I wanted thicker 1/4" plexi and they were charging $13 at Lowes for a small piece. They didn't have 2' by 2' squares. The next size up was 4' by 4' and that was close to $50.



Next year, I will be more prepared - but others much wiser in the promotion department really saved my hide for this year... :)

Same here. I know I have to start coding some of my songs in late August/ early September whilst preparing for my next Halloween event. This way most of the programming for Vixen will be done prior to November and I can use that month for any construction that needs to be done.

I am lucky that my 'test sign' that I found in my Dad's backyard will actually save my butt for this year. I painted over one side of it white. It should be dry by tonight and I can affix the red lettering I have to it. The good thing is the sign already has the stand too, so once done I just have to shove it into the ground and put a light in front of it.



People are actually slow in getting it - I find my self repeating constantly that the lights are not just crazy - they are synced to music. Once you turn on a radio, they instantly get it - but they seem hesitant to do it on their own for some reason...

That is odd. I figured that once a sign would be out that people would want to tune in right away. Up to now I have been verbally telling my neighbors to tune in to the station I set.



My son has trying to impress a girl and she said that the lights were "cool". Once we turned on the radio, she scrunched her brow for a second and then it got an instant promotion from "cool" to "really cool"... :)

My parents were the same way. They were wondering why I was going through so much trouble for a lighting display. My Dad almost passed out when he saw the "Octopus" controller I built. He was like, "Ohhhhhhh, all those outlets on wires!". I told him that the nature of the beast is that unlike setting up Christmas lights the 'regular way' (meaning chaining from set to set) each light string has it's own 'channel'. At first he still didn't get what I was up to, but that was a good thing because it was a surprise for the family.

My wife figured it out as soon as she saw me fiddling with the car radio. She said, "Oh, you have the lights set to music, huh?". Well, I guess you can't blame her since it was I that showed her the "Wizards In Winter House" on You Tube back in 2006. I was so entranced with it that I think she knew I was going to do it sooner or later!

Getting back to the sign. What I WOULD like to do for next year is to make a light box sign that is backlit. I sure have enough vinyl letters to make one. I know someone that can make me an extruded aluminum frame with the guide channels where I can slide pieces of plexi into. It is expensive, but once done I can use U-bolts and bolt it to stands made from PVC pipes set up in the shape of Candy canes. Red vinyl tape will put the 'stripes' on the candy canes.

That would be my plan for next year, but if the box gets too expensive to build then I might go all the way and hang a large ticker tape LED sign in a window. That might even be better. But I priced one the size I need because I obviously have to hang this in one of the windows inside the house. One that is large enough to read from the street AND that fits in the window will run about $180. That is a pretty good bill to foot just for a sign. But the good thing about the ticker-tape sign is that I can easily CHANGE it and I can add more or less info to it at any time. So I really would like one of these.

Anyway, I am off.

Have a Happy Holidays!

Geo

[jukingeo]

Hello All,

Ok, it is FINALLY done! Yes, I now have a somewhat decent looking "Tune To" sign. I have attached pictures of it below. I was also going to attach some pictures I took of my display, but my wife downloaded the camera's memory stick, so the pictures must be on her machine. So I have to get them tomorrow.

Anyway, as you can see the sign started out as the infamous Atlas Asphalt Paving company sign which is set up on a sheet of 24" by 18" yellow coraplast.

I used this sign for my tests and the largest letters for the Atlas sign on the other side where only 3" tall and I could see it clearly from the street when the sign was placed far back where my Christmas lighting display now is.

I bought 4" and 6" red letters from Micheal's craft store. For some reason the 4" letter set didn't come with numbers and I found out the hard way AFTER I opened the package. So I went back to get the 6" letters and these DID come with the numbers, but much to my sticker shock, the 6" letters and numbers cost more than $15. Then add the $7 on top of that for the 4" letters.

So over the original Atlas lettering I have increased the letter size by 1" and DOUBLED the number size. Since it is red on white this sign should be easily read from the same distance.

I spray painted one side of the sign a satin (dull) white. Then using a combination of 4" letters and 6" numbers I created the sign as shown in the second picture.

Not bad, huh? I actually thought it wasn't going to come out that good. But years ago I did watch a sign maker use vinyl lettering to make signs for a company I worked for. Remembering what I saw, I copied the technique to make this sign. Apparently I didn't do so bad for my first time out!

Granted the sign isn't fancy, but it will certainly get the job done. I still may decorate it with Christmas Stickers though :).

Now I can't wait to put the sign out tomorrow night. I do have a stake lamp that I will shove in the ground with a small 50 watt flood lamp that I will shine on the sign.

I will post some pictures of the display up soon. I have video as well which I also will be putting up on YouTube and putting the link here.

So thanx guys for the help and information, without it I would have NEVER thought twice about checking out Micheal's Crafts and these letters are WAY better than what Lowes had. Granted I DID pay dearly for it. But the sign did come out nice.

Geo

[budude]

It turned out very good - actually I think the 6" numbers work better anyway since that is really the focal point.

[jukingeo]

It turned out very good

Thanx :). The only complaint I have myself is that the second "T" (in TO) is a bit out of place...it should have been closer to the "O".


- actually I think the 6" numbers work better anyway since that is really the focal point.

Agreed. Once I realized that my vinyl letter kit didn't have numbers, I was thinking about getting 6" numbers. They didn't sell the 6" number separately so I had to buy another full alphabet. It was kind of weird though because Micheal's has the 3" letters WITH numbers and 6" letters WITH numbers, so how come the 4" letters DON'T come with numbers ?!?! Now with the BLACK letters, yeah, you can buy the numbers separately. But I thought that black wouldn't go good with the red and white backdrop.

I am going to go to Micheal's again tonight to see if I can find some holiday stickers to dress up the top corners and make the sign look more festive.

But, "Yay!" I finally have a sign! Tonight it goes out. So I can't wait to set it up. I probably will take more pictures of the display as well and post them up here.

Geo

[jukingeo]

Ok guys, here are the pictures of my full display on my house.

I have the REN16 (Xmus) board of which I am using 14 channels. The first picture (#3) shows most of the lights on.

Chans 1-8 are the candy canes in front
Chan 9 is the icicles that are hanging from strip under the windows of the house
Chan 10 & 11 are the two outside bushes with the multicolor LED lights
Chan 12 is the large bush in the middle which has a net of mini bulbs
Chan 13 controls a set of flashing 'strobe' LED light strings that are in each of the end bushes.
Chan 14 controls the candle cluster to the far left which you can see lit in picture 8.

Picture 4 is obvious as it shows my sign and the light I have on it.

The red lights you see on the awning on the far right are not hooked up to the lighting controller. Like the light for the sign, they run continuously.

So there you have it for my first music sequenced holiday display. Sure it isn't extravagant, but it is my first year and it did come out as planned in the end.

So that is pretty much a wrap for this year. I will come back to post a You Tube link so you can see the display in action.

Happy Holidays!

[rokkett]

Looks great, Geo! Just waiting for video of the candy cane dance... :)

[jukingeo]

Looks great, Geo! Just waiting for video of the candy cane dance... :)

Yeah, the pictures only go so far. The candy canes were the highlight of this display as that is how this project started.

Initially it was just going to be the 8 sequenced candy canes via an 8 channel parallel port on/off board. However, I found a good deal on a Renard16 Xmus board and it was only slightly more expensive than the parallel port controller. However, since the Xmus offered full dimming, that option outweighed everything else.

Knowing I was getting the Xmus board, I right away upped the ante to 12 channels and that is what I mostly programmed in. But the week of Thanksgiving, I finished my sequences and decided to add two more channels. The first channel controlled the 'strobe' or flashing lights that I put in the two outside bushes. This was strictly an on/off channel and only turned on/off at certain intervals, so it was easy to program that in afterwards.

The last channel went to a last minute buy which were the candles on the left side. My original idea was to flank the candy canes using two of the candles, BUT the candles only had one plug and I didn't feel like altering the set (since it was late in the game). So I set up all three candles on the left side and put my sign on the right side.

The candles are not part of the main music sequences as they only light up during the chases. While they do fade in/out, they are mostly on during the chases.

When I first tested the show I was standing too close to the display and I really didn't get the full 'moving' effect of the display. But the other night I was in my car taking the video and I was further back and I could visually see the chases better.

Overall the display turned out as planned.

The thing I am most thankful for with Vixen is the ability to make a profile. That is perhaps the best 'extra' feature. This way you can see what you are doing ahead of time on an approximation of your set up. So that is a HUGE thumbs up right there.

The only thing I couldn't compensate for ahead of time, was the lag time for incandescent bulbs. They are clearly not as fast as LEDs and I did have to go back and make some adjustments. The candy canes were perfect and I didn't have to do much there, but the larger light sets were a bit slower and I compensated a bit for that. (I shifted the whole channel 1 50ms block back on each song).

I am going to try to use more and more LEDs from now on in. The LED lights you see in the pictures are 60count C6 bulbs and they are absolutely beautiful. They are dimmer than a typical C7 light set, but they were surprisingly bright as they kept up with the brightness of the icicle lights on the house. However, the net in the center bush was CLEARLY brighter. So I know now if I use the net next year I have to compensate for the brightness. Hopefully I will have a LED net next year.

Wow, I just ran with that response!

I have to run, anyway, I should have the video up on YouTube by this weekend and I will post a link. I will also post what I did for Halloween, so you can see that project too.

Geo