Done! Finished! Complete! Finito!

[nmonkman]

YEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!

I am finally done sequencing for 2008 and got it to EXACTLY 30 minutes this year.

Only took me 6 months, too.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
I am so happy, somebody get me a tissue.

Neil "Light Engineer" Monkman

[ChrisL1976]

Congrats!!!!......I've hardly started.....:)

I see lots of sequencing in my future.....:)

[lkcubsrule]

Nice job! I'm using 10 songs that are about 35 minutes.

I had EVERYTHING done by like September of my first year...last year I was sequencing all the way up to Christmas and still only had like 5 songs! I'm putting my act together earlier this year! (3rd yr)

[Flanigan]

Ahhh. But there is always those tweaks to be done in the 11th hour!:D

Nonetheless, congratulations!

Have all the first drafts done. Just waiting on my FireFlys and the updated Aurora to be delivered so I can finish.

[cheezdawg475]

I still have 2 songs left to do, but I really should be working on halloween.

[nmonkman]

Ah yes, the 11th hour tweeks:mad:

You know that once I test run there will be all kinds of, "That's not what I wanted"

Plus I still have the following (off the top of my head):

buy and weld 14 more tomato cages
attach 300 lights each to tomato cages
build foundation for new mega tree 2
pole and topper for mega tree 2
snap tie 96 sets of blue and 96 sets of red lights to 192 sets of clear lights:eek:
build 8 bases for the reindeer orchestra going on the roof.
extension cords for new lights this year
Misc Halloween items
I am sure there is more than that, but that alone will keep me very busy. I decided to take my vacation the week of Thanksgiving this year so I will have a few extra FULL days for set up.

Any-who,
Thanks for all the kind words

Neil "Light Engineer" Monkman

[AnthonyP]

Congrats!!!!......I've hardly started.....:)

I see lots of sequencing in my future.....:)
my future too...

[Rod Evans]

Neil you forgot on your list. Mentor Rod up the road a couple of miles. I can't believe you are done. I just finished my third song.I'm going to do a song a week for 6 weeks so I can get back on track. I will call you this weekend to get some inspiration.

[FandomFilms]

Neil all you need now for that list is a A partridge in a pear tree

[krusaders]

I'm half way done with my last song for this year......Yeaaaa also.....

[Alec]

I've done exactly 0 songs for this year. I plan on getting some done in the next few weeks...

[nmonkman]

Neil you forgot on your list. Mentor Rod up the road a couple of miles. I can't believe you are done. I just finished my third song.I'm going to do a song a week for 6 weeks so I can get back on track. I will call you this weekend to get some inspiration.


I already figured time for that, Rod. LOL!! I will be welding tomato cages in the morning and then wrapping them with lights in the house in the afernoon.
Call or stop by, we'll be here.

Neil

[cuonebay]

I am also finished with my sequencing for this year. I have been making a few changes here and there as I have made a few changes to the display. This is my first year for computerization and I am starting with 224 channels. I know yall think I am crazy, but I have been planning this for the past 3 years and this is the year to break out. I do have a good list of items still to build for my display this year.

[nmonkman]

224 CHANNELS, FIRST YEAR???

cuonebay:

We don't think you are crazy, we think you have slipped far beyond the realms of insanity as we know it. We cannot help you, you are on your own!:D:D:D:D:D

Seriously though, that is one heck of a challenge and accomplishment. Last year was my first year and I went up to Oldcqr's house north of me. His advice was to start out small so I went with 128 channels and 60,000 lights.

You can see I take good advice well....NOT!!

I found myself under enormous pressure to complete everything on time, but I managed.

It will be nice to see your finished product and show!! Good job and Good Luck!

Neil

[cuonebay]

Nmonkman, LOL, I agree with everything you said, accept the part about starting out small. I moved into this house in Jan. of 07. I did not go computerized last year because I wanted to just get all the light figured out and where everything looked good on the house. I think with a computerized display the lights have to look good being a static display before they will look good being computerized. Last year was a great year and I was able to figure out what looked good and what I would be able to accomplish this year. I am planning to starting installing lights on Oct. 1st, and hope to have them completed a week before Thanksgiving so I will have plenty of time to make any changes need to my sequences etc... I already have everything figured out on a spreadsheet so all my power requirement are met and no controller is overloaded etc... I have installed lights professionally for the past 7 years on about 40 businesses and homes, but this year I am only doing my own. I don't have time for theirs. LOL

The main reason I am starting with 224 channels is because there are certain things I wanted to accomplish and that is how many channels I needed. I could not power all my lights with 2 or 3 controllers. So, let the fun begin. Have a good one.

[metallus2000]

Grats on being done!...well at least until you decide to tweak something Thanksgiving weekend!

I still have to buy:

12 boxes of red led (full wave) 70 ct 24'
12 boxes of Warm white Led (full wave) 70 ct 24'
12 boxes of blue Led (yep full wave) 70 ct 24'

fix up 12 tomato cages
put together the mega tree

I do have 27 songs/sequences set up from LOR sequences and various other sources, but I need to tweek them to my design still. I do have holiday designer, so that software should expedite the process.

The good thing is I finally addicted my wife as well, she suggested we take the week after Thanksgiving off to decorate! :-)

[nmonkman]

Just a quick update on my list above:


buy and weld 14 more tomato cages (DONE)
attach 300 lights each to tomato cages (DONE - decided on 500 each because they were not bright enough)
build foundation for new mega tree 2
pole and topper for mega tree 2
snap tie 96 sets of blue and 96 sets of red lights to 192 sets of clear lights:eek:
build 8 bases for the reindeer orchestra going on the roof. (1/2 done - just have to paint)
extension cords for new lights this year (75% done)
Misc Halloween items (20% DONE)
As far as 3 through 5, I have to make a decision here. I wanted to have a second mega tree not only for more lights but to balance out the display. The problem is that the only place I can put it will interfere with the roof lights.
I was going to make it shorter but the base I have is for at least a 16' tree. So it will end up looking like a mushroom. I am going to see if I can make the base smaller, try and find another spot or give up on it all together.
Bad news is less lights, good news is 24 channels I didnt have for next year.

Here is a link to a picture http://www.xmas.planetmonkman.com/images/tree problem.jpg

[rwertz]

The proposed location looks like it would be too close to the house.

I vote for the location you labeled “same issue as proposed location”. After looking at some of your other pictures and videos it looks like the best spot.

[nmonkman]

rwertz:

I think maybe you are right.

That second proposed location falls right where my cords come out of the gargage and head over to the existing tree.
This works well because I was not going to run new channels for the second tree, I was going to tap into the cords for the existing tree.
Only difference was that I was going to reverse the channels so while one is going counter clockwise, the other goes clockwise
M Tree 1 Channel 1 = M tree 2 Channel 24
M Tree 1 Channel 2 = M tree 2 Channel 23
etc etc.
I am going to lay it out today and see how it looks.

[metallus2000]

I found a great base for my megatree....by accident, literally...

We had bought an offset umbrella a few years back that has a four legs as a base with metal inbetween so you can put an 18"x18" paver inbetween....well the last windstorm broke the umbrella, so now I have a megatree base! All I have to do is insert the pvc pipe into the insert hole, which is about 3 feet from the bottom of the base.