Canton Chills

I'm at the point where I want to verify I can get my old DMX adapter working again. I know it worked a few years ago with xLights, but I need to do a few things differently this year. First off, rather than use xLights this year, I've already written a new DMX controller application. Because of this, I need to revive some old software I used to send DMX data to the adapter. The DIY adapter I use is called a Lynx Dongle and it's compatible with the EnttecProDMX protocol. The second thing is I'll be using several different laptop platforms and a RPi4 to run the show. So, there's a need to verify a lot of things. I'll write the show runner application to execute on RPi4 and utilize web-based remote control features. Test 1: The first test is to plug the Lynx Dongle into my old laptop and make verify which serial comm port it appears as. Looks like COM3: Test 2: Update the DMX test code and see if it connects. It actually connected and ran for 10 seconds, as program...

The front porch serves as a hollusion conduit using its two arches (there are actually two arches left) to host mosquito netting and projections. In the first year I projected hollusions into the arch, I found that the five foot depth of the porch was insufficient to fill the arch space. In that year, I positioned the projector inside my office, which is the room inside the house from the porch, and projected out the window. I needed to open the glass and remove the window screen, but it worked and people were genuinely amazed by how I did it. I blocked off access to that part of the porch visually and physically to prevent anyone from disturbing the effect, but I did notice a number of dads looking intently from different angles trying to figure out what I had done. When I noticed that, I told them. The next year, I came up with the idea to use a mirror to reflect the projection back, allowing me to take advantage of using double the porch depth and keeping my office out of the decor....

It's that time of year again. The days are long and hot. The county fair is in full swing. There are more BBQs than we have time to enjoy. And thoughts of frightening you children and neighbors fill my head. Over the last couple of years, health problems have held me back from firing up the Canton Chills experience. By the grace of God, that is all behind me and I'm motivated, energized, and abuzz with plans for amazing visitors of all ages. A fantastic phenomena has also transpired in my absence. Our street, our neighborhood has long been a Halloween destination for the East County area and our neighbors have not disappointed. Each of the past few years, we've seen a significant increase in decorations and immersive displays. My wife likes to note that I spent so many years raising the bar that the neighbors are only now getting to catch up. I've felt that I've let them down and very bad about it, but the situation was beyond my control. This year: that all changes...

A couple of nights ago, I set up the short throw projector in the front yard in an attempt to create a projection map. I stacked two portable work tables, one on top of the other, and positioned the projector on top. This provided a projector height of about 5 1/2 feet. The picture below was taken from the perspective of the projector after the map was drawn. I think that just the red outlines look pretty cool. I can't wait to do more with it. I set my laptop to the same resolution as the projector (1920 x 1080) and maximized the Microsoft Paint application. The white border around the house is from the window boarder of the paint application. However, when looking at the projection map image, I realized the projector was not level (pitured below): I'm not sure that it makes that much of a difference, but one thing will: inconsistency. So, I'm devising a means to produce consistent projector mounting results. As with all things, we begin with a good foundation. I purchased ...

I've wanted to set up a projection mapped Halloween display for years but have been hesitant for a few reasons. First, finding a good projector location will be a challenge. Next, it's hard to tell which projector will work well. And lastly, it will cut off access to the driveway and trick-or-treaters. This last one may not be that big of a deal. Given the way the porch comes out from the house, the projector location would be best over the driveway. But, this assumes that the side of the porch cover located between the porch and the garage would be mapped. This really isn't necessary. Positioning a projector at the midpoint of the house would be the best approach when dealing with a traditional keystone correction. This location, however, blocks part of the house from the projection. Last year I was able to set the garage projector to the left side of the driveway and still provide an approach to the porch. I belive that using this in conjunction with a projection map in t...

I spent the day digging through my old DIY DMX projects and piecing together a system in order to test the Sprite DMX controller. It's best to explain as a series of tasks: Locate my Lynx DMX Dongle and install the FTDI/Virtual Comm Port drivers on my laptop (I'll use an older laptop later) Dust off my Lynx Express 16 channel AC controller to test the DMX dongle as well as finding the DMX-wired RJ-45 cables for doing so Figure out the RJ-45 to DMX signal wiring fron the Lynx Dongle Wire up the Sprite DMX module Find a suitable computer based DMX sequencer and figure out how to use it (a lot harder than I expected) Put it all together and make it work (my wife thought I was doing something useful) With the exception of spending about two hours trying to find the two tiny Sprite DMX controllers that I purchased last year (they weren't where I thought they'd be), most of my time was spent finding a suitable and easy-to-learn computer application for controlling the darn th...