Tips 'n' Tricks: Scrolling Large Text across a grid of 16 poles

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Scrolling Large Text across a grid of 16 poles

Printed From: Aurora
Category: Aurora Sequencer Software
Forum Name: Tips 'n' Tricks
Forum Discription: This is the place to discuss sequences in general
URL: http://www.aurorashow.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=693
Printed Date: 31 Oct 2025 at 5:31pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.06 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Scrolling Large Text across a grid of 16 poles

Posted By: JonB256
Subject: Scrolling Large Text across a grid of 16 poles
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 5:07pm

I want to build 16 of the firework/Bellagio type poles. My first use would be in May at a Relay for Life event.

Imagine a grid of 16 poles, each with 8 light segments from top to bottom. I would like them to "normally" be functioning as "firework" type effects shooting into the air or as a Bellagio water fountain type effect.

BUT BUT BUT

I'd also like to have words like "HOPE" and "CURE" scroll across once in awhile. These are very appropriate to a Relay for Life event, perhaps not so much for Christmas, where I'd probably scroll something like "SANTA" or "JESUS" or "STAY IN YOUR CAR" :)

How would any of you approach this from an Aurora sequencing perspective? I'm just now creating a test sequence so I'm a blank slate. Any ideas would be welcomed.

My first impression is that Sequencing programs are more designed to make something like this got "UP" or "DOWN" not "Across"

Thanks. JonB

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JonB - D-Light user

Replies:

Posted By: christmas 01
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 5:31pm

john could you put a diarram on here of what you mean please? as im not too sure?

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Many hands make christmas lights work

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2009 at 9:54pm

see if this helps

Would take 8 ACx16 controllers

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 9:03am

This is actually pretty easy. Just do one letter at a time.    Lay your channels out in the order of each horizontal row. 10-8 10-16 11-8 11-16 12-8 12-18....ect . Then the second row. 10-7 10-15 11-7 11-15 12-7 12-15. That way to get a letter to scroll across, it would be just a chase sequence in order. So lets scroll a letter H across a few steps.

first time event would have controller 10---1 to 8, 12, 13 cntlr 11--5,4 9 to 16 full on commands. (FOC)

second time event would have 10--9 to 16. 11--5,4, 12,13, 12--1 to 8   FOC

third time event would be cntlr 11--1 to 8, 12,13   cntrl 12--4,5, 9 to 16. FOC

Keep up that pattern for each event down the line.

once you sequence the first time event.....copy that single column of FOC and past it in the next even, one row down. You'll be able to sequence extremely fast that way

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 9:07am

If you make up that channel layout and still have troubles, shoot me the template file and I'll sequence a couple letters for you to show you. I just dont have the time to set up that 8 controller file right now and draw all the channels on the fire sticks

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 9:15am

I'm hoping it is just that easy but my brain isn't picturing how the actual screen with Copy/Paste will work yet.

I'll get a grid and picture setup tonight or tomorrow. If I just can't get it to work, I'll copy the file here. Thanks.

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: Jonathan
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 10:10am

So you are trying to do the cheap man's version of what Galaxia does? Seriously, have you seen the prices for their controllers and strands!?! Don't get me wrong, I looked at some pretty amazing videos of their product in action, but with enough thought and work put into it, you could do it one block (channel) at a time and acheive much the same effect.

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~Jonathan

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 10:57am

ok, the copy/paste wont work unless the entire letter is contained in the same controller which in your case it never will be.

I threw together a 2 controller grid. 4 channels high by 8 channels long. I scrolled a O a cross the screen.
Here's the http://www.lightsonsixth.com/stuff/lettertest.dls - DLS file

After trying this the way I said with the channel layout.... Thumbs%20Down

. I'd leave my channels listed in order. I'd print out a copy of you channel layout from above. Then get a piece of transparent sheet, lay it over channel layout and draw your word so it fits the channels.

If your doing HOPE after you draw HOPE on your trans. sheet. Slide the beginning of the H on to the last firestick (channel 9-16 contrl 17) Only 9-17 are covered. turn on thos channels. Slide if one FS to the left. Now the H covers contrl 17 1-8 and 12,13. Next event...slide if left..turn on those channels and so on.....this will make the word HOPE scroll from right to left.

In your case, I'd do letters that were 2 FS wide. Same principal.

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 12:03pm

Chris, I've also considered connecting the controllers "from the side" such that Controller ID #10 would do all of the bottom segments, the #11 would do the next row up, etc...

That seems like it would be easier for doing Words, but then much harder to do things like fireworks or fountains. Plus, it is super inefficient for running power cords. Can I have it both ways???

Ultimately, it seems more of a question of how I organize the channels on the Aurora screen rather than actual controller and channel assignments.

Jonathan - rather than consider this a "poor man's Galaxia" I'd prefer it to be a low-budget, multiple purpose display panel. (MPDP) What I REALLY want is the Fireworks or Firestick type effects and then also the Bellagio Water Fountain effects. The "bonus" would be the MPDP scrolling words. I'll drop the scrolling word features if it is too hard, though I don't think it will be.

After a meeting with the Relay for Life people Monday, I have now committed to doing a version of The Star Spangled Banner with my display at 5am Saturday. At midnight, I will do "Eye of the Tiger." I still need to pick at least one more song. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer would probably not go over very well :(

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: Slinkard
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 3:28pm

I've got it solved! turn it side ways.

Create 16 poles each bieng channels High. This way you will need more SPT1 but it should flow easier.

So this is a number output:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 3

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Controller 8

Now you have 16 poles still each pole has 8ch. total.

Slink

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http://www.aurorashow.com/">

Coming soon www.computerizedlights.com

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2009 at 11:13pm

I'm not sure why I didn't think about it until I tried putting the letter "H" across the matrix, but did you know that scrolling text (in English, anyway) should move from Right to Left? Once that sank in, I re-ordered my poles. Now, #1 is on the far right, #16 on the far left.

Because I'm a creature of habit, I did still number the channels from #1 at the bottom to #8 at the top. The next pole became #9 at the bottom, #16 at the top. Because of that, I had a problem with the letters. First I did an H. No problem. It would easily move from right to left just by copy/pasting a single cell to the right. Then I did an O. No problem.

H O scrolled just fine.

Then I added a P and and E but ran into a slight problem. Because I put the channels from bottom to top, numerically, P and E were noticeably "upside-down." It didn't show up with the H and the O because they are the same either way. To fix, I could renumber all the poles or I could just draw the P and E upside down. I chose the latter.

So now (and I'll post a video soon), I can already scroll HOPE and CURE across my matrix. It was remarkably easy once I fixed my early mistakes.

More to come! Thanks for all the help.

Slinkard - your layout would possibly work, but would be a very inefficient use of power cords. Easiest construction will be to put a 16 channel controller between each pair of poles.

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: Slinkard
Date Posted: 12 Feb 2009 at 8:28am

Yeah, I noted the SPT1.

To fix the "Mirror" effect just flip you channels in Aurora i.e:

Turns into

1 16

2 15

3 14

Then you'll have it. Gotta remember that when doing text you are literally look at a mirror when working in Aurora.

Slink

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http://www.aurorashow.com/">

Coming soon www.computerizedlights.com

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 9:12am

OK, I've spent more time with this (plus the time to get more familiar with Aurora).

The link below will open a file directory. The "Jon letter test.dls" file is the file to download. It should offer to "Save" and "Open" now that the server knows what a DLS file is.

There is also a "Letter Test 2.dls" file that is new and works much better.

http://www.granburychristmaslights.com/files/ - Test file

If you play this (I had music behind it but it wasn't "synchronized" at all) you will notice that the first sets of letters are too skinny and may be hard to read as they scroll. Later, there are some "H" demos, one is double-wide, one is triple-wide. The double-wide may be the size of choice.

Testing continue. I still have to build the stupid poles and engineer a good method of anchoring them to bleacher seats. I can borrow enough controllers for the 128 channels this will consume but I'll need some more by Christmas.

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 10:48am

Cant remove the GIF status here. It brings it in as a GIF file and drops the GIF off the file name so I cant erase it. Anyone else get it to work?

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 11:08am

All fixed now, it appears. DLS files are now allowed by my server.

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 11:41am

I tried it on both FF and IE. I'll try it at lunch on my laptop and see what happens

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: Bigindian
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 6:23pm

Chris and Jon,

You both have mail about this subject.

Chris, follow the link to the file

cheers

David

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 9:35pm

Thanks David, that worked great

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 13 Feb 2009 at 10:02pm

Now I have something worthwhile completed.

Here's a YouTube shot of the Aurora screen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcLbfjIWx8A - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcLbfjIWx8A

Since there are 16 vertical poles with 8 segments each, that is an array of 128 pixels. On the Aurora Visualizer, I used the Mini-Tree tool to draw my 128 lights.

I'll post the latest Aurora file in the same folder as I did above (with the same naming workaround until they fix the MIME problem at the root of it.

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: ChrisL1976
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2009 at 12:20am

Looks great Jon!!!

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Chris

www.lightsonsixth.com

Posted By: Gary Martin
Date Posted: 18 Feb 2009 at 8:28am

Have you checked with Lindsay Lights to see how he did this exact thing in 2008? I think he mentioned a program he has that helps indicate which "pixels" should be on during each step of the side scroll.

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 18 Feb 2009 at 4:16pm

No, I didn't ask and turns out (for my very low resolution text) that it is very easy to do scrolling text. (from right to left, anyway) or even a big "smiley face" graphic. As long as the graphic or text can be done within a height of 8 pixels (low, low, low resolution), I can scroll it.

Since my width is planned to be "only"16 pixels, perhaps my next test will be how to scroll something up and down. It is probably harder, but I haven't tried.

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JonB - D-Light user

Posted By: JonB256
Date Posted: 23 Aug 2009 at 5:11pm

Scanning for new info, I notice that I never put a final post here.

My scrolling text worked well for the Relay for Life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NhJo08_pLE - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NhJo08_pLE