Hi from Palmerston North

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mover85

29 posts

Geek

#302721 14-Dec-2022 20:26

Hi everyone, I've been on geekzone for a while now and I thought I
would share some information about me and my Christmas Lighting display.

My name is Aaron and I have Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I have been on a ventilator since 2006 and
now at 33 years old I have far exceeded the average life expectancy of someone
with DMD. Sadly I lost my younger brother, Nathan, to complications of DMD and suspected cancer
in May 2021. He did make it to 30 without ventilation which was his goal.

As I am only able to use a computer in bed, that's where I spend most of my time.

My interests include all things computers, multimedia and electronics.
I am a Christian and it is an important part of my life.

My lighting display is designed by me but my parents and support workers
do all the physical work. This takes about 4 months to put up due to limited time.
I use Vixen 3 for sequencing and export to fseq for the Falcon Player.

My equipment list includes:
Debian server running Home Assistant, Nodered, Falcon Player and NodeCG in Docker
This also includes Jack2 and Carla for audio processing.
RaspberryPi 3b+ running Falcon Player in remote mode and 4 for NodeCG frontend
Ubiquiti USW Pro 48 PoE (not just for lights), EdgeSwitch 10X x2
Mikrotik CSS106-5G-1S
FS SFP modules and fiber cables
Audinate Dante AVIO 2x2 USB and 2-Channel XLR Analog Output
Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 USB
DMX King eDMX1 PRO x2
Advatek PixLite 16 Long Range Mk2 x2, Long Range Isolated Receiver x14, PixLite 4 Rugged Mk2
HolidayCoro AlphaPix 4, AlphaPix 16, 3 Channel DMX Decoder x2, 30 Channel DMX Decoder and WS2811 LEDs
Nad amplifier
Chauvet SlimPAR 56 IP, Colorail IP IRC
BeamZ PAR 4x 8W Quad LEDs x2, BWA410, BWA412
TPLink HS110(AU) x5
Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Pro HDMI Live Switcher
Epson EB-990U LCD Projector
Bose speakers
FM transmitter
Various lights from Bunnings and Flexilight

I have put some photos of the setup at the following link
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wYLbNTMRUSwYnfwH7

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#3010021 14-Dec-2022 20:26

Welcome to Geekzone!

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RunningMan

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#3010028 14-Dec-2022 20:33

Welcome. I think you've put my 1 set of lights on a tree to shame though.

mover85

29 posts

Geek

#3010030 14-Dec-2022 20:40

RunningMan:

Welcome. I think you've put my 1 set of lights on a tree to shame though.

I think I might of, but I don't have a tree inside 😀

timmmay

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#3010034 14-Dec-2022 21:03

Welcome. Sounds pretty impressive! Do you have any video or photos of your setup? I just watched a short video about a guy who does Christmas lights using AWS.

RunningMan

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#3010035 14-Dec-2022 21:05

mover85: I have put some photos of the setup at the following link
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wYLbNTMRUSwYnfwH7

timmmay

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#3010040 14-Dec-2022 21:22

Ah I missed the link thanks. Looks great! You should probably make sure there's a smoke alarm near that rats nest of cables though! :)

Kraven

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#3010043 14-Dec-2022 21:43

Welcome to Geekzone!

So interesting to hear your story, the work that goes into creating these displays that bring joy to so many, young and old, is incredible. I'm so glad that you have the support of your family and carers to be able to bring your creations to life.

Thanks for posting the photos, I recognise your display and it's is definitely one of our family favourites. Sadly it was raining last Saturday so we only viewed from the road, hoping for better weather this weekend so we can walk in and view out the back!

mover85

29 posts

Geek

#3010059 14-Dec-2022 22:10

timmmay:

Ah I missed the link thanks. Looks great! You should probably make sure there's a smoke alarm near that rats nest of cables though! :)

Thank you, we try cable management every time and it ends up like this!

jarledb

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#3010061 14-Dec-2022 22:16

Very impressive!

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mover85

29 posts

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#3010062 14-Dec-2022 22:16

Kraven:

Welcome to Geekzone!

So interesting to hear your story, the work that goes into creating these displays that bring joy to so many, young and old, is incredible. I'm so glad that you have the support of your family and carers to be able to bring your creations to life.

Thanks for posting the photos, I recognise your display and it's is definitely one of our family favourites. Sadly it was raining last Saturday so we only viewed from the road, hoping for better weather this weekend so we can walk in and view out the back!

Thank you for your kind comments. I do have a transmitter on 107.7 FM for rainy days, just don't have a sign yet. I hope you can visit this weekend too.

michaelmurfy

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#3010069 15-Dec-2022 00:14

I may need to do a drive up to see it. Looks like you've put a whole lot of effort into this and have a clear passion for it also. Very impressive!

I can also speak for almost everyone we'll love if you could upload a video showing it off too :)

Do you do donations to a local Church, charity or something like that too? I could imagine you'll get a whole lot of visitors!

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Eva888

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#3010080 15-Dec-2022 07:42

Condolences Aaron for the loss of your brother, it must have been quite a blow. I so admire your courage under circumstances that give you few choices.

You are very talented doing this while dealing with physical challenges. Where there’s a will there’s a way comes to mind and I’ve just shown my grandchild what you do as a lesson in never giving up and being grateful for all the things we take for granted.

Agree with @michaelmurfy a video would be fantastic for those who can’t travel to see your display. Kudos to the family and supporters who are helping you and I’m sure some local geekzoners would be willing to assist with some aspects should you need practical help. A cable management bee comes to mind.

Wishing you joy in the company of great people over Christmas and your lights to shine bright.

Mehrts

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#3010170 15-Dec-2022 11:13

Hi Aaron, welcome to GZ!

Your display looks very impressive, and I'll be sure to pop over when I'm doing the rounds of all the Christmas displays around town.

You've put a lot of effort into the organising and execution of the display!

Cheers from a fellow Palmerstonian.

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mover85

29 posts

Geek

#3010172 15-Dec-2022 11:24

michaelmurfy:

I may need to do a drive up to see it. Looks like you've put a whole lot of effort into this and have a clear passion for it also. Very impressive!

I can also speak for almost everyone we'll love if you could upload a video showing it off too :)

Do you do donations to a local Church, charity or something like that too? I could imagine you'll get a whole lot of visitors!

It definitely takes a lot of effort!

I have got a video but it's a bit out of date, I am working on a new one at the moment.

My brother produced this video in 2019 https://youtu.be/UYI1w_G-jx8

I have considered collecting for charity but haven't done it yet

mover85

29 posts

Geek

#3010181 15-Dec-2022 11:46

Eva888: Condolences Aaron for the loss of your brother, it must have been quite a blow. I so admire your courage under circumstances that give you few choices.

You are very talented doing this while dealing with physical challenges. Where there’s a will there’s a way comes to mind and I’ve just shown my grandchild what you do as a lesson in never giving up and being grateful for all the things we take for granted.

Agree with @michaelmurfy a video would be fantastic for those who can’t travel to see your display. Kudos to the family and supporters who are helping you and I’m sure some local geekzoners would be willing to assist with some aspects should you need practical help. A cable management bee comes to mind.

Wishing you joy in the company of great people over Christmas and your lights to shine bright.

Thank you, it was quite a shock and I miss him every day.

It is a battle but I'm grateful for the things I am able to do.

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