How To Build LED Pixel Driveway Arches

#lightshow #arches #drivewayarches #pixels #ghost
Many of us have been to those professional light displays where people can walk or drive underneath lit up arches. Do you want to add arches over your sidewalk or driveway?
There are a lot of things to consider
• Will the arch be tall enough to walk or drive under?
• Will the arch stand up against strong winds?
• How should I mount my pixels?
Today, we’re covering how we created our
pixel driveway arches using sturdy three quarter inch PVC frame and flexible foam insulation.
Let’s get building!
Amazon affiliate links: The following links are materials I've used in my projects. They are Amazon affiliate links, and BytesOfPi does get a commission if you purchase materials from this link. The links do not add to the cost of the items online. We use a large portion of the earnings to purchase materials for future videos so thanks for your support!
Amazon
-) 3/16 inch Vinyl covered Wire Rope (1/8 in total diameter) (amzn.to/3TNm2pg)
-) M3 Stainless Steel Thimble for 1/8 Inches Diameter Wire Rope (amzn.to/3DEB3UY)
-) 1/8 Inch M3 Stainless Steel Wire Rope Cable Clip Clamp (amzn.to/3FnpRxe)
-) NHZ 12” Ground Rebar Stakes Heavy Duty J Hook Ground Anchors (amzn.to/3U6OUIZ)
Big Box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Harbor Freight, Ace, etc...)
-) 3/4 in. x 10 ft. PVC Sch. 40 Pipe
-) 3/4 in. PVC coupling
-) 1/2 in. x 3 ft. Foam Pre-Slit Pipe Insulation (4-Pack)
-) 32 Gal Vented Black Round Trash Can
-) Twist and Seal Outdoor Extension Cord Cover and Plug Protection
-) 11 inch black zip ties
-) Black duct tape
Table of Contents
00:00 - Intro
00:29 - Forming the PVC frame
01:27 - Pixels into the foam insulation
03:41 - Arch Controller connections
05:29 - Arch components
06:37 - How data and power flows
07:34 - Wrap Up

[@rachaelb9164]

That’s actually a good idea to put the controller box inside a wood box. Keep the uv light off the plastic and give an additional layer of protection from moisture.

[@socjuanjo43]

Simple and very interesting.
Thanks for your videos.

[@BytesOfPi]

Thanks! If you're building your own show, I hope it works out for you as well!

[@mewrongway]

We used hot water and capped the ends until water cooled. Never thought of sand! Awesome video! Thanks

[@BytesOfPi]

Did the water work well for you? Since the pipes are made to transport water, I thought they wouldn't be able to get hot enough to bend the pipe before turning to steam. Like to hear your experience since water is probably easier to clean up if spilled.

[@mewrongway]

@@BytesOfPi Yes water worked good. Got it to a boil and then filled the pipe and put the pipe in a jig made from a 4x8 sheet plywood and nails. Let it cool then dumped the water. It has to be boiling hot so you have to move quick to fill and cap and get into jig.

[@zephsmith3499]

After trying to heat PVC pipes for an arch a few years ago - which came out uneven as some parts bent more easily than others - I tried just using tension for arches over my sidewalk. Used two grey electrical conduit PVC pipes per arch, because they have a great coupling built in. I cut off 1' on either end of the pair (for a total length of 18' per arch), so that the coupling used to connect them was at the top. Used a 4' rebar on each end, and just bent the PVC, so it's under tension. In my case, I spray painted the conduit white and made candy cane stripes with red vinyl (electrical) tape.
They were used for 3-4 years in various ways every Christmas, but in Feb 2020 during the first dark times of the pandemic I kept them up all year. Now my spouse likes to have them up all year, enjoys walking under them when we go out at night (eg: for a walk), and it's nice when coming home after dark. We have received a number of positive comments from people who drive or walk by every day.
So the walkway arches have now been up for 3 years continuously, plus a few seasons before that. If I recall, the electrical PVC is UV resistant, but the spray paint may help as well.
These were originally used with red, green and blue strands of incan Christmas lights and computer controlled dimmers (Renard). Then just multicolor LEDs for a while. Christmas 2021 I switched to bullet pixels zip tied to the inside of the PVC curve every second pixel (or as needed), which looks fine to me. The wires are between the pixels are stretched out along the PVC - no extra length to hide like your 2" spacing - but visible, so it might not appeal to everybody.
The walkway curves slightly from the sidewalk to the gateway of the courtyard, between two trees which dominate either side, so it's like a little fairy path through the woods (but only about 30' long :)
However I'm thinking about your use of foam pipe insulation as a cheap flexible mount elsewhere! Thanks.

[@BytesOfPi]

The winter months here in the northern hemisphere are especially dark for a good portion of the and passing houses that are lit really lift my spirits. My wife and daughter also enjoy walking/driving underneath our arches.
I still have colored LEDs inside my house up year round and probably won't take my Christmas tree down until February. However I'm too chicken to possibly provoke my HOA and neighbors by leaving my external lights up past mid January.
Thanks for sharing your setup!

[@zephsmith3499]

@@BytesOfPi I'm glad in this case not to be part of an HOA. They probably would also not like some of my Christmas lighting (Like the 12' high pi-shaped frame I use for some of it).
In other parts of town, I've seen Christmas displays that put arches over the public sidewalks (in front of their residential homes). I haven't pushed it that far, but as one of the two trees in the front extends out over the sidewalk, I do put some lights out above people's heads.
The neighbors across the street are Burners, so it's cool with them.

[@anthonygoddard2620]

What’s your reason for using WT32-ETH01 versus Kulplight controller? Cost? Do you feel there are limitations to using WT32 versus another controller?

[@BytesOfPi]

The WT32-ETH01 microcontroller with WLED was $15 (now about $17) and wasn't just a receiver, but a full fledged stand alone controller with built in Ethernet.
Mainstream controllers like falcon ran around $300+ for the main controller and $50-$70 for each receiver.
The WLED ESP32 wireless boards were just as cheap, but couldn't handle a lot of streaming E1.31 data. They needed an Ethernet shield which doubled the cost. There were other Ethernet built boards but they were POE which tripled their price.
WLED also is a great program to run lights while not running a show through xLights.
You do need to purchase your own level shifter, fuses, and programmer, but you only need to purchase what you use and you don't have to pay for extra stuff you don't use on a professionally made board. Also have to feel comfortable soldering pins and flashing microcontrollers
$15 was a nice entry price to see if I wanted to get into the hobby. I now run my entire show off of four WT32-ETH01 boards w just under 4500 pixels. Not bad for $60

[@anthonygoddard2620]

@@BytesOfPi wow. Nice. I’m definitely checking it out. Do you have another means of contacting you to chat. I heard in one of your videos Cincinnati, I live about 30 min from Eastgate, not sure what part of Cincinnati you are from.

[@BytesOfPi]

@@anthonygoddard2620 I have been dabbling and answering questions in the r/WLED Reddit channel. I've ventured onto the WLED discord server, but it is a little too chaotic for me.
If you're in the Cincinnati area, hope you got to check out blink this year. It definitely can give you ideas if you are interested in lighting.

[@michaelt.9372]

Why is your sound sped up? I had to watch at .75 playback speed

[@BytesOfPi]

Good question. Most of the How To videos I watch, I find myself speeding the video up to get past the fluff and into the meat of what they are trying to get at. In certain sections that seemed to drag, I bumped it up to 1.3x so those that watch don't have to wait.