P10 tune to sign construction.

[Tripplett]

Here's the information on my 6 panel Tune To sign.



I basically followed a YouTuber's design utilizing the magnets that come with the panels.



I found this easier than any of the pre-made boscoyo or other connectors (cheaper too). I wanted to get this started and will add more info later. For now here's some pics with some descriptions.

So I constructed my enclosure with 1x4 salt treated lumber picked up from Lowes. I needed only two 8' boards. I used some stainless screws I already had to assemble it. The back and lower front are covered with some leftover 1/4 paneling I also had on hand. A coat of flat black covers the whole thing. The upper part is 1/8" bigger than the width and height of the panels. The lower area is big enough to allow 1/2" clearance on each side of the power supply while lays on it's side.





I used a table saw to cut a 3/8" groove in the front for the plexiglass ($15 from Lowes). I also cut a few grooves in the back to slip in some 1" wide metal (also from Lowes. I think it was less than $10). Here is a spacing test fit with the magnets and the metal bands.





The back was wired using one of the power distribution boards that many of us picked up earlier this year. This made power distribution to each panel very easy.



I thought I had a picture of the lower space with the Beaglebone Black and power supply so I'll have to post that tomorrow. The whole thing is fairly light. I set up the FPP Beaglebone to connect wirelessly to my home wifi and it is running completely isolated from the show. It has the Tune To sequence scheduled and then 1 minute after showtime I scheduled a shutdown script to shut down the Beaglebone. I've been going out, unplugging it, and bringing it in every night but that will probably change once I silicone it all up.

I'll post some more on this later or tomorrow.

[Tripplett]

Here is it running.

[kidcole]

Beautiful ! 6 panels 18" high by 24" wide. Of course we'll want a demo and 30 min talk about it at the Feb TASL !

I'm thinking I'd like mine to be 24 high by 36 wide (12 panel). But if I went with yours, I could have two ! Can't wait to see it on the TASL tour .. and first TASL meeting.

[Tripplett]

Here is a peak into the electronics bay under the panels. I cut off the Beaglebone's transformer and just powered it off the main 5v power supply. For simplicity's sake I'm only using one of the eight outputs in the BBB cape. Eventually I will put some spacers under the power supply and Beaglebone.

[kidcole]

I like the little antenna on the BBB .. But I don't think we ever talked about those when we were buying the BBB kits. What is it ?

[Tripplett]

I mentioned them in another Pi thread and will have to look it up. I recommended them over the EdiMax ones due to the external antennae getting a little better range. Once I find the post I'll put up a link.

[Tripplett]

I couldn't find the post but here's a link to it on Amazon. It's from Detroit DIY Electronics and is about $11. From my testing it is slightly better but if you are working in a tight area or case the EdiMax ones are still good too. Also note that the BeagleBones and the Pis both recognize this adapter without any problems.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H95C0A2

[mpurser]

hay tripp check this out

[Tripplett]

That's pretty cool. The panel technology is really changing our hobby. I like this idea too.

[mpurser]

so cool but out of my league in a lot of ways.