Accessoire de lumière de Noël Star'N'Rings

This is a 3D Printed model designed to take 120 Seed pixels. You can use 5 or 12 Volt seed pixels. As you can see it is a double 5 pointed star with 3 concentric rings incorporated to add another dimension.

The prop is made in multiple parts and is designed to fit on some of the smaller print beds. I have included mounting attachments but you will need to drill the prop for the appropriate size bolts. I use 4mm screws, but something similar (eg 3/16") is fine for the non-metric amongst you. For mounting the prop onto tube I have included files for clips in 20mm, 1/2",3/4" conduit/emt size. All clips have space for a zip tie that you can feed around the tube for extra security, and one of the mounts has ties for the incoming/outgoing cable.

The seed pixels are fed through from the back and the seeds sit flat to the model. There is no need for any glue for the lights, and the slots will fit most, if not all, seed pixels available, even the slightly larger and thicker cable ones. Importantly you will need 100mm spacing between pixels.
The lights I used were very cheap from Aliexpress (for example https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007272123397.html ) and they even came with a small USB controller and remote remote, which was sufficient for testing. They were ok, but there are better quality ones available. In UK/Europe I recommend that you look at https://buildalightshow.com/ for the lights (and lots of other home lighting stuff).

I have included a test plate with just two pixels holes in them for you to quickly print (about 17 min print) and check your seed pixels will fit. If you have any issues get back to me and I may be able to help.

You can of course use the prop as rings or star or both, and I have included an Xlight model, with some sub models, to give you a start. I am sure many of you can come up with many others. As someone said, it is almost a pentagon for use at Halloween. I have also included a wiring diagram (rear of prop view) showing the best way to wire it up as a single strand, noting you need the 100mm seed spacing.

Printing:
As it will be outside, I printed all components of the prop in PETG. I used 0.2mm layer,4 top and bottom layers, 3 walls and 15% gyroid infill. All the pieces should be orientated with the back of the prop on the bed of the printer. There are some lap ts in the design and hence the "star" parts need some where it will "cross over" the rings. In fact i used for all the pieces as it gave a better finished print to the shaped holes, and didnt add that much time to the overall print. It did mean clearing small pieces of from each seed hole, but easily done with a small screwdriver.

The outer ring and main star element requires 5 to be printed of each to make the full model. The middle ring can also be printed as 5 "single" elements, although I found on my Bambu P1S I can fit a double size of this part. So you can either print 5 single elements or 2 double and single for the middle ring. Both STLs are given in the files.

Assembly:
All the parts interlock and whilst a tight fit, a quick tap with a hammer will help. On a flat surface, start with the rings and lay the star parts over the top of them. You can add glue (I used CA super Glue) for added security, especially on the lap ts between the star and rings.. The three bracket mounts (you dont really need the bottom mount) are glued to the back and the clips bolt through them. I have included a picture of the mount location on the prop. You will need to drill though the prop to fit them. I used 4mm set screws (bolts), but 3/16" is fine for the non-metric amongst you. I found it best to glue on the bracket mounts, then tighten up the clips before fully dry to ensure a strong t.

Wiring:
A wiring diagram is given in the files. This is the best way, in my opinion, to wire the prop with a single strand of pixels with 100mm spacing. Note the wiring diagram is a view from the rear of the prop. The input and output cables are at the bottom middle of the star. Hence the mounting bracket that can take a couple of zip tie. As normal, I connect both the incoming and outgoing power together (obviously +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve )which helps with voltage balancing. With just 120 seed pixels on this model there is no need for any further power injection/balancing.