From the Loftsmith Workshop

Pixel star prop for 12 mm bullet pixels, 300-600 mm

A star frame for your holiday lights, with a ring of holes along every arm that each hold a 12 mm bullet pixel. The dark hub in the middle sits on a short post, so the star stands upright. Change the number of points or the tip-to-tip size to suit your display.

7 parts · 195 g · 168 × 82 × 501 mm

by Loftsmith Workshop

White five-point star frame with rows of round holes, a dark hub in the middle and a thin post below
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No adjustable sizes

Ask for the sizes you want to tweak, e.g. “make the width adjustable”.

Change it in the Studio

Parts

  • arm ×5 · PETG · Front face down on the bed, wire channel and key tongue facing up; no supports

    One star point each, 127 x 168 x 10.6 mm, about 28 g and 40 min each at 2 walls / 15%. 9 pixel holes per arm at the defaults. Melt two M3 heat-set inserts into the back of the chord bar.

  • hub · PETG · Arm-contact face down, pole socket up; the socket bore and cross-bolt hole are teardrop-shaped, so no supports

    168 x 160 x 51 mm, about 50 g and 73 min.

  • hole-fit-strip · PETG · Face down

    Optional, about 6 g and 13 min. Three holes at 0.2 mm under, equal to and 0.2 mm over the hole slider, marked with 1, 2 and 3 dots. Print it first.

Print settings

Layer height
0.2 mm
Walls
3 walls recommended outdoors (the page stats use 2)
Infill
15%
Supports
None
Notes
PETG for cold and outdoor use (ASA is fine if you have an enclosure). At 2 walls / 15% the whole set is about 202 g and 4 h 56 min. At 3 walls / 15%, which I recommend outdoors, it is about 274 g and 6 h 42 min. Each arm and the hub is its own plate on a 180 mm bed. Print the hole fit strip first.

Hardware

  • 45 × 12 mm bullet pixels (WS2811 or similar) · Count at the default sliders; the Pixel lead check shows the count for your settings. Low-voltage pixels only.
  • 10 × M3 heat-set insert (about 4 mm OD, 5.7 mm long) · 2 per arm, in the back of the chord bar
  • 10 × M3 x 10 socket head screw · From the back of the hub into the arm inserts
  • M4 x 45 bolt, M4 nyloc nut and 2 washers · Cross bolt through the socket and pole. It is M4 x 50 for 1/2 in PVC or 3/4 in EMT; the log shows the length.
  • 1/2 in EMT pole (17.9 mm OD) · Or 1/2 in PVC (21.3 mm OD) or 3/4 in EMT (23.4 mm OD) using the Mounting pole choice. Drill one 4.5 mm hole across it, 37 mm below the top for 1/2 in EMT (40 mm for PVC, 46 mm for 3/4 in EMT).

Assembly

  1. Print the hole fit strip and push one of your pixels into each hole (1, 2 and 3 dots are 0.2 mm under, equal to and 0.2 mm over the slider). Set the Pixel hole diameter slider to the hole that clips in firmly, then print the arms.
  2. Melt two M3 heat-set inserts into the back of each arm's chord bar.
  3. Lay the hub face up with the socket underneath. Set each arm on it so the tongue on the arm's back drops into the slot in the hub pad.
  4. Drive two M3 x 10 screws from the back of the hub into each arm's inserts.
  5. Push the pixels in from the front, starting at the top tip and going round in one direction. Lay the wire between pixels in the channel on the back of the arms.
  6. Drill a 4.5 mm hole straight across the pole, 37 mm below its top for 1/2 in EMT (40 mm for 1/2 in PVC, 46 mm for 3/4 in EMT).
  7. Slide the hub socket down onto the pole until the pole meets the closed end. Line up the holes and fit the M4 cross bolt with washers and a nyloc nut, snug but not crushing the socket.

Good to know

  • Bullet pixels vary between makers. The hole size and the 15 mm flange and 28 mm barrel depth are assumptions, so print the fit strip before the arms.
  • One ring of pixels only. In xLights, set up a Star model with this node count and number of points, then set the start node and direction to match: node 1 is the top tip.
  • The gap between pixels is the smaller of the spacing slider and your lead length minus 15 mm of slack. Past that point, moving the spacing slider does not change the pixel count.
  • Wind numbers are calculations for a 25 m/s gust with the centre of pressure a quarter radius off centre, not a test. The pole itself and its ground anchor are not checked. Bring the prop in for storms.
  • The pole needs one 4.5 mm hole drilled through it for the cross bolt.
  • At 600 mm diameter, or with 8 points or deep inner radii, the arms or hub need a 256 mm bed. The bed check reports the largest piece.
  • Low-voltage pixels only; no mains wiring in or on the prop.
I printed this Remix

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