wmrcomputers
Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
This might sound bizarre as it's only March, but time & planning is essential so please read on.
For the last few years I've put up a static christmas light display on our house. Nothing special there - it's something Staffordians seem to have gone crazy doing.
However, for 2009 I want to be DIFFERENT enough to raise money for the Special Baby Care unit at Stafford hospital - our choice because my wife always had VERY premature births, and without them at least 2 of our kids would not be here today. Enough said.
This year I am turning our lightshow into a fully musical animation! (yes I've watched too many American movies!). I'm fairly confident that this will be the first of it's kind in Stafford.
Obviously we already own most of the lighting required. I've spent a couple of hundred already this year on additional lighting, plus a special PC controlled relay board to allow a PC to switch the lights on & off at very fast speeds. I've spent an enourmous amount of time developing a program to run a series of animations to some very dramatic pieces of music (including the classic Wizards of Winter as seen on various adverts) and now I'm more desperate than ever to make it all happen.
THE HELP I NEED.....
Items still required (which I simply can't afford to buy) are as follows.
1. An old (not even necessarily working) laptop PC. The spec is totally unimportant as long as it is capable of running Windows XP and has a parallel port (the long socket used originally for older type printers before USB ones were born). I had one off Shoes (cheers buddy), but should have thought about this project before doing a friend a favour!
2. Not 100% sure on how to go about it, but I need to create a big (8 to 10ft ish) tree to the side of the house. A tree would be the obvious choice but I'd have nowhere to put it away throughout the year, so I'm thinking more along the lines of a pole (scaffold or something?) which would have strings of lights coming down to the ground in a tree shape. By day it wouldn't resemble a tree but in the dark it would still give the desired effect.
3. Some kind of waterproof junction box for the cables (mains) to connect into on the outside wall. It would need to house 14 terminals and would be a permanent fixture to the wall. The cables coming into the house will again be enclosed into a terminal box (already sorted) and connected to the computer equipment when it hits December.
4. A drum of BLACK round mains cable (rating not too important as most lighting being used is fairly low wattage or LED's)
5. A pair of old amplified speakers (built in amp) - tatty won't matter as long as they work good enough for music to be heard clearly enough at opposite side of the street
6. If anyone has anything other that they think would be of great use please let me know.
I know it's a big ask, but PLEASE try to help me to help a good cause!!
If you guys can help, there will be a nice mention of STAFFORDFORUM.COM placed on a sign outside too.
Thanks for reading!
Wayne
For the last few years I've put up a static christmas light display on our house. Nothing special there - it's something Staffordians seem to have gone crazy doing.
However, for 2009 I want to be DIFFERENT enough to raise money for the Special Baby Care unit at Stafford hospital - our choice because my wife always had VERY premature births, and without them at least 2 of our kids would not be here today. Enough said.
This year I am turning our lightshow into a fully musical animation! (yes I've watched too many American movies!). I'm fairly confident that this will be the first of it's kind in Stafford.
Obviously we already own most of the lighting required. I've spent a couple of hundred already this year on additional lighting, plus a special PC controlled relay board to allow a PC to switch the lights on & off at very fast speeds. I've spent an enourmous amount of time developing a program to run a series of animations to some very dramatic pieces of music (including the classic Wizards of Winter as seen on various adverts) and now I'm more desperate than ever to make it all happen.
THE HELP I NEED.....
Items still required (which I simply can't afford to buy) are as follows.
1. An old (not even necessarily working) laptop PC. The spec is totally unimportant as long as it is capable of running Windows XP and has a parallel port (the long socket used originally for older type printers before USB ones were born). I had one off Shoes (cheers buddy), but should have thought about this project before doing a friend a favour!
2. Not 100% sure on how to go about it, but I need to create a big (8 to 10ft ish) tree to the side of the house. A tree would be the obvious choice but I'd have nowhere to put it away throughout the year, so I'm thinking more along the lines of a pole (scaffold or something?) which would have strings of lights coming down to the ground in a tree shape. By day it wouldn't resemble a tree but in the dark it would still give the desired effect.
3. Some kind of waterproof junction box for the cables (mains) to connect into on the outside wall. It would need to house 14 terminals and would be a permanent fixture to the wall. The cables coming into the house will again be enclosed into a terminal box (already sorted) and connected to the computer equipment when it hits December.
4. A drum of BLACK round mains cable (rating not too important as most lighting being used is fairly low wattage or LED's)
5. A pair of old amplified speakers (built in amp) - tatty won't matter as long as they work good enough for music to be heard clearly enough at opposite side of the street
6. If anyone has anything other that they think would be of great use please let me know.
I know it's a big ask, but PLEASE try to help me to help a good cause!!
If you guys can help, there will be a nice mention of STAFFORDFORUM.COM placed on a sign outside too.
Thanks for reading!
Wayne
.
This is not a deal breaker though mate. Lappy is your to lend regardless I just think that would be well funny.
Forgot just how old that lappy was.
