Build Log

Chronological notes from the build — decisions made, things discovered, steps taken.

2026-05-09 — Project started

Initial research into LED tech stack. Confirmed goals: ~100,000 LEDs, RGBWW for cathedral warmth, animated effects + ambient modes. Agreed on terminology: LEDs (individual emitters), pixels (addressable units), nodes (SmartReceiver boards).

Confirmed architecture: Falcon F48V5 + SmartReceivers over Cat6 differential signal.

2026-05-11 — 3D model analyzed

Analyzed Rhino model (exported from Blender). Confirmed key measurements:

  • Footprint: 36.5m × 28.3m, 19.2m tall
  • 8 scaffold towers, 11.9m tall
  • All 4 main spires identical: 7.31m tall, 1.76 × 1.53m base
  • Front spires sit higher (base at 11.9m) than back (base at 8.0m)
  • 20 corner spirelets in two height groups
  • Rose window: 4.877m diameter at Z = 3.1–8.0m

2026-05-13 — Rose window SVG + LED path

Exported petal framing and tracery from Rhino, converted to combined SVG. John drew the LED tape path in Illustrator (petal-combined-path-v3.svg). Path measured at 8,372mm / 502 LEDs per petal.

Established airplane-seat cell naming convention: rows 1–7, a/b/c columns. 14 cells per petal. Per-cell LED breakdown complete.

SRx4 ↔ F48V5 compatibility confirmed by David Pitts (pixelcontroller.com).

IP65 decided (not IP67/68) — Alex: silicone sleeves trap heat on playa.

2026-05-18 — Rose window finalized: WS2815 12V, dedicated PSU

Third iteration on rose window strip choice:

  1. WS2813 5V → needed 5V buck converter
  2. GS8208 24V → 24V IP65 not available from US suppliers; heat also a concern (~75W/m)
  3. WS2815 12V ✅ — WS2813’s successor, dual data line retained, 60px/m, widely available on Amazon Prime from BTF-Lighting

Key insight: the F48V5 differential signal to SmartReceivers carries no power. Each SmartReceiver has its own power input. So the rose window SRx4 runs at 12V while all other SmartReceivers run at 24V — no converter anywhere, each zone is self-contained.

Rose window PSU: 2× Mean Well HLG-320H-12 (320W, 12V) in parallel. Covers typical show brightness; third unit optional for full-white headroom.

Ordering today: 36 rolls WS2815 IP65 60/m 5m from BTF-Lighting (2 rolls per petal × 18 petals), SRx4, 2× HLG-320H-12, connectors, Cat6, thermal tape.

2026-05-17 — Zones SVG illustration; rose window chip changed to GS8208 24V

Zones illustration: Created a projected 2D illustration of all LED zones using a Python OBJ projection script (drawings/obj-to-svg.py). Per-zone OBJ files exported from Blender; projected through the Blender camera matrix into a single SVG with one named layer per zone. Rotated 92.16° CW to make the front spire vertical. Published to wiki as PNG at 2× resolution.

Zone names updated: “Small Spires” → “Corner Spires”; “Spires & Canopy” split into “Main Spires” + “Canopy”; “Interior Arches” added as distinct zone.

Rose window chip changed: Alex wants full 24V standardization — no buck converter, one voltage throughout. WS2813 is 5V-only. Investigated 24V alternatives at 60/m and found GS8208: constant-current driver gives 1 pixel per LED at 24V (unlike WS2818 which groups 3 LEDs = 10px/m at 30/m — too sparse).

GS8208 retains dual data line (breakpoint resume) and uses WS2811 protocol. IP65 conformal coating available.

Heat is the tradeoff (~75W/m at full white, ~15–30W/m at show brightness). Mitigation: thermal tape mounting to aluminum framing, night-only use. Test strips ordered before bulk purchase.

Buck converter (Mean Well SD-150B-5) removed from BOM.

2026-05-14 — Rose window spec finalized; wiki launched; zones defined

Rose window:

  • Petal count revised to 18 (16 installed + 2 spares)
  • Strip length 900cm per petal; 162m total (18 strips). BTF-Lighting max is 5m — options are single 9m custom-length strip (preferred, find supplier) or 2×5m rolls joined per petal.
  • Connector standard settled: BTF-Lighting IP65 threaded barrel, 22mm throughout. 3-pin for rose window (5V/GND/DATA), 4-pin for all 24V zones. Chosen over JST SM (playa failure history), GX16 (only IP55), and WEIPU SP13 (no pre-terminated strip options).
  • 24V throughout with Mean Well SD-150B-5 buck converter (24V→5V, 30A) at rose window. ⚠️ Must be B suffix — D suffix is 72–144V input and won’t work with 24V supply.
  • PSU candidate: Mean Well HLG-240H-24 (240W, 24V, IP65/67, wide input 90–305V AC). First unit ordered for NYC lab testing; becomes part of playa distribution.

Zones confirmed:

  • Rose Window — spec complete
  • Spires & Canopy — WS2811 globe nodes, 24V RGB (not RGBW)
  • Arches — SK9822 SPI vs WS2811 24V, undecided
  • Interior Orbs — ~26 beach-ball-scale glowing spheres inside structure; likely DIY polycarbonate globe + WS2811 nodes, approach TBD
  • Small Spires — 20 corner spirelets as translucent cones with RGB inside, approach TBD
  • (Flat surfaces removed as a zone)

Wiki:

  • Launched at the-gothic-folly.github.io/documentation/
  • GitHub org: The-Gothic-Folly, repo: documentation
  • Currently private; will open when ready
  • Shopping list published with links for Alex

The Gothic Folly — Burning Man 2026