Cabella Porqupine Balls

[kentd]

I am curious as to how others that have used these balls for Starbursts have had the balls hold up as to durability, I have noticed in working with my display that they are not really that strong especially in connecting them to the pole that they attach to.
I have thought about running some kind of reinforcment from inside the bottom PVC into the Top PVC to strengthen the connection that glues to the PVC Insert in the bottom, I had one break away completely from the ball leaving a hole in the ball.
Any comments etc. would be appreciated.
Thanks

[neil]

I used them a couple of years ago and decided that they were too fragile. So they have been retired.

[plaberge]

Definitely fragile. I make sure that the rebar that I use to plant them in the ground goes all the way into the ball. It runs through the same type of PEX tube as the quills. I also use two or three tied downs to prevent the ball from turning or swaying in the wind. Have been using for three years without problems. I've got a spare ball - easy to change out if I do break one. And the balls are quite inexpensive - so even if I needed to use a new ball every year, no big deal.

[kentd]

Paul what I have found is the way I used the ball was to put pieces of 1/2" PVC into the holes and use the bottom hole for a 3/4" pipe thread to attach it to the pole, with the pole guy wired for stability.
The breakage seemed to be in this bottom connection. I have an adopted (not actual adoption) grandson that is a machinist and we came up with an idea that I think will work. We are taking a piece of 1/2" steel conduit and drilling out the top and bottom PVC so the conduit will fit inside the PVC. This will create a much stronger method as I will epoxy both ends to bond the conduit to the PVC and the ball. Now there is a fulcrum that should bear any pressure and not break. I hope this will work as I like the Starburst effect which for the last two years I have not had in my display. This year after the season I was trying to get the Starbursts to work and that is when all the fun began with breakage which to say the least, very disappointing. I thought about replacing these with Boscoyo's Living Light Show Snowflakes, but after fixing 75 tubes with pixel bulbs I am stubborn enough to see if I can make these work. The pixels in the tubes look really great. The picture is of the one I got built and is also the one that really broke at the base. When I get the tubes enlarged and the conduit inserted, I will post pictures of the damage and the repair.

[algerdes]

kentd, please post a picture of this when it is ready.  A very interesting idea!

[Skunberg]

Over on DIYC someone remade them with steel pipe. Cut 1 inch pieces and fit 3 together to make a ball, welded nipples on them. Basically a steel version.

[plaberge]

Paul what I have found is the way I used the ball was to put pieces of 1/2" PVC into the holes and use the bottom hole for a 3/4" pipe thread to attach it to the pole, with the pole guy wired for stability.

I can see why that broke... To add to my post, I ensure the rebar goes through the bottom hole and goes into the top hole - not too deep. That way the ball is stabilzed both at top and bottom.

[arw01]

Have a 3d printer on the horizon, thinking of making a collar that would go around the ball and reinforce it.  Also figured on putting a pipe through the ball as well to give it something to really attach to.

[kentd]

Paul what I have found is the way I used the ball was to put pieces of 1/2" PVC into the holes and use the bottom hole for a 3/4" pipe thread to attach it to the pole, with the pole guy wired for stability.

I can see why that broke... To add to my post, I ensure the rebar goes through the bottom hole and goes into the top hole - not too deep. That way the ball is stabilzed both at top and bottom.

Paul, I wish I had known that in the beginning I would have done things differently. Based on what you have said I think my idea of the conduit insertion will create the same effect as your rebar, I hope.
BTW you were the inspiration to do these in the first place.
Thanks for the extra information.

[plaberge]

Have a 3d printer on the horizon, thinking of making a collar that would go around the ball and reinforce it.  Also figured on putting a pipe through the ball as well to give it something to really attach to.

If you do, please post the STL. Extra reinforcement wouldn't hurt.

[babybear]

I kinda like the ball. Will go good up on the chimney. Looks like I could take some 3 inch pipe and just weld some 3/8 x 2inch gas pipe to it, middle row straight cut and the upper and lower cut at 45 deg. 3/4 pex will thread right over the threaded 3/8 pipe. They are using white pex?
   Almost thinking of straight, 30 and 60 deg up and down with a right and left offset.  the one in the pix has 25 tubes I'm thinking 41. 10 lights each 401 bullets...

[kentd]

Jimmy the picture is using pex that slips over 1/2" pvc stubs. Each tube is 30" long and has 12 ws2811 bullet pixels zip tied at about 2 1/4" spacing with return wire coming back down. The connectors are Ray Wu 13.5mm, the very top and the 8 at an 45 degree angle make up row 1 for 108 pixels, tube 9 then feeds into a 3 conductor plug to feed tube 10 along with power injected to run row 2 of 96 and row 3 of 96 tube 17 will feed into tube 18 so this looks like two 3 conductor plugs and a 2 conductor plug on one end and two 3 conductor plugs on the other end for the next tubes to get signal and power, power is only fed to the exit tube from power injection not the tubes connecting to the exit plugs. I did it this way so it doesn't matter which tubes connect where. The power is fed from a 10 amp spade fuse using only one two conductor power cord to reach the starburst and one three conductor cord for starting power and signal for 300 ws2811 bullet pixels.

The pictures show a complete tube with 1/2" hole about 2" in from the end and a clamp, The next picture is the pixel string out of the tube and the empty tube behind the string. This way you can see how it was zip tied.

[plaberge]

Good job Kent. I connected my pixels similarly to you, but I didn't bother to zip-tie the bullets, so I only got 9 per 30-inch tube. Even with wider spacing, it still looks cool. When I built these, it was not possible to drive more than 128 pixels per controller. I connected 13 tubes together for the top (117 pixels), and 12 tubes for the bottom (108 pixels) and I drive each group of tubes using a uSC. As the controllers are connected to the hub with CAT5, I can space these as far apart as I want.

[Boof63]

wondering waht you guys are using fro the actual ball in the middle of the porcupine please
Cheers Boof63

[babybear]

I kinda tried to look up the same thing and came up with nothing. But I like the look. the one thing I hear its fragile. So what I going to do is a 3" round pipe/steel 4 to 5" long with 3/8 threaded gas pipe welded off. 8 per ring, top and bottom cut at 45deg middles straight cut and one straight up at the top. 25 total. 3/8 gas pipe will thread right into 3/4 pex tubing. easy storage. at the bottom I can weld any thing I want  for the stand. Ill do pix and drawings when I start. need to finish the Ferris wheel first.