How about that sign - I-40, straight up.

Back 2 The Future 2 style........

All the LEDs appeared to be working tonight! It was beautiful and bright!

I saw it last night and one side was completely off

I saw it last night and one side was completely off

I was viewing from I40. The other sides were really bright. A lot brighter than I have seen before.

It also looked like someone was having a paaarrrrttttaaayyy in the banquet space at the top. Lights were flashing and changing colors. It looked like a disco. lol

Devon Tower never looks "stronger" than when you see it on a backdrop of nothing but dark grey clouds.

Looks like "Thunder" is being spelled out on the tower tonight in changing colors.

If anyone can snap a photo, that would be cool.

It's kinda hard to see, but it does say Thunder:
3642

Also, it's rotating with "Go":
3640

Thanks Shawn!

When I saw it on the webcam before, it was the letters with a dark background. Obviously, they are getting ready for the playoffs.

But you can also see the LED's in the three sides of the crown are still very messed up.

So there is a table with laptops and two guys sitting in the gardens near that new crosswalk (as of around 10pm). It appeared they were running diagnostics on the LEDs via wireless or a connection to the sidewalk somewhere.

So I am pretty sure they are working on it almost 24/7 right now. Probably rushing for playoffs. The crane and physical labor was deployed this afternoon.

Yes, they probably have to get some distance to see what is happening on the outside.

But you can see from Shawn's photos (if you look at the hi-res versions) that there are still tons of panels on the sides that are out of commission.

Hope they get it all worked out soon. There are tons of capabilities we have yet to see.

It's kinda hard to see, but it does say Thunder:
3642

Also, it's rotating with "Go":
3640

Nice shots. To be honest, I can't make out the word "Thunder" (or any other word, for that matter) no matter how long I stare at that or squint.

But I'm glad they're trying.

It's spelled vertically in light blue on the dark blue background. The "E" is just above the St. Anthony blue neon light. Work your way up.

Nice shots. To be honest, I can't make out the word "Thunder" (or any other word, for that matter) no matter how long I stare at that or squint.

But I'm glad they're trying.

Look for the N about halfway down that is in the inset...It's in yellow and the rest of the lighting is blue.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/UnFrSaKn/Downtown%20OKC/thunderdevontower.jpg

Alright....Thoooonnnnnday!

The LED system seems like it will be a maintence nightmare for Devon. It wouldn't surprise me if they give up on actually programming anything a few years from now and just keep it one color just so they can make it look halfway decent.

The LED system seems like it will be a maintence nightmare for Devon. It wouldn't surprise me if they give up on actually programming anything a few years from now and just keep it one color just so they can make it look halfway decent.

Actually, once they get all the fixtures working, LED is almost zero maintenance.

But it has been like an epic poem to get this lighting project done.

Actually, once they get all the fixtures working, LED is almost zero maintenance.

But it has been like an epic poem to get this lighting project done.I think he might have been referring to the "technical" part of it. Possibly continuing problems with coding, programing, computers and what not. At least, thats what I would think.

LOL it will never get done. Devon got jipped big time by whatever LED company sold these to them.

More than probably any conversation on this board, the LED discussion associated with Devon Tower reminds me of lyrics to "Ten Thousand Words" by The Avett Brothers:

...Ain’t it like most people? I’m no different
We love to talk on things we don’t know about...

My guess would be that Devon has to identify the problem with each light before they can begin to order more from the supplier. The supplier probably doesn't have any extra just laying around since this was such a specialized project, and will then have to produce the specific amount the Devon needs to have replaced due to mechanical failure. So I'm guessing once the ball gets rolling on replacement it won't be very long. I just prefer to laugh about it since somebody obviously laid a giant egg.

I know people at the company doing the lighting.

All the fixtures are custom, so they are not only replacing / fixing those that were damaged during install, they are making a bunch of extras for any future needs.

They really want to be substantially done in the next two weeks and will have people on-site working hard.


The LED fixtures were integrated into the window panels and many were damaged during installation. Unfortunately, they could only be tested once a floor was largely complete and all the other trades were out of the way. The lighting contractor will be the last to leave the job site.

I'd rather see Thunder banners on our buildings than to struggle to identify what the letters say on the sides of Devon. They are doing the most with the least. -__-

They seem to be working on it every night. Lots of interesting things were going on tonight (including a more readable "Thunder"), didn't have a chance to get a pic or video, sorry.

...from 63rd & Robinson I noticed the tower about 10 mins ago... holy crap the LED's seem EXTREMELY bright compared to what I've seen in the past. I was viewing it directly from the north and could see an extremely bright pink display... which typically when viewed from that angle, one doesn't notice the lights as much. Pete, in the past you had mentioned that the LED's were capable of being brighter than what we had seen so far... is this still the case?

...from 63rd & Robinson I noticed the tower about 10 mins ago... holy crap the LED's seem EXTREMELY bright compared to what I've seen in the past. I was viewing it directly from the north and could see an extremely bright pink display... which typically when viewed from that angle, one doesn't notice the lights as much. Pete, in the past you had mentioned that the LED's were capable of being brighter than what we had seen so far... is this still the case?

Yes, the typical mode is only a fraction of the maximum amount of brightness.

The contractor is busting tail trying to get the system fully operational for the NBA playoffs.

Why were you downtown @ 2am on a Thursday?! Just kidding, but yes I have seen the techs out in the Gardens area setup with laptops and programming devices at night.

From my place in midtown, I have a front row seat to the view the testing. I don't know all of what they've done, but the building looks fantastic, even with some kinks they still need to work out. Much better than the lighting that was on the building originally. They are very bright and vivid. Also the "Go Thunder" scrolling was being tested last night and it looked great. I couldn't find my camera in time, but it will look great on television.

They are spelling out THUNDER again tonight on the building... Looks much sharper.

Can anyone get some good photos and/or video??

http://ftpcontent.worldnow.com/kwtv/weather/Sandridge_00006.jpg?1366426719085

Why were you downtown @ 2am on a Thursday?! Just kidding, but yes I have seen the techs out in the Gardens area setup with laptops and programming devices at night.

I work nights this week and was on lunch break!

@DailyThunder posted a video earlier tonight...

At around 900pm the lights were very bright. Much more brighter than usual... Very noticeable from the airport.

From this random I follow on Instagram - carliwentworth

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8266/8667551412_4613c3e739_b.jpg

Not a single light is on tonight. You can't even tell that there's a 844-ft behemoth of a tower there unless you're within 5 miles of it or you already knew that it's there.

Not a single light is on tonight. You can't even tell that there's a 844-ft behemoth of a tower there unless you're within 5 miles of it or you already knew that it's there.

Agreed. Even if the LEDs aren't working they should at least light the crown. It's dissappointing when its not lit at all which lately has been more often than not. Are they still working out the kinks or will it only be lit for special events?

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/UnFrSaKn/Downtown%20OKC/68554_10151416298583995_1621277207_n.png

Nice!!!!!!

Wow! They just showed the tower on TNT and it was saying "GO" and then "THUNDER" and the crown was sparkling. It was awesome!

Just saw it on the TV broadcast. That is awesome. I did not know that they could spell things out with the LEDs. Pretty neat.

On the NBA broadcast they just showed the alternating "Go" and "Thunder" on the sides of the building and the crown was flashing splotches of Thunder blue.

Looked pretty impressive and I'm sure they'll be able to do much more in the near future.

Looked pretty impressive and I'm sure they'll be able to do much more in the near future.

We were all too quick to judge how "cheap" the LED's looked earlier in the year and last year. We just had to be patient.

I know there are almost an infinite number of colors and each 3-foot vertical section can be controlled individually, like a pixel.

So, once they get all the fixtures working and tested, they'll be able to do some amazing programs.


We haven't even seen a fraction of the capabilities.

http://youtu.be/dOuzrYrPFCY

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/devonthunder.jpg

We were all too quick to judge how "cheap" the LED's looked earlier in the year and last year. We just had to be patient.

Yea, let them off that easy? :rolleyes:


It only took playoffs rushing down their throats to get it done.





It does look awesome. I really want to see pulsing from the bottom up, in thunder colors would be cool.

We were all too quick to judge how "cheap" the LED's looked earlier in the year and last year. We just had to be patient.
Not all of us.

The whole LED discussion has bordered on ridiculous, with a bunch of people who know very little about what has actually been going on (I'll include myself in this lot) opining like experts, or acting like the temporary incompleteness of the project was somehow injurious to them, personally (I WON'T put myself in this group).

For the record, there are still just about as many non-functional LED strips on the building as ever, including a month or two ago when some here were saying the entire building should be darkened until all were fixed, or that it gave an impression that this is "a bad part of town," the equivalent of broken windows on a building.

Now everyone says it looks brilliant because - like I've said all along - when viewed from a distance (how most will experience the building, including those seeing it on TV) the darkened strips are barely visible if at all. I have no doubt they will eventually all work, and that we've only seen the surface scratched as far as the potential for light shows.

I know the point of this board is discussion, and that criticism is often a fair part of that, but sometimes maybe we should give it a rest, understanding that large projects are very complex, take time, and involve issues that we aren't privy to or don't fully understand, and occasionally perhaps just enjoy the results of others' labor and investment.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/UnFrSaKn/Downtown%20OKC/68554_10151416298583995_1621277207_n.png
That's a cool shot! I saw the Thunder posted it on Instagram

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/422140_176831122471976_1522254847_n.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=176831122471976&set=a.146884518799970.33425.144377952383960)

Source: https://www.facebook.com/BricktownBikeBar

I have to say, I hadn't seen this before and coming out of the game last night and seeing it for the first time...... awesome. I think a lot of people coming out of the arena was impressed.

I was just about to say the same thing. There were tons of people taking pictures of the building coming out of the game last night. It was quite impressive from that angle.

Devon Tower gets gold LEED certification... Devon just always seems to do things the right way:

Devon Energy earns green building certification for Oklahoma City headquarters | News OK (http://newsok.com/devon-energy-earns-green-building-certification-for-oklahoma-city-headquarters/article/3796049)

Comments about the "new" downtown we're creating in an Oklahoma Today article:

Oklahoma Today - EB 20130422 - Be There Now (http://oklahomatoday.com/oklahomatoday/COMMUNITY/Editor's_Blog/EB_20130422_-_Be_There_Now.html)

Not really specific to the Devon Tower, though the tower is the starring attraction.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8653184748_097482a004_z.jpg



This is downtown Oklahoma City’s new normal.


From Nowheresville to The Place to Be.

Below is an internal news story highlighted on Devon's intranet:

Devon Tower lighting feature goes viral
‘GO THUNDER’ salute receives universal praise
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Page Content
​Executive Chairman Larry Nichols says he’s never been more proud than he was late Sunday night.

It wasn’t the Thunder’s rout of Houston in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series that warmed Nichols’ heart, but rather what followed immediately thereafter.

As he and wife Polly tried to exit the arena, they got stuck in a logjam inside the northwest doors. People seemed to be milling about just outside, inadvertently preventing those inside from leaving.

Upon finally making it out the doors, Nichols discovered what was causing the bottleneck.

“Everybody was standing in place, pointing up to the Devon Tower, and all of them were in amazement,” Nichols said. “The vast majority were taking pictures with their phones.”

What gripped them was the sight of neon Thunder blue letters — each one five stories tall — forming the strobing cheer “GO THUNDER” on Devon Tower. A separate lighting effect created a faux rainstorm on the building's crown.

“I’ve never felt more proud,” Nichols said.

If you didn’t see it Sunday night, don’t worry: The lighting effect will adorn the tower each game night throughout the playoffs, beginning tonight.

8,000 ‘likes’

The lighting treatment was shown nationally during TNT’s game broadcast. The Thunder posted photos on its Facebook page late Sunday. By Monday afternoon, the photos had been “liked” more than 8,000 times, shared about 800 times and generated more than 100 comments.

Among those Facebook comments:
“Now that’s how we show our thunder spirit.”
“That is beautiful! Devon Energy, you’ve done our city proud!”
“Thank you Devon Energy! Awesome Thunder Up.”
“Devon is so awesome!” “I love this town!!”
Similar accolades, many featuring camera-phone photos, were seen on scores of individual Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

The city’s universal endorsement was the pinnacle of a process four years in the planning. Several people worked into the wee hours over the last few weeks to make sure it went off without a hitch, said Mary Hill, vice president of Hines, the development and property manager for Devon Energy Center.

Last-minute troubleshooting

Each LED strip on the tower is programmable. The creator of the programs for both the “Go Thunder” program and the rainstorm program was Kirk Lewis of Triple C Companies and Stagelines. Lewis and his team also became troubleshooters and spent several evenings last week working out connection and circuitry glitches along with the manufacturer, Florida-based Boca Flasher.

Several LED lights required replacement. Performing that task was Mike Wetzel of Walker Electric, whom many Devon employees may have seen working outside their windows, and Adrianna Boswell of Sentinel, who “drove” the window-washing crane needed for Wetzel’s work.

Weather issues nearly prevented the lighting effects from being ready for the Thunder’s first playoff game, Hill said. The telescoping crane atop the tower lowers a platform into place for each light replacement. On several nights leading up to the game, strong winds nixed that work.

“The days and nights leading up to the playoff game were relentless and sleepless, because I didn't want to disappoint Devon and I didn't want to disappoint the Thunder, but we had a long way to go to get these LEDs operational,” Hill said.

In an email to Hill at 1 a.m. Friday, Boswell wrote, “We are prepared to work out here every minute until we accomplish the goal.”

By Friday night, the final repairs were made, and a successful test of the lights was conducted.

Hill watched the game on TV two nights later. “I felt a deep sense of satisfaction seeing the ‘GO THUNDER’ lighting display on the side of an architectural icon encouraging my team, the Thunder,” she said.

“It doesn't get any better than that.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOc7mj61ZhY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOc7mj61ZhY

Very interesting video... Thanks Will.

They mention that each individual diode is addressable and there are thousands in each fixture.

My previous understanding was that only each fixture was directly addressable (each section of fin of about 3 feet or so).

Yea for some reason I am doubting that each individual LED is programmable... They definitely seem to be uniformly programmable per light "tube" or "section".


If it is indeed true that each single LED is programmable, well then let's see it already! Make the tower pulse up/down with variety of colors.

It's completely possible that each diode IS addressable, but they handle them in sections currently for usability sake. That would also give them more versatility later if they really wanted it.

It's pretty clear there is much, much more to come in terms of programming this system.

Can't wait to see all the capabilities!

They days I've seen them doing amazing fade motions, they were using the method you described. It was very clear each 'section' wasn't a single color.

Very awesome.


It's pretty clear there is much, much more to come in terms of programming this system.

Can't wait to see all the capabilities!

I agree. This is shaping up to be another component of this tower that will continue to show that in many ways it's in a rare class.

I seriously doubt each LED is addressable. The columns are too far apart for that to even be useful.