I have been setting up "beyond the normal amount" of lights for my Christmas displays for many years. In 2008 I decided to change things and jump into the world of automated lighting. While I wanted to try my hand at the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) type of hardware/software, I decided to take the easier way out and go with a couple pre-built controllers from Light-O-Rama. They make great products but they are a bit on the pricey side.

In 2009 my plan was to add several DIY components to my show. I've built several projects over the last few months including multiple types of light controllers and other projects. I ended up with 224 channels (160 AC control and 64 DC control) of light control and had around 15,000 lights. I had hoped to be at a higher light count (20k) but spent a lot of time on other hardware instead.

For 2010, my main focus will be on enhancing what I already have - mainly through the use of RGB (Red/Green/Blue) LEDs and various other components. The overall channel count will hover at about 300 channels and will be completely controlled through DMX (except for the LEDTriks sign which will be RS-485 serial). It will include a controller partly based on an existing design by someone else and partly my own design. It will be used to run RGB+W LED strips which were part of the 2009 show but controlled differently then.