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 built several projects 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 was on enhancing what I already had - mainly through the use of RGB (Red/Green/Blue) LEDs and various other components. The overall channel count hovered at about 300 channels and was completely controlled through DMX (except for the LEDTriks sign which was RS-485 serial). I made good use of controllers of my own design based off designs from the open community at DIYC. I also had some DIY strobes in my MegaTree that really made parts of the show pop.
For 2011, I only made a few changes - these included adding four times as many lights around the tree trunk to give it a more fluid look, went to 96 mini-strobes in the MegaTree and finally, the window frame was updated with pixel strips to give per LED control.
For 2012, I made major changes to the entire display. I ran out of time to put out everything that I had planned on but what I did get out are big items. The MegaTree has been transformed into a 30 string, 42 pixel/string tree that is about 18' high. All told, it has 1260 RGB pixels or 3780 channels so it made quite an impact on the sequencing. In addition to this, the pixel window frame is still there and I added 168 GECE pixels on strips on the peak of the roof. The original SuperStrips (20) are still under the eaves and I put out some floods to light up the Mulberry tree in front. There are no AC items out in the yard at all this year - quite a change indeed...
Our song list for 2012 is:
The entire show is 7 songs and runs about 20 minutes long. This year we are collecting for Relay For Life of Cambria so I added some announcements during the show for folks to
donate and/or join their local Relay For Life organization.
Come see the show live - here's the map for 1473 Glacier Drive in San Jose:
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