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Since this page was written, we have converted to a commercially available product. I will leave this page up as reference only to anyone who may wish to build their own controllers.
We computerized the display in 2005, and continue to add to it each year. We made it into more of a challenge than it had to be as I wanted to build the hardware myself, rather than buying a commercially available product. In 2008 we dismantled the original panel, and built a new LOR controlled panel. It offers many features that were not available on the SSR panel. You can check out the construction photos on our 2008 pics page. After the 2009 season, we dismantled this panel, and have gone solely with LOR controllers. Our greatly reduced panel is now power distribution only.
In addition to the computer, we also have 2 NOMA controllers which we beefed up. They can now handle 15 amps, rather than the 125 watts they're designed for.
There are many different ways of computerizing, from building a simple 8 channel parallel box yourself, right up to buying a commercially available controller complete with software. Just plug that one in, and you're ready to go. Costs will vary, of course, depending on which way you'd like to go. We decided to initially go with a 96 channel DIO (Digital Input/Output) card running LOR (Light-O-Rama) software.
There are several different setups, but the most common are Serial, parallel, multi channel DIO, or an over the counter, ready to go box.
Unless you buy a pre-made controller... ...you will need to acquire one Solid State Relay (SSR) per channel you want to build. These are kind of pricey (about $25 each), but deals can be found on eBay if you look long enough. I bought most of mine for just over $2 each. What the SSR does is switch 110VAC (household current) with 5 VDC control voltage (computer).
When connecting the relays, terminals 1 & 2 are for the load. One goes to the power source, the other to the load. It doesn't matter which is which. Terminal 3 is the control (to the computer +5VDC), and terminal 4 is the common back to the computer. When 5VDC is applied to terminal 3, terminal 1 & 2 will short, allowing the 110VAC to pass. This is basically the electronic equivalent to a light switch.
In a serial configuration... ...all the control boxes are daisy chained together from the serial port on your PC. You will need an RS-232 adapter which plugs into the computer which will receive the RJ-45 connector (Ethernet cable).
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Here is a schematic of a typical serial box
With a parallel configuration...up to 3 parallel ports with 8 channels each can be connected to a single PC. The biggest advantage to a parallel configuration is its simplicity. The biggest drawback, is the lack of growth potential. Although it is possible to have more, you are basically limited to only having 24 channels. This is a typical parallel configuration. 
Here is a schematic of a typical parallel box 
With a DIO configuration......each relay has a unique path from the PC to the relay. This is done by using a special card and a ribbon cable to each control box or relay. This is a typical DIO configuration 
Here is a schematic of a typical DIO box
There are several companies out there that do provide an 'over the counter' type setup, however, the only ones I have seen are from Light-O-Rama. This is what we have now converted to. Simply connect your PC, load the software, and you're ready to go. If you were to pay retail for SSR's, it would actually be cheaper to buy a standalone type setup. They also have the advantage of being able to fade lights, rather than having a simple on/off. Unless you're totally bent about building one yourself (like I was), this would probably be the best way to go.
In past years, we have also made the display interactive. We decided rather than running the show continuously, we would do 1 song, then a break, then carry on. During this break, 12 buttons along the fence light and become interactive. They control several different parts, and the kids seem to love figuring out what they do. |
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 Here's a simple timer we made to control the strobes. There's room for 3 more circuits in the box, but for now, we're just using it for the one.
Basically, it has 2 timers (One for timing the pauses between pulses, and the other for timing the length of the pulse. There are dials to adjust both, so this is much more practical than the 555 IC circuit I was planning on building. Power out from this box, will have to be routed out of the garage window along with the NOMA cords. Note NOMA light bar to the left of timer.
Box all closed up. We wired indicator lights and manual buttons on the front of this for testing purposes. |
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Why Do We Do This?
From:
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Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 1:05 PM
To:
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Subject: no subject
I would like to take this time to thank you for all your hard work and dedication to bring the Christmas spirit to us this and many holiday seasons! I have never had the chance to personally meet you, (or your understanding wife!) but I would like you to know that you have made a difference in my children's life. Growing up, Christmas meant a reason for my dad to get drunk, grab his rifle, and tell us kids that we will be eating reindeer for Christmas dinner... (I can laugh about it now, but it was very upsetting as a kid) I grew up, and as many abused kids do, married someone who was like my father. Luckily, I had the resources and the smarts to get out of that relationship. Now I try and show my children that there is more to life than what we had. This includes a trip to Timmy's for hot chocolate, and a drive around to see the amazing lights that people put up. This has become one of our favorite traditions, and we look forward to seeing it again! Again, thank you so much for the effort you put into making other peoples lives that much brighter!
Sandra
From:
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Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 6:25 AM
To:
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Subject: no subject
I would like to share a story with you which you may also share with everyone if you wish.
I was the last of 5 children, born to parents getting a little up in childbearing years. My family, although financially secure was not a close family because our parents fought all the time, my father loved to gamble more than anything, and he was also a workaholic so we never saw him. Myself being the youngest, got the bunt of most of my parents unhappiness and anger towards each other. We weren't a family that did anything together or had traditions or anything like that.
But, when Christmas came around, my father was like a little kid in a candy store. He would get this gleam in him eye and a smile on his face that no one saw very often, and I remember that every Christmas he would load me and my mother into the car and drive around our neighborhood to see all the houses decorated in beautiful lights and statues.
We even had a park downtown called Centennial Park in Nashville, TN. Back then it was filled with lit statues of Mangers and Angels and everything you could imagine, as well as lighting up 10 city blocks. My Dad would drive us through there on occasion, until some teenagers went inside with baseball bats and ruined everything. I remember hearing the news about that incident, and I remember my Father's eyes getting a little puddle inside them. So through all my Father's outer tough shell, he really was human, and he really loved Christmas, the brighter the better.
So, you see why I love Christmas lights so much. And believe me I have seen some displays in my 44 yrs, and I think yours was done with a lot of effort and heart. It is beautiful, so please pass this letter on to anyone who thinks you are crazy, because what you do means so much to someone.
Thank you for getting back to me on the arches. I am working on them just as soon as I get off the computer. And Thank you again for the beauty you have given to such a special time of year.
Melanie Shivers
Alpharetta, GA |
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Click HERE to read an excellent tutorial at Planet Christmas. |
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Build Interactive Circuits |
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Add Some Public Interaction to Your Display!
What is an "Interactive Circuit"? It's what I describe as any part of the display which your guests can control. In our display, we have several buttons along our Christmas fence which are lit and activated during the 45 seconds we have between musical sequences.
This is how is works. I'll explain how it's built at the bottom of this page.
During our intermissions, the LED above this button will light, (Separate LOR channel), indicating that the button is now active.
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Modify the Flash Rate of a Curtain Strobe |
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 Modifying the strobe is as simple as replacing a single resistor on the board. The strobes come from the factory with a 10 Meg Ohm giving a flash rate of about once every 3.5 seconds. I initially replaced mine with a 2M and that sped it up to almost twice per second. I then knocked it down to a 100K, but that change was hardly noticeable. It remained at just under twice per second. I only have a dozen or so strobes in a single tree, so this should work out OK for me.
There are 2 different board layouts I have come across. Here are pictures of both highlighting the resistor location.
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Save Money: Modify Your Extension Cords |
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 This is probably not a great idea if you have a static display, or a computerized one in a serial or parallel configuration. However, for our type of setup, this step not only saves us tons of money, but also time, and room as well.
Basically, most people use a standard 3 prong cord to get their power out to the display. Most outdoor lights only use 2 conductors, so each cord has one wasted wire inside. Multiply that by our 136 channels (128 LOR & 8 interactive), and that's a lot of wire not being used. What I do is cut off both ends of the cord leaving about 10 feet of wire on each, and attach 2 conductor cords. I used the male ends in the construction of my panel, and the female ends have enough cord left on to make it into a new shorter one, so there is very little wastage.
The 2 conductor cords I pick up at the dollar store for a buck each. About a quarter the price of Home Depot. Ensure that the cords you buy have one wide plug on each end (this is VERY important). I mark each end with red or black electrical tape so setup and troubleshooting goes relatively quickly.
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How to Build Cable Reels and Stands |
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  Here's a simple, inexpensive, yet heavy duty way to store huge amounts of lights quickly and neatly.
I made this stand out of 1 inch square steel tube, added pipe, chain, and some miscellaneous hardware, and for a total price of about $50, I have the ultimate method of storing and feeding lights. I am in the process of making a second one, with future plans of having about a half dozen or so. Line them all up on the driveway, and just peel off whatever color and amount you need. Because it folds flat, you can use leverage to your advantage when setting it up. My 9 year old son can load up a 50 or 60 pound reel almost effortlessly.
The small plastic reel shown in the picture is loaded with 1,500 mini's, and the larger wooden reels that I use hold nearly 4,000. You can make one of those with a single sheet of plywood, some redi rod and hardware, and a small piece of culvert or 6 inch PVC. I'll get into that later.
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Here's a simple plan to construct an archway to span a walk or driveway. The ones below span just over 20 feet.
This page was updated December, 2009. Please read to the bottom to see how we have perfected anchoring the arches)
 The arch is made with 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe (painted green), anchored at each end, and wrapped with lights and garland. The first time I built it, I tried to cheap out and use 3/4 inch pipe. It held for a few hours, but eventually lost its' structural integrity and collapsed. Even if I could have anchored it more to make it stay, I seriously doubt it would have lasted the season. 3/4 inch might work well on a small arch though.
Start by calculating the length of pipe needed. If the arch is to be a semi circle (as the one above), multiply the diameter (length of span) by 3.14 and divide by 2.
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