What was new for the 2008 season?

2008 brought several new additions to the show.  The most easily identified is the 2 leaping arches.  Each of these arches contains 800 lights that are sequenced in 8 channels per arch.  This allows for a jumping effect that is quite enjoyable.  We also added approximately 30 strobe lights on the house to make the house really pop at special times in the show.  This year, we also added 6 mini-trees that had both white and blue lights on them.  The final display elements added were lights along the top of the roof, and green lights in the trees.  Other changes that occurred included changing the house lights to LED, reducing the amount of power needed to run the show.  One final change was replacing the Ramsey FM transmitter with the EDM LCD transmitter.

How does this work?

The lights are controlled via a micro-computer controllers. These controllers allow me to tell each section of lights when to turn on/off, fade, twinkle, etc. For 2008, there were 4 controllers with 16 channels each for a total of 64 different channels. In order to control the lights, we use 16-channel controllers that have a number of capabilities: dimming, fading, twinkling, shimmering, etc. The controllers are connected together using CAT5e cable or telephone wire. The cable is then hooked up to the computer with an adapter that connects to the USB port on the computer. The computer software sends the signal to the controllers to tell it what to do.

How long does it take to set up?

There are countless hours spent sequencing the lights to the music. Setup of the lights took about 12 hours for 4-6 people apiece.

How much planning goes into this?

I started planning for the 2008 display back in December of 2007. I purchased a lot of lights at the after Christmas sales last year. Buying them after the season will save you 50%– 66% over the regular retail price. I’ve spent any hours over the year programming the sequences, planning the power needs, buying equipment, etc.

How did you broadcast the music?

I use a small, very low power, FM transmitter to let my guests hear the music that goes with the show. I used the Ramsey FM25B in 2007, and the EDM LCD . Tune to station 107.9FM to hear the music.

How many lights, etc.?

 2007 Display Stats
Approx 7,000 lights.
32 channels of computer control.
6 Songs in rotation.
1500 ft (approx) of extension cords
Nearly 40 hours spent outside setting up between 4-6 people.
Countless hours preparing all year.

2008 Display Stats
Approximately 10,000 lights.
64 channels of computer control.
15 Songs in rotation.
Over 3000 ft of extension cords
Nearly 60 hours spent outside setting up.