QUESTION. How many lights are in the display?

ANSWER. There are over 75,000 lights in this years display.

QUESTION. What kinds of lights are used?

ANSWER. The majority of the lights are the standard mini lights. They are on the ground, bushes, house and animated wire forms. Most of the lights in the trees have been converted to the new LED (Light Emitting Diode) lights; these are more expensive to buy, but much cheaper to run and there is no bulb to burn out. The twinkling star effects in some of the trees are called curtain strobe lights and fit into a C9 (big bulb) light string. They are not controlled by the monster brain (MB). There are also various colored rope lights in use in various parts of the display.

QUESTION. How many circuits are used for all those lights?

ANSWER. There are 11 dedicated 15 amp circuits to power the entire show. We used the double circuit breakers so as to only use up one slot in the panel box for each 2 circuits.

QUESTION. Where are all the outlets for all these lights located?

ANSWER. This year we invested in the infrastructure to make the setup of the show faster and easier. From each controller (the 4 listed later) there are 96 separate circuits buried with outlets at approximately 90 different spots around the property. The amount of wire buried in plastic conduit amounted to almost 13,000 feet of wire. Yup, that is almost 2 ½ miles of wire and a lot of gray conduit, connectors, breakers and testing..

QUESTION. How do you get the lights in the trees?

ANSWER We use a pool cleaning pole. Bend a metal coat hanger to form a hook and fit in the end of the pole. The pole can then be used to string the lights fairly high in the trees. There is no set pattern and it does not take a lot of time to hang these lights.

QUESTION. How much did all of this cost?

ANSWER. Get out your wallet as the following all add up to a sizeable amount…...

• Lights
• Controllers
• Software
• Steel rod and welder
• Wiring
• Male and female connections
• Ground Fault Interrupters
• CAT 5 cable to connect the controllers
• PVC Pipe and Glue
• COROPLAST Sheets (plastic Cardboard)
• Blow Ups
• Circuit Breakers

QUESTION. How many songs are in the show?

ANSWER. There are 13 songs in the show and the full show is 32 minutes long, the songs are listed in the order they play in the show

1. Carol of the Bells
2. Let it Snow
3. Rudolph
4. Jingle Bells
5. It’s Beginning to look a lot Like Christmas
6. Linus and Lucy
7. All I want for Christmas
8. Wizards in Winter (Trans Siberian orchestra)
9. Silent night
10. Christmas Eve in Sarajevo (Trans Siberian orchestra)
11. Most Wonderful time of the Year
12. Frosty the Snowman
13. Holly Jolly Christmas

QUESTION. How is the show actually produced?

ANSWER. All of the work was done by us including the infrastructure. The show is produiced by the use of a computer program called “Animation Director” from Animated Lighting (www.animatedlighting.com). Digital Pictures are taken of the house and landscape and then imported into the computer. With the “Animation Director” software, lights are digitally hung on the imported picture (i.e. trees, bushes, house etc) MP3 songs are also imported into the computer and then begin to play. While the song is playing the lights are synchronized to the music. A lot of fine tuning needs to be done to get the correct effect for the particular song. There are multiple effects that can be incorporated. You will see all of the following effects in the show during different songs.

• Ramp: The ramp effect turns on the output of the light controller to the specified on level.
• Fade: The fade effect controls how fast a lighting channel travels from its current level to completely off.
• Blink: The blink effect turns on and off a light on the output of the light controller at a specified rate.
• Pop-Fade: The pop-fade effect turns on the light or group of lights instantly then fades to off at the specified fade rate.
• Rev(erse)-Pop Fade: The rev-pop fade effect turns an already on light off instantly then ramps back to the on level.
• Sparkle: When used with an individual light, the sparkle effect will pop fade the light at random times. When used with a group, the sparkle effect will pop fade individual lights in a group at random times.
• Flicker: The Flicker effect make the light or group of lights appear to look like a burning candle. When used with groups the lights will flicker individually.
• Shimmer: The Shimmer effect varies the intensity of the lights connected to the light controller. When used with groups the shimmer effect the light will shimmer simultaneously.

The show is then tested on the computer before downloading it to another computer called a Monster Brain. The MB and all the large 16 channel light controllers were purchased from www.animatedlighting.com. The MB also has a built in MP3 player where the songs are stored on a digital card. The MB also controls, or sends information to, the following devices

• An FM radio transmitter that broadcasts an amateur signal that can be picked up short range on any FM radio. The outside speakers are controlled by our home entertainment system which is tuned to our radio station, but you can watch and hear then show from the comfort of your car by tuning to FM 93.9.
• Five separate light controllers that each have 16 channels of lights for a real total of 80 separate circuits that are synchronized to the music using the effects above.

A 4th dedicated controller (not controlled by the MB) with 16 channels that contains a computer program written to have the snowman throw snowballs at each other.

QUESTION. Are the blowups controlled by the MB unit?

ANSWER. Not currently, maybe next year.

QUESTION. How long does it take to put the show up?

ANSWER. This year it took approximately 32 hours for 1 person. (oops Brooke also helped out). That is after all the work on setting up the permanent infrastructure.

QUESTION. It actually looks like a tree and not a cone, how did you make the MEGA Christmas tree?

ANSWER. I found the plans for the base on the internet. The address for the plan is http://christmaslightshow.com/doityourself. If you want to animate the tree you will need some kind of light controller (see the WEB sites listed below). You could however make the tree and not have it animated. There are also plans for a pole tree at www.animatedlighting.com. Our tree has 16 separate channels of light synchronized to each of the 13 songs, all controlled by the MB unit from www.animatedlighting.com

QUESTION. Can we call you if we have a question?

ANSWER. Please send any questions you have in the form of an e-mail to bmulvena@hotmail.com and we will be happy to try to answer it.

QUESTION. How did you make the presents near the MEGA tree?

ANSWER The presents are made from standard PVC pipe. If you e-mail us we would be happy to send you the plans. They are in the form of a Microsoft power point show The ribbons are made from wire gutter guard available at any home supply. Rope light is then attached to the PVC present. A different color rope light is attached to the ribbon.

QUESTION. Where do you get the ideas for the wire forms and how are they made?

ANSWER.

• Look at a number of the web sites listed later to find the wire form you would like to make
• download the picture of the object,
• blow it up on a large piece of paper and trace the image
• Place the paper on a 4x8 Sheet of plywood
• Put drywall screws at various spots around the traced image.
• Ben ¼ rolled steel around the screws to form the various parts of the object
• Spot weld all of the parts together to form to object (i.e. Bells over the front archway).
• There are special clips made to press on the ¼ steel and the opposite side of the clip holds each bulb on a mini bulb light string. Where colored bulbs are needed, it is much easier and cheaper to buy paint (for plastic) and spray the bulbs the color you want. (Paint for plastic available at any home supply).
• The “mini controllers” for the wire forms are available from www.noveltylights.com... They have a number of different ones available depending on how many sequences you need to control. If the wire form needs more animation (like our snowmen) then you will need to get your controllers from www.animatedlighting.com. You can do animation without the use of the MB unit by coding macros (mini computer programs). In this mode the light controller runs in stand alone mode without the MB unit.
• Each foot of wire takes 6-12 mini bulbs depending on how close you want to space the bulbs. The more bulbs per foot the better the wire form will look.

QUESTION. How did you make the shooting stars?

ANSWER. The stars are made like the other wire forms, ¼ inch steel rod w2as bent in the shape of stars and then the lights were attached with the clips. The sequencing of the stars is not controlled by the MB, but by a 4 function controller available from www.novelylights.com. They are then attached to a cable and a wiring harness with a outlet for each star.

QUESTION. How did you make the mini trees in front of the snowmen and by the deer?

ANSWER The mini trees are made from tomato cages available from your local home supply. LED or mini lights are then attached to the cages to form a lighted tree.

QUESTION. What can you tell us about the fighting snowmen?

ANSWER The snowmen are made from the ¼ steel rod bent in the shape of a snowman. Each snowman has 3 arm positions that when automated simulate throwing a snowball. There are 6 snowballs between the snowmen. The snowballs are made by cutting a circle out of coroplast (plastic cardboard) drilling 100 holes in each and then insert 100 mini lights thru the holes. The program in the controller automates the 16 channels of light to simulate the snowmen fighting with snowballs. One snowman hits the other by throwing the snowballs, the faces flashes as if getting hit, then that snowman returns the snowballs and hits the first. The sequence then just keeps repeating.

QUESTION. Is writing the program for the snowmen difficult?

ANSWER If you send us an e-mail we would be happy to send you the program. You must however have a controller from www.animatedlighting.com in order for it to work.

QUESTION. How is the teeter-totter with the Elves mounted to the tile roof?

ANSWER S hooks are made from ¼ inch steel rod. The S hooks fit under the tile to form a nice snug connection. A rope is tied from the S hooks to the wire form at multiple points to get a strong mounting.

QUESTION. Why do you have an American flag displayed at Christmas time?

ANSWER To honor the service men that allow us to celebrate the holiday season.

QUESTION. How do you get Santa to walk around inside your house?

ANSWER It is called a “Virtual Santa”. It is a DVD that is played and hooked up to a projector projecting on a bed sheet hung inside the window. It is available at http://www.christmaslightshow.com/xcart/home.php?cat=3

QUESTION How did you make the “TUNE YOUR RADIO TO” signs?

ANSWER. We used Microsoft Word to make the words with letters the size we wanted. The letters were then carefully cut and placed on a piece of clear plastic. Red paint (for plastic) was then sprayed over the letters and after drying, the paper letters were removed leaving a clear letter for the light to shine thru from the rear. A 2x4 frame holds the plastic and 100 light string of mini lights to illuminate the sign

QUESTION. What are your plans for next year?

ANSWER. Quite a few things

• More wire forms (might have to put them in the neighbors yards, like the snowman down the street and the jumping gingerbread men across the street)
• North Pole express….Santa’s train will travel the front yard
• New Songs
• More LED Lights
• More infrastructure
• Maybe some robotic animation using more controllers from www.animatedlighting.com
• Automatically start and stop the show
• And probably some things we haven’t even thought of yet

QUESTION. Any favorite Christmas WEB sites?

ANSWER. We have found all of these useful for various Christmas items. Yes even the shaving web site where we found the motors for the Christmas train we are making for next year.

 

1. AM FM signal by zip code      http://www.v-soft.com/ZipSignal/zip_ANSWER.asp
2. Animated Lighting                 http://www.animatedlighting.com/
3. Antenna Help                        http://www.kgnu.org/howtohear/antenna.html
4. Betty’s Christmas House       http://www.bettyschristmashouse.com/lights/mini.htm#wireclips
5. Christmas Done Bright          http://www.christmasdonebright.com/
6. Christmas Factory                 http://www.christmasdonebright.com/(vsmojj4514gs2dr53tnjyeqd)/store.aspx?CatID=68
7. Christmas Light Show           http://christmaslightshow.com/doityourself/
8. Computer Christmas How to http://computerchristmas.com/index.phtml?link=how_to
9. Contractors Choice Lights     http://www.ccl-light.com/docs/indoor/rope/color/index.html
10. Dept 56 North Pole Village    http://www.christmas-treasures.com/department56/north_pole
11. Father Christmas/Santa        http://www.didyouknow.cd/xmas/fatherxmas.htm
12. Greg’s Christmas games       http://www.kraftmstr.com/christmas/christmas.html
13. Christmas Displays                http://www.christmasdisplays.net/
14. Jameco’s Robot Store            http://www.robotstore.com/
15. Kindla Christmas Trains etc   http://www.kindlachristmas.com/HTChaserLight.asp
16. Lori’s Lighted d’lites              http://www.lorislighteddlites.com/
17. Novelty Lights                       https://ssl.adhost.com/noveltylig hts/merchant.cfm?pid=306&step=4
18. Planet Christmas                   http://www.planetchristmas.com/ This is a great web site
19. Quick Problem Solvers           http://www.improvementscatalog.com/default.asp
20. Robot Builders                       http://www.hobbyengineering.com/rmapIndex.html
21. Santa’s workshop designs    http://www.santasworkshop.com.au/master.htm
22. Shav-Tronics                          http://www.shavtronics.com/aboutus.html
23. X10 Controls                          www.x10.com