Q: What are the names of the songs in your display?
A: Check the videos page for a complete list.
Q: How much power does the display use?
A: The display can draw more than 60 amps of power (as of 2009, 2010 will be around 100 amps). It is run off of 5 circuit breakers dedicated to the lights. Each item in the display is inventoried in a spreadsheet so we know exactly how much power it draws, where it is plugged in, and what else is on that same circuit. The lights are programmed with these figures in mind so as not to overwhelm any of the circuits and cause it to overheat or trip. The gauge of the extension cords running from the house to the relays are chosen specifically to meet the needs of each section of the display. With this many lights, safety is a big concern.
Q: What does this do to your electric bill?
A: Very little, at least compared to our old static display. Seriously. Because the lights are animated, they are very rarely all turned on at the same time. The year we went from a 15 amp static display to a 60 amp animated display we actually saved $10 in elecricty for the season. Electricity is a very minor cost relative to the equipment expenses and time we put in to the display. Our electric bill is slightly higher than usual while the display is running, but because we are on a budget plan with CMP it is evenly spaced over 6 months.
Q: How does it work?
A: Do you ask a magician how their trick works? We didn’t think so. Limited information on this will be coming in the next couple weeks, however, just in case you absolutely need to know and it’s keeping you up at night. The short answer is that our computer sends pre-programmed commands to banks of dimmable electrical relays (triacs) from Light-O-Rama at the same time it plays back the music.
Q: How do you make the big tree “spin”?
A: All of the lights on the “mega tree” are divided in to sections and plugged in to seperate electical relays. By turning each section on and off in the right order, we can produce a chasing effect which looks like spinning.
Q: How do you make the big tree “sparkle”?
A: The “mega tree” is filled with miniature strobe lights. We’ll be adding more every year.
Q: How do you get the music in to our car?
A: We use a 100 milliwatt FM transmitter which is turned down in order to operate in accordance with section 15 of the FCC rules and regulations. We use 96.9 FM because there are no other stations in our area on that frequency.
Q: How long does it take to put this together?
A: We’d rather not talk about it. The animation sequencing is probably the most time consuming part. We start planning for next year before Christmas the previous year. In order to keep costs under control we obtain equipment during the after Christmas and summer sales. Without a thorough plan of what we’re going to do next year, we could not afford to put this together. We already know what we want to add for next season, what we need to get make it happen, and where to find it at 50-90% off. Planning is everything!
Q: How much does all this cost?
A: This display is our gift to the community, and we always take the tags off of our gifts before we wrap them. Merry Christmas!
FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: What are the names of the songs in your display?
A: Check the videos page for a complete list.
Q: How much power does the display use?
A: The display can draw more than 60 amps of power (as of 2009, 2010 will be around 100 amps). It is run off of 5 circuit breakers dedicated to the lights. Each item in the display is inventoried in a spreadsheet so we know exactly how much power it draws, where it is plugged in, and what else is on that same circuit. The lights are programmed with these figures in mind so as not to overwhelm any of the circuits and cause it to overheat or trip. The gauge of the extension cords running from the house to the relays are chosen specifically to meet the needs of each section of the display. With this many lights, safety is a big concern.
Q: What does this do to your electric bill?
A: Very little, at least compared to our old static display. Seriously. Because the lights are animated, they are very rarely all turned on at the same time. The year we went from a 15 amp static display to a 60 amp animated display we actually saved $10 in elecricty for the season. Electricity is a very minor cost relative to the equipment expenses and time we put in to the display. Our electric bill is slightly higher than usual while the display is running, but because we are on a budget plan with CMP it is evenly spaced over 6 months.
Q: How does it work?
A: Do you ask a magician how their trick works? We didn’t think so. Limited information on this will be coming in the next couple weeks, however, just in case you absolutely need to know and it’s keeping you up at night. The short answer is that our computer sends pre-programmed commands to banks of dimmable electrical relays (triacs) from Light-O-Rama at the same time it plays back the music.
Q: How do you make the big tree “spin”?
A: All of the lights on the “mega tree” are divided in to sections and plugged in to seperate electical relays. By turning each section on and off in the right order, we can produce a chasing effect which looks like spinning.
Q: How do you make the big tree “sparkle”?
A: The “mega tree” is filled with miniature strobe lights. We’ll be adding more every year.
Q: How do you get the music in to our car?
A: We use a 100 milliwatt FM transmitter which is turned down in order to operate in accordance with section 15 of the FCC rules and regulations. We use 96.9 FM because there are no other stations in our area on that frequency.
Q: How long does it take to put this together?
A: We’d rather not talk about it. The animation sequencing is probably the most time consuming part. We start planning for next year before Christmas the previous year. In order to keep costs under control we obtain equipment during the after Christmas and summer sales. Without a thorough plan of what we’re going to do next year, we could not afford to put this together. We already know what we want to add for next season, what we need to get make it happen, and where to find it at 50-90% off. Planning is everything!
Q: How much does all this cost?
A: This display is our gift to the community, and we always take the tags off of our gifts before we wrap them. Merry Christmas!