WELCOME!!!!!!!

Macrosill

Macrosill

Administrator
Welcome to the DIY Christmas Display Forum. Pull up a chair and make your self comfortable. Why not make your first post on this board right now. Say hello and let us know a little bit about you and your display.

My name is Brian and I live in NY. 2006 was the 1st year I synchronized my Christmas and Halloween displays to music. Christmas consisted of 108 channels controlling over 13,000 lights.

I would ask you update your profile and enter your location, a general state of provence would be good. You can also add yourself to out our Frapper Map for Vixen users. You can see it Here


I hope you enjoy your stay and come back often.
 
Hi,

Well here we are, new home, and a new Lounge, lets go

My name is Kevin Lang, and live on Phillip Island, Australia. This is my first time building and useing computer controlled christmas lights. I hope this site continues the great support and friendships from all the other sites.

This year will be a learning time and hopefully will have 64 channels of lights running via an Olsen 595 with Vixen

Kevin
 
Hello,

My name is K.C., and I'm addicted to Christmas lights. They say admitting you have a problem is the first step. I've been clean for almost 13 minutes now.

My first year animating was 2006 with 10,000 lights. This year my plan is to transition to a dimming controller and to plaster the neighborhood in optical joy.
 
Hi,
My name is Jeff Millard and I live in Maple Shade NJ. 2007 will be my second year of animated Christmas Lights. I've hosted 2 miniPLUS events at my house, and am very proud to say I've had folks from at least 5 states visit. My display is currently controlled by 160 LOR channels. I have also built a Vixen controlled 595 system with 16 four channel SSRs. I intend to finish the LEDTriks display before the season, and animate the trees in our seasonal campsite for the Fourth of July.

jeff
 

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Hi,

My Name is Pete Brideau. I Live in Milford, New Hampshire. I started animating my holiday lights Halloween 2006 with 2- basic 12 channel setups. I'm hoping to light up 2007 with the addition of 128 channels controlls by 2 595 and 64 channels by a Grinch controller......Oh man I need some more lights...:)


Pete
a.k.a..SNSPRT
 
Hi All,

I'm Shawn Grage, I am from Central Florida (Oviedo). I always thought Christmas lights were great and I think I am in the begining stages of a terminal addiction.:lol:

I have bought 3 Grinch boards and 36 SSRoz boards that I am working on getting the parts together to complete. Not to mention that I have 1000 Leds on the way to complete my LEDTriks board. I hope to have 128 channels for Christmas with around 10,000 lights.:!:

I sort of like the look of the PIC Dimmer that FireGod was posting on the Vixen Forum. So that may be one of my future goals. Not to mention more SSR's.
 
Hi,

I'm Matt and I have been doing Christmas Lights for a few years. I stumbled across an article on PlanetChristmas in a magazine in 2005, and stumbled across Computer Christmas. I quickly caught the lighting bug, and am now hopelessly addicted. After a not so successful 2006 season, I'm getting my show together for 2007 with about 128 Renard channels and about 8,000 - 10,000 lights. I'm also looking into adding some LedTriks panels and maybe a countdown clock.

-Matt
 
My AA preamble

Hi My name is John,

and I am also stumbled into automated Xmas lights in Dec 2006, after I saw an article in Australian Personal Computer magizine describing a local PC nut and his Olsen 595 based controller.

I first jumped onto CC and then found my way to the Vixen sight. During the Xmas break I think I would have read most of the posts on both boards and made my mind up to 'go for broke' this year and automate my lights.

I am the only one in my street who goes to the trouble of lighting their house. Normally I have 5000 lights in a static arrangement. This year I went out to the post Xmas sales and bought up another 25000.

I have joined in with the hardware development and have run some limited COOPs for LEDTRIKs, GRINCH and SSR PCBs. I am also running RENARDs to control 240VAC lighting. Thanks to Phil Short's support.

Living in Australia means we have more expensive lights (due to a step down transformer being required), and most are operating from 24VAC.

I am trying to cut back, as my wife is of the belief that Vixen is the 'other' woman ;-)

John
 
Hi,

My name is Rodney Lynott I live in country New South Wales Australia.

For the past 10 years or so i have had a couple of strings of lights and a santa on the roof but nothing very impresive. Late last year i found Computer Christmas and just had to have a countdown clock so i made one based on Peter Olsens design.

Now im hooked and hope to make a mega tree this year controlled by vixen as well as some smaller items.

I have an electrical/electronic background and happy to help others where i can.

Rod.
 
Hi everyone,

My name is Mark and I live in Ontario, Canada.

2007 will be my first attempt at computer controlled Christmas lights. I was put on to a web site by a co-worker who lives near a display in Toronto.

After seeing what could be done I was hooked!

I was fortunate to get in on the co-ops for the Olsen 595's (thanks Brian), for the SSR's (thanks Sean), and the huge parts co-op (thanks Jayson)!

Just waiting for the parts to arrive to see if I can still solder after 20 years.

Being a complete rookie I'm sure I will have some questions once assembly time comes (i.e. which way do you solder on the resistor and how can you tell a 180 ohm resistor from a 750 ohm resistor).

The fun is just beginning

Anyway, the new forum looks great and I look forward to spending a lot of time here.

Thanks... Mark
 
Northern Lights said:
Hi everyone,

My name is Mark and I live in Ontario, Canada.
.

Being a complete rookie I'm sure I will have some questions once assembly time comes (i.e. which way do you solder on the resistor and how can you tell a 180 ohm resistor from a 750 ohm resistor).

The fun is just beginning



Thanks... Mark
Click to expand...

Mark, just be careful with the hot end of the soldering iron ;-)

http://www.elexp.com/t_resist.htm

is a good color code.
 
Northern Lights said:
Being a complete rookie I'm sure I will have some questions once assembly time comes (i.e. which way do you solder on the resistor and how can you tell a 180 ohm resistor from a 750 ohm resistor).
Click to expand...

Resistors are not polarized so you can put them in any way you want.
 
Hello

Hi everyone!

My name is Andrew Evans.
I live in Brisbane Australia.
I am 45 years young!
I am one of many people in a street who try to out do one another each year with lights for chrismas!

I am also part of a church group who sets up a huge display every year.
I wish to jazz this display up alittle this year with your help!
I found this forum while searching the net... Looks good I must say!
 
Welcome Xccentric,

Another aussie yah, yep this is the place to be for blinky blink christmas lights, hang around and you will meet some great people who know a lot and are willing to answer any question you may have.

Kevin
 
Doug in the Woods of Idaho

this is Doug in the woods living up here in Salmon, Idaho
xmas 06 was my first year of Christmas lights on steroids
been planning on expanding my display for 07. Have 2- 595 boards (only one complete), 36 ssr boards (18 built)
Had my scout troop build the ssrs last year (electronics merit badge)
expansion plans = hard wire outlets around house up under the evaes
spliting the 100 string lights into 2 50 string (more control over appearancs)
rewiring the candy canes I purchased December 26th so the red and white strips can chase up the cane (wire up 25 light bulb strings (cut the 50 string lights in half)
building several wire frame sculptures.
reprogram Vixen for 2007
maybe build a display for local credit union (need to build 2-3 more 595 boards and ssr's
 
Hello,
My Name Is Brent and I live in Valparaiso, IN.
2006 was my first use of animated lights with 16 channels. With the equipment borrowd from a coworker, and the help of these guys here, I had a very successfull Christmas.

But these guys here were at another here. Not this here.
 
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welcome back cruizer
Were the same people just a new place.
lotts of new stuff this year ...check us out in the live chat room link at the top and bottom of the page
 
Kyle Balling says Yo

I live in Utah, and am going to try a modest 32 channel for the first time at my apartment complex, granted the management allows.

If you're ever in Salt Lake City at Christmas time, the lights at Temple Square are a must see.
 
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