Where Do I Start?

This page is intended to be a jump-off point for getting started in computer controlled lighting. DIY computer controlled displays in a nutshell of sorts. We'd like to welcome you to DoItYourselfChristmas and hope this will reduce some of your confusion and get you on your way to having a computerized display.

What is this all about?

This site is about creating displays for Christmas or other holidays consisting of light strings and other decorations. It often consists of a "light show" in which visitors to your display can view lights blinking and flashing to music.

Some examples of what you can do? search YouTube for "christmas lights" . :) Hooked? Let's get started.

Doing It Yourself

The main aspect of DoItYourselfChristmas is that we build parts of our display, especially the control electronics, ourselves rather than by a commercial company. Some reasons why?

• Because we enjoy working with electronics.
• It usually costs (a lot) less than buying commercial products.
• Because it's a rewarding feeling to know that "I built that!"

...and the list goes on.

ANYONE can build their own computer controlled display. The many helpful people here at DIYC have done much of the technical work already, and will be glad to help you through the process of building your display. The only basic skills required are a basic knowledge of electricity and some general soldering ability (which can be learned very easily).

So how does this work?

A basic computerized display has three systems:

• Lights or other objects to be controlled
• A PC with specialized software
• Control electronics

You're probably already familiar with Christmas lights, which can be purchased from any major retailer at Christmastime. In some areas they are known by other names, such as "fairy lights". Let's look at the other two systems in greater detail.

Control Electronics

One "feature" of DIY systems (or "problem", if you want to be a pessimist) is that everyone does it their own way, rather than the way decided upon by a commercial company. There are numerous different control methods available to the DIYC community, each with their own benefits.

The concept of a computer control system could be represented as system of light switches. Each switch turns one outlet with lights plugged into it on or off. We call each "outlet" that can be controlled a "channel". Each switch needs a cue to turn it on, such as your finger. That finger needs a human brain to tell it when to flip the switch.

The "light switches" in the above analogy are electronic systems called Solid State Relays. "Solid state" means that they have no moving parts. "Relays" basically means they take a small amount of electricity and use it to switch a big one (the lights) on and off.

The "finger" in the analogy is called a "controller". The number and complexity of controllers available can be overwhelming, so see 7 Steps to Selecting a Controller to help you choose the one that will work best in your display.

Various members of the DIYC community have designed Printed Circuit Boards (PCB's) for the various controllers. They are available by participating in cooperative orders (COOP's) where boards are ordered in bulk and are provided to the participants at-cost. There are also COOP's for the electronics parts to populate the board as well.

PC and Software

And finally, the "brain" of the system - the PC with software.

Most Do-It-Yourselfers use Vixen software to drive their displays. It has many tools that aid in the creation of synchronized lighting "Sequences". Vixen is 100% FREE and community-supported. It is maintained by a member of DIYC, KC Oaks.

Any PC that you use must be able to run Vixen and have the required ports (parallel or serial) that your chosen method of control hardware supports. This generally means that any Windows PC 10 years old or newer will work.

Display Design

How you lay out your lights is entirely up to you. Some features you may want to include:

• Lights on the roof or bushes - C7/C9 or mini lights
• Lighted figures such as fake trees and deer, blow molds, wire frames, etc.
• "Mega Trees", which are cone-like structures consisting of a central pole and lights strung between the top of the pole and the ground. Assigning each "slice" of the tree its own channel will allow effects such as making the tree to appear to spin.
• "Mini Trees", which are small "trees" (often tomato-frame cages wrapped in mini-lights). They are put in rows, pyramids, or other shapes in order to allow complex effects.

Having a computerized display means that you will need both line-voltage wiring to run the lights (extension cords) and low-voltage wiring for controllers and relays. When choosing your controller, find a controller whose topology most closely matches that of your display.

Music

Many computerized displays are synchronized to music. That doesn't do much good if visitors can't hear it - so you have two options to deliver sound to your visitors. One option is to put speakers outside, the other is to provide an FM frequency that visitors can tune in to. The latter option is usually chosen in order to avoid upsetting the neighbors. You will need to purchase a low-power FM transmitter to broadcast the music. This usually involves building a kit from suppliers such as Ramsey Electronics, or modifying a personal FM transmitter like the Belkin Tunecast.