Power:
There are 187 separately controlled circuits used in the 2007 Christmas House (91 more than 2006) utilising 200m (600') of power cable. Separate power circuits were installed in 2006 for the Christmas lights in the Master Bedroom, Garage and the Front Porch back to the main switchboard which successfully eliminated the tripping of circuit breakers when previously all Christmas lights happened to be on the same circuit - Doh! When all lights are on, the power drain is 42A @ 240VAC, which equates to a power output in excess of 10,000 Watts of lighting.
A Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is used to provide a continuous power feed for the primary control system, so that in the event of a brief power failure the sequence should continue and not reset to the beginning. Timers are used to switch on / off different systems at predefined times, for example the "Tune To 89.1 FM" sign, the LED Banner and the outside sound system.
The frontage of our current house block is relatively small, so long power leads are not required, but there is still approximately 200m (600') of 240VAC extension cables used for the Single Rope Christmas Trees.
Control:
All of the lighting sequences are controlled through Light-O-Rama software. Events have been programmed for every 50mSec throughout each of the musical sequences. The switching hardware comprises 7 x LOR CTB-16DWHS 16 channel triac controlled boards, providing a total of 112 uniquely controlled 240VAC power outlets. A further 7 x CMB16D 16 channel DC controlled boards provides an additional 112 uniquely controlled 13.8VDC channels. The LOR range of Hobbyist products were chosen for the 2007 display. Suitable enclosures have been sourced and modified to ensure that the equipment is protected from the weather and that it is all electrically safe.
A Light-O-Rama iDMX32 interface, due for release in August, will allow the existing DMX lighting fixtures to be integrated into the show. A number of DMX-512 lighting fixtures including red and green lasers, snow machine, Gobo effect lights, RGB Colour changing spotlights and moving head (pan and tilt) spot lights should be controllable through the LOR software. All DMX equipment, except the RGB colour changing spotlights, is housed in the garage and is legacy equipment from previous Christmas lighting displays.
Sequencing of the lights to the music is achieved through the Light-O-Rama computer software. The LOR software can also run the show and control all of the controllers in real time. However in this instance we have copied all of the sequences onto an SD Memory Card and are using an LOR DC-MP3 Show Director and MP3 Player to control all of the lights. This removes reliance on the computer in the event of a crash...
The technical layout for 2007 can be seen in the images below along with the lighting plans.
| 2007 House Plan: | Front Lawn Plan: |  |
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| Garage Plan: | Mega Tree Plan: | ||
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| Leaping Light Arches Plan: | Driveway Arches Plan: | ||
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| Fireworks Plan: | |||
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CAT5e cabling has been installed to key positions around the house, where the power switching equipment is located, to provide the necessary control signalling from the central computer.
FM Stereo Transmitter (89.1 MHz FM):
So that the neighbours aren't annoyed all night long, with music blasting out of the local sound system, a low powered FM Stereo Transmitter, from Fordray Electronics in Orange NSW, transmits music to portable radios and car stereo systems as people drive by. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) permits low powered transmitters in the 88 - 108MHz FM Broadcast band, under the Low Interference Potential Device (LIPD) Class licence, with a maximum output power of 10 microwatts. This isn't much... but is enough to be heard while you are near the display.
If you believe our low powered radio transmission is causing interference to your reception please advise us, so that we can take immediate action.