| 80 x 1.5m power leads being prepared: | Single LOR Enclosure: |  |
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Power:
There are 96 separately controlled power points used in the 2006 Christmas House utilising 150m (450') of power cable. Separate power circuits have been installed for the Christmas lights in the Master Bedroom, Garage and the Front Porch back to the main switchboard. This should minimise the tripping of circuit breakers, as 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 89.1FM" 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 6 x LOR CTB-16D 16 channel triac controlled boards, providing a total of 96 uniquely controlled 240VAC power outlets. The LOR range of Hobbyist products were chosen for the 2006 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.
| 80 x 1.5m power leads being prepared: | Single LOR Enclosure: | |
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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 2006 can be seen in the images below along with the lighting plans. The figures in "( )" are the number of switchable circuits used.
| 2006 Technical Layout: | House Layout: | Front Lawn Layout: | Garage Layout: |  |
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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.