The Lights On Townley show is a 15,000+ LED light display synchronized to music you can hear on 96.1 FM.
The show begins Thanksgiving night - November 24, 2011 and continues each night through Saturday January 7, 2012.
Here is our 2011 show playlist:
Merry Christmas From Our House To Your House - Lawrence Welk
Let It Snow! - Bing Crosby
Winter Wonderland - Stryper
Siberian Sleigh Ride - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Can't Believe It's Christmas - Veggie Tales
Santa Claus Is Back In Town - Elvis Presley
A Mad Russian's Christmas - Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Deck The Halls - Relient K
Shine For You - Andy Frank
In The Christmas Mood - Glenn Miller Orchestra
The Lights On Townley are controlled by multiple Light-O-Rama CTB16PC light controllers. Each controller has 16 channels. Essentially, a channel is one electrical circuit that the controller turns on or off at any given time during the music. We have 9 of these controllers handling up to 144 separate channels of lights. The Light-O-Rama Sequencing software was used to "program" everything that the lights do at specific moments during each song selection. The LOR Showtime MP3 Director unit brings all the pieces together by playing the music while simultaneously directing the network of light controllers to switch each of the circuits according to the programmed sequences. The audio output is fed into a low power FM transmitter. All that's left is for you to tune into the signal using your car radio.
The Lights:
| Roof Outline | Multi-color C6 | 560 |
| Bethlehem Star on the roof | White C6 | 210 |
| Tree Topper Star | White C6 | 210 |
| Small Star | White C6 | 36 |
| Yard Outline | White M5 | 350 |
| Window Outlines | Multi-color M5 | 210 |
| Icicles | White M5 | 600 |
| Snowflakes | White M5 & Mini | 156 |
| Bushes | Red, Green, Blue and White 5mm | 780 |
| Mini Trees | Multi-color, White 5mm | 3250 |
| Arches | Red, Green and Blue M5 | 2400 |
| Bells | Green and White M5, Red 5mm | 235 |
| Poles/Cross | Red, Green, Blue and White 5mm | 1600 |
| Mega Tree | Green M5 | 2880 |
| Cocoa table illumination | White M5 | 50 |
| Wreath | Multi-color 5mm | 35 |
| Mini Curtain | Multi-color 5mm | 1120 |
| Sign | White 5mm | 200 |
| Nativity | White Mini w/Color Caps | 500 |
| Kneeling Santa | White Mini, White M5, Red 5mm | 375 |
| Floods | Red, Green, Blue, White 8mm | 114 |
| Candy Canes plus Rope | White Mini & Rope | 226 |
| Channel Load for Video Start/Stop Signal | Red Party Light | 1 |
| Video Projectors | MR-16 Halogen | 2 |
| TOTAL: | 16,100 |
Power Consumption:
A LOT LESS THAN YOU MIGHT THINK!
The cost to run last year's show was less than $25.00.
If the music was playing on 96.1 FM and 1120 AM, and both videos were running, and all the lights were on all at the same time (which almost never happens), the display would pull 17.42 Amps (calculated by summing the draw of individual elements) and consume only 1,664 watts. (This is comparable to a Hair Dryer)
WHY so little?! The answer is that over 94% of the lights used in the display are LEDs and during the show the lights are constantly being turned on and OFF! Very rarely are all the lights on at the same time. Generally, LEDs consume only about one tenth of the power of traditional incandescent mini lights.
The Light Controllers:
I built nine Light-O-Rama CTB16PC controllers from kits. Each controller handles 16 channels (electrical circuits), turning them on, off, or dimming them to any level. These controllers are networked together providing up to 144 separate channels of light control.
This year I've added the LOR iDMX-1000 light controller to handle the flood lights washing the roof.
The Software:
Software from Light-O-Rama allows you to program the lights in time with your own MP3 music files. It also allows you to diagram the layout of the light display over a picture to provide a visual representation of what the show will look like.
The Director:
This show information is then transferred to an SD memory card and inserted into the Light-O-Rama DC-MP3 Director unit which plays the songs at the appropriate show times while simultaneously directing the light controllers to "do their stuff" with the lights. The audio output from the DC-MP3 Director is fed into the FM radio transmitter.
The Radio Transmitters:
The FM Transmitter is an EDM-TX-LCD kit from EDM Design. It was simple to assemble and set up with minimal soldering skills. I chose 96.1 FM because it is a vacant frequency for the Phoenix area. Tucson does have a 96.1 FM station which reaches areas of Phoenix during the daytime, but they reduce their power at night so you'd have to have a big antenna and good equipment to pull in their station. I use extremely low power so you have to pretty much be in front of the house to pick up my transmission.
The AM Transmitter is a Radio Technologies TH 5.0 primarily found in "Talking House" installations for real estate sales. The output of an FM receiver tuned to 96.1 feeds the AM transmitter transmitting on 1120 AM. It is also a very low power transmitter and as such you need to pretty much be in front of the house to pick up the transmission.
The Video:
One Light-O-Rama channel is used to signal the start and stop of video segments. A relay on the channel is used to trigger a NewTek Video Toaster VT[3] to play back two videos simultaneously synchronized to the music and lights. The videos are fed to two projectors, one displaying in each of two front room windows. Wax paper attached to the windows is used to create the screens. Since the Light-O-Rama controllers use Triacs, a "load" must be present on the circuit for it to successfully trip the relay, so a 25 watt party light is also on that channel. Periodically you will see a red glow as it comes on and goes off in the room of the right-hand window.
A Bit Of Trivia:
One song, "Winter Wonderland" has the Bethlehem Star on the roof blinking Morse Code.
"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5".
This is the "signature" verse of the band (Stryper) that plays this song. Stryper is an acronym: Salvation Through Redemption, Yielding Peace, Encouragement and Righteousness.
The Mega-Tree is constructed from the pole of a portable basketball hoop. The backboard and hoop have been removed. We've extended the height of the Mega-Tree by coupling a 5'10" length of 3" exhaust pipe to the top of the pole and created second teir. The base of the top teir is created by a 30 foot circumference ring made of 3/4" PVC pipe. The overall height of the Mega-Tree is more than 16 feet.
The Mini-Trees are constructed from tomato cages. The "bottom" rungs have been cut off; and the "tops" welded together.
The extension cords, if placed end to end, would reach over 3/4 of a mile.
Last update: November 29, 2011