1

Christmas Light Display (this presentation repeats every 2.5 minutes)

• Our 19th year• Over 6000 lights• Uses $1.20 of power daily (equivalent

to the use of 2 hair driers)• Recycle materials content about 75%• Lights on 6:00 PM to 10:30 PM from

Dec 1 to Jan 2, 2002

2

Snowflakes• Computer controlled • ¼ mile of wire• 48 computer outputs• 388 lights• 816 solder

connections• Built in 1982• 5 minute program

cycle

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Spruce Trees

• Computer controlled with a 68HC11 MCU

• 3 –interacting pulse-width-modulated light strings that create the “fading” effect.

4

Island• Computer controlled• “Monoliths” in center

are micro-controller controlled.

• Total light elements=840 on 120 display units

• Holes drilled for circuit boards=1620

5

Flowers

• Each flower has a micro-controller in it.

• Separate wiring pattern for each flower

• Total number of lights=112

6

Star

• 1 motor• 2 micro-

controllers• This star is 4th

made in 16 years

7

Gate

• Uses “neon” wire• Two high-voltage

inverters drive the display

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Nativity

• 2/3 scale• 300 lights• Neon wire• 2 motors

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Crab Apple Tree

• Microcontroller• 400 red lights• 400 clear lights

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Cones

• 336 light elements

• 4 motors• 4 fluorescent

bulbs

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Lanterns

• 3 lights in each bowl

• 3 colors fade like Spruce Trees

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Control Cabinet

Front

Snowflake simulator

Fader computer

Island lights computer

Monitor timer, power monitoring

Fader, island light monitor

Startup and presentation computer

Snowflake computer (not shown)

13

Control Cabinet (rear)

wiring

Power Supplies

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Recycled materials• Motors – from printers, disk drives• Wedges – Lite Brites, computer furniture• Strobe - from camera• Flowers - party bowls, margarine

containers• Island - salad bowls• Monoliths – old computer equipment• Angel – CD, backlight TV, oil drilling equip.• Wires and cable – all surplus junk• Computer boxes – all surplus junk

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Comments?

• Email: lightman@raiderraicing.com