Christmas Light Show

Christmas of 2016 I ran my Christmas light show sequenced to music. The show featured three songs, and people in cars could listen to the music via FM radio.

I used two 16-channel Light-O-Rama controllers to for the traditional Christmas lights, and a Falcon pixel controller for the leaping arches. I sequenced the lights to music using an open-source program called Vixen 3. I ran the show off of my laptop which connected to the controllers via ethernet.

I built the leaping arches with PEX tubing and a strip of addressable RGB LEDs. I constructed the “Emmanuel” sign on the roof with a PVC frame and some plastic mesh. I painted the PVC black to help it blend in, then zip-tied the red rope light to the plastic mesh to create the letters. To weigh it down on the roof, I used four 50 pound bags of gravel. The sign stands about 6 feet tall and is about 15 feet wide.

This was a fun project to work on and complete, especially since the results were very rewarding. I enjoyed sharing the show with family, neighbors, and friends.