| Clearwater Lights |
Display Details and Frequently Asked Questions
How many lights are there?
The total bulb count for 2009 is 45,000, accurate to plus or minus 3%, with a pretty
even split between LED's and incandescent bulbs
How many extension cords?
No one knows for sure, but it's upwards of 500. Altogether - including both yards in
this year's display - there's close to two miles of cords.
How much electric power does the display consume?
If all the lights were on at the same time, which never occurs - the display would pull
about 90 Amps. The average amount that's actually being consumed most of the
time is closer to 20 Amps.
How much does it cost to light?
In 2008 it cost a snick over $50 for the entire lighting season. With more lights this
year we're expecting it could go all the way up to $70. That might seem surprisingly
low at first, but if you take a closer look, you'll see that most of the lights spend the
overwhelming majority of their time off.
How are the lights controlled?
Every set of lights in the yard is computer controlled down to 1/20th of a second.
The controllers and sequencing software are from a company called LightORama
(www.lightorama.com). There are 20 16-channel controllers, which works out to 320
individual channels, not all of which are used.
How long does it take to put together?
Since starting this hobby, the computer programming has been pretty much an
ongoing process throughout the year. Construction of this year's new “devices”
mostly takes place during the summer. With over 300 channels, it takes
approximately 8 hours to sequence one minute of music. Deploying all the lights and
devices takes about a month. Running the extension cords, connecting all the lights
to the controllers, testing everything and correcting the bugs takes over two weeks.
How many songs are in the show?
For 2009, there are 49 or more different pieces of music that have been sequenced.
(Play list is here.) Because of favoritism, some songs will play more often than
others. If each one played through in order, which will probably never happen, it
would be 1 hour and 54 minutes total length. Typically, early evening shows are
more slanted toward Holiday music and shows later in the evening are more slanted
toward rock.
WHY???
Blame it on my mom. Every year without fail – even in snowstorms - my Mom would
pack us four kids into the car the last Saturday before Christmas and take us around
to look at people’s holiday lights. Even though all there was to look at in those days
were C9 bulbs, it was still a special treat that we all looked forward to which resulted
in many happy memories. Now it’s time to pay that forward.
How many lights are there?
The total bulb count for 2009 is 45,000, accurate to plus or minus 3%, with a pretty
even split between LED's and incandescent bulbs
How many extension cords?
No one knows for sure, but it's upwards of 500. Altogether - including both yards in
this year's display - there's close to two miles of cords.
How much electric power does the display consume?
If all the lights were on at the same time, which never occurs - the display would pull
about 90 Amps. The average amount that's actually being consumed most of the
time is closer to 20 Amps.
How much does it cost to light?
In 2008 it cost a snick over $50 for the entire lighting season. With more lights this
year we're expecting it could go all the way up to $70. That might seem surprisingly
low at first, but if you take a closer look, you'll see that most of the lights spend the
overwhelming majority of their time off.
How are the lights controlled?
Every set of lights in the yard is computer controlled down to 1/20th of a second.
The controllers and sequencing software are from a company called LightORama
(www.lightorama.com). There are 20 16-channel controllers, which works out to 320
individual channels, not all of which are used.
How long does it take to put together?
Since starting this hobby, the computer programming has been pretty much an
ongoing process throughout the year. Construction of this year's new “devices”
mostly takes place during the summer. With over 300 channels, it takes
approximately 8 hours to sequence one minute of music. Deploying all the lights and
devices takes about a month. Running the extension cords, connecting all the lights
to the controllers, testing everything and correcting the bugs takes over two weeks.
How many songs are in the show?
For 2009, there are 49 or more different pieces of music that have been sequenced.
(Play list is here.) Because of favoritism, some songs will play more often than
others. If each one played through in order, which will probably never happen, it
would be 1 hour and 54 minutes total length. Typically, early evening shows are
more slanted toward Holiday music and shows later in the evening are more slanted
toward rock.
WHY???
Blame it on my mom. Every year without fail – even in snowstorms - my Mom would
pack us four kids into the car the last Saturday before Christmas and take us around
to look at people’s holiday lights. Even though all there was to look at in those days
were C9 bulbs, it was still a special treat that we all looked forward to which resulted
in many happy memories. Now it’s time to pay that forward.
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