animated christmas light
Sunday, November 29th, 2009animated christmas light
What's the best system to use to animate Christmas lights?
I'm looking to do our home with a spectacular light show this year. I would like to ideally have a chaser mode and maybe sync flashing. What is the best system to do this with? I would like to have as many zones as possible as well.
I would use LightORama too. It is pretty easy to use and set up.
Call Dan or his wife Mary and ask him about it. LOR is a great way to synchronize your lights to music.
If you haven't purchased the software to program your lights, go ahead and start now.
If this is your first year, you can get by with 16-32 channels. LOR also has a assemble your own kit (a 16PC) that you can assemble in about an hour - it will keep the cost down.
I use LOR and love it. A word of caution though: It takes a REALLY long time to program a song to lights (you can expect to take 1-2 hours per minute of music).
Most people will have about 3-5 songs so you can expect to take about 40 -120 hours to program a song.
LOR has a new software that is easier to use than their first version, but it is still very labor intensive.
I would suggest using the free download of the software to see if you can get the hang of it. That way, if you do purchase stuff, you will be ahead of the game.
Warning: They do tend to run out of stuff in Mid November-December. So if you are on the fence, go ahead and purchase now.
If you decide to sell, go to the forums and list your products there. You will recoup your investment (they will not pay much over cost).
there is a site http://www.LORSequences.com that has songs on it. IF you can't handle the sequencing, you can download a song there and modify it for your home and display. It will reduce hours off your workload, but not completely eliminate the hours.
If you do decide that you like LOR, but want to wait until next year, they have had an annual summer sale for the past few years where you will save about 10% off your purchase. Dan has a contest where you can have a chance to win your purchase for free, but you have to understand that your odds of winning are about 1 in 100 to 1000.
Good luck with your decision and be sure to post videos of your display for us to look at.
animated christmas lights With Music (Run Run Rudolph)
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Animated Christmas Tales (DVD) $58.7 Animated Christmas Tales (Dvd) |
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The Animated Christmas Collection (DVD) $20.54 This festive collection for children consists of seven animated Christmas classics. Among those featured include "The Nutcracker", "A Christmas Carol", and "The Story of Christmas". |
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Light Brown Retro Animated Christmas Village Music Box $32.99 From the Retro - Lighted Musicals CollectionItem #36438Flashback to times past with this fun and nostalgic animated music box!Vintage-style box has a quaint 3-dimensional village scene inside, accented with glitterFestive ice skating children rotate around the town Christmas treeWinds up to play the tune "We Wish You A Merry Christmas"On the top of the box, there is a vintage picture of little girl carolers and reads "Christmas Greeting"Box opens and close with hinges on back Dimensions: 3.5"H x 4"W x 4"DMaterial(s): resin/plastic Type: Decorations Color: Brown |
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China Makes Christmas for Rest of World
China is the world’s biggest manufacturer of Christmas products. China exports nearly 2 billion US dollars worth of Christmas products per year with more than half going to the United States. Most of it comes from Shenzhen in South China’s Guangdong province.There are over 3,000 factories in Shenzhen producing artificial Christmas trees. Christmas lights, ornaments and Christmas wreaths are also made here. These items are all made from plastic and metals.
Shenzhen is on the coast about an hours drive from Hong Kong. Before 1985, most of these products were mass produced in Taiwan and Hong Kong where the labor was cheap and ports were easily accessible. Taiwan and Hong Kong were not under the strict communist rule of China. By 1985, Taiwan and Hong Kong had developed into huge exporters and their local labor costs had increased. They started looking for a place nearby to ship materials to for assembly by cheaper workers. At the same time China was moving away from communism and setting up special economic zones. These zones welcomed foreign investment and industrial parks were setup to attract them. Consequently, Hong Kong and Taiwanese companies started producing Christmas products in Shenzhen. The growth in exports from Shenzhen over the last 20 years has been huge. About 80% of the factories are owned by Hong Kong companies and the other 20% by companies from Taiwan.
Worker conditions in these factories are poor. The workers toil 12 hours a day six to seven days a week for a monthly salary of $100 to $125. The floors are concrete and little money has been invested into proper work tables, work table height, etc. Many workers are available as they come in from the provinces where they farmed for much less.
Most of these artificial Christmas trees and Christmas wreaths are made from metals and plastics. The plastic material used predominantly is PVC – polyvinyl chloride. When PVC is manufactured it creates and disperses dioxin into the environment which is one of the most toxic man made chemicals. Dioxins enter the food chain through air or water and accumulate in fatty tissues of animals and humans where they can cause cancer, damage the immune system and impair children’s development. Also PVC is often stabilized with lead which is a carcinogen and also associated with neurological damage. Lead is used in PVC because it makes the plastic more flexible which is beneficial in the wires and cords. It is also used to stabilize the color. Over time the lead in the PVC product can disintegrate into lead laced dust.
Most people purchase artificial Christmas trees and wreaths because they make less mess, they’re cheaper over time and convenient. Consumers should be aware of the dangers of the materials used in these products and the environmental damage done when these materials are manufactured as well as the conditions of the workers producing them. Purchasing fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreaths is the environmentally friendly choice and it sure smells a lot better than plastic too.
About the Author
Lynn Jebbia is the owner of Acadia Wreath Company. Acadia Wreath Company, based in Bar Harbor, Maine, handcrafts fresh Maine balsam fir Christmas wreaths, Christmas Centerpieces and Kissing Balls which are shipped directly to customers and corporate clients throughout the United States.