OT: My Christmas Lights

[Frank AZ]

Well, I figured it was time to finally post my little blurb about my christmas lights.

Ahwatukee Holidays Christmas Lights Display

Frank Kostyun, with the support of his wife, Christine spends 10 months a year creating 60,000+ thousand light display to brighten up his street for the holidays. Starting in January, Frank designs the concept, builds the circuitry and display material for the Ahwatukee Holidays Annual Christmas Light Display.

This year the display includes over 60,000 lights making up 24 mini trees, 74 stars, leaping lights, and a flowing river. An extra special display surprise of snow is slated for Friday and Saturday nights throughout the season. As part of doing our part for the environment, we are beginning to switch to low power use LED lights, and they are a brilliant feature of this years display.

The hardest part is the programming. Frank and Christine work hard to create not just a display but a true show. They have choreographed their display to 8 holiday songs including Wizards in Winter by Trans Siberian Orchestra and Music Box Dancer by DJ Schwede. Each song can take up to 20 hours to choreograph. Anyone with a radio can tune in to 93.7 to hear the music that goes with the display.

We hope you will enjoy this amazing display and help us share the Joy of the Holidays with community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3uUfFHZpik&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2PvWUmCuVc&feature=channel_page

The lights are on daily (with weather permitting)
Friday through Sunday 6:00pm to 10:30pm
Monday through Thursday 6:00pm to 10:30pm
Week before Christmas to Christmas Eve: 5:30pm to 11:30pm
The last day of the lights will be on is January 3rd, 2009.
To see photos and links to videos from prior year’s shows, please visit www.ahwatukeeholidays.com.

 

[Garage1217]

Sweet! That is amazing, very impressive! I have been doing the led light deal for 2 years now, they look so much better Mine is just all solid with some blinking & so forth, nothing to music at all but I have quite a display going.

Would love to learn / build a controller but just have not had time.

Again, NICE JOB! All for the kids right?? haha

 

[KRASHPD]

That is incredible. Nice job Frank and Christine.

 

[ScrubberOTanky]

I have a friend down in phoenix 44th and camelback just south if camelback that is just as committed as you are! Not sure how many lights, but definately worth seeing as is yours. Jolly good show sir.

I tried to go Clark W. Grizwald at my place, but the gf cut me off @$100.... Oh well I will sneak some more in.

 

[gjakub]

Very nice job Frank and Christine

 

[macboat]

I was about to ask when the lights is on....

 

[Westy82]

great work. ill have to try to get out there to see the lights.

 

[random_ryan]

Hope you have solar panels to counter act your electric bill. lol

 

[savageAJC]

love it!!

 

[GigaFish]

Have you ever seen that APS commercial explaining that if we all replaced one light bulb with one of those squiggly bulbs we would save enough electricity to power something like 40,000 households for a year? Well, after seeing this house I think our return just dropped to 20,000 houses a year.

 

[Garage1217]

When I went all led, I did not notice any increase at all in my power bill.

 

[GigaFish]

I love those LED lights. Are they expensive to buy? Can you buy replacement LED lights for normal light strands or is that a waste of time.

 

[Garage1217]

They are definitly more pricey than the standard. Last year I spent just north of $1200 on my display but I have a massive amount of led lights, blow ups & so forth. Was a BLAST. Stuff adds up quick haha.

I do think they sell just the bulb replacements but I think it would end up costing more in the end than just purchasing new strands.

 

[NJGirlinPhx]

Thanks everyone for the warm compliments. Believe it or not our Electricity Bill only went up about $40 last year---That's what's great about computer controls, there was never a time when all of the lights were on at once.

We're slowly switching to LED's. We held off for a long time because LED's had problems with dimming (most of them flicker very badly) and several of the colors just weren't "there" (super dim yellows, very blue whites) As it is, we're still buying commercial grade LED's directly from a manufacturer as the stuff you can find in stores just doesn't cut it for what we do.


And no worries we have SRP! We also don't have any inflatables (not my style) and I've heard those can be power suck-ers.

 

[Garage1217]

Yeah, you would need a DC controller to do the leds properly, if you run them off a/c they will dim and flicker pretty bad.

I love my leds, would never go back. Will pm you a current pics, but photos would never do it justice as I am confident your photos do not do your setup justice!

 

[Frank AZ]

We are using what is refered to as full-wave LED's - so they do dim and run properly. (I have only found half-wave LED's in stores) The two "quality" LED christmas light manufacturers are Innovalit and Diogen - but they do cost.

My other biggest reason for going with commercial grade LED lights is the colors are very even, so single colors (such as blue) don't overpower other colors such as yellow and orange. I am getting replacements of LED's each year to replaces the lights that have faded too much for me to use them.

 

[NJGirlinPhx]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13930174#post13930174 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Garage1217
Yeah, you would need a DC controller to do the leds properly, if you run them off a/c they will dim and flicker pretty bad.

I love my leds, would never go back. Will pm you a current pics, but photos would never do it justice as I am confident your photos do not do your setup justice!

Sorry I wasn't clear Durring our show we dim and brighten the lights with the music. And yeah, technical stuff like he said above