Making the jump from traditional A/C lights to animated lighting

If you're considering taking the leap into animated lighting, it's important that you understand a couple critical differences between traditional Christmas lighting and animated Christmas lighting because, as you likely know, sometimes the lights don't work. Am I right???

If you're currently using static, AC strings of lights, troubleshooting generally falls into a few simple buckets:

• Whether the circuit breaker has tripped (i.e. the circuit needs to have power)
• Whether the lights are actually plugged in.
• Whether the lights are actually turned on.
• Whether the light string's fuse has blown.
• If a light inside the string has blown or is broken, many people simply replace the string because traditional A/C light strings are relatively inexpensive. However, tools such as the LightKeeper Pro can often help locate and repair faults in incandescent light strings.

In the computer animated lighting world, it's a whole different ball game. Each item has multiple checkpoints:

• The main power circuits the devices are plugged into (A/C power) are "live."
• The computer must be configured and working properly. Keeping your computer working is no small task on its own!
• The sequencing software must be configured and working properly with the computer. Versions with new features are released frequently.
• The sequencing software must be configured correctly to communicate with your controllers. Depending on the software and controller type, this may involve configuring network settings, output protocols, or other communication options.
• The communication hardware (Ethernet adapters, Wi-Fi adapters, USB devices, cables, connectors, routers, switches, wireless access points, etc.) must be configured and working properly. Reliable communication between the computer and your lighting controllers is essential. You must become very proficient with keeping connectivity between the computer and the rest of the light system components.
• The light controllers must be configured and working properly. Many different types of controllers -- each is unique.
• The wiring between the controller, power supplies, and lights must be working properly. Depending on your display, you may be working with both A/C and low-voltage DC wiring.
• The power supplies for the controllers and lights must be correctly sized, wired, and operating properly.
• The lights themselves must be working properly and manufactured to your needs.

Because each of the above items has numerous settings and things to check to verify their proper operation, the number of things that can go wrong and prevent your lights from working becomes an astoundingly complex set of variables. Be willing to tackle the challenge! Fortunately, today's hardware and software are generally more reliable and easier to configure than they were in the early years of animated lighting. Online documentation, forums, and the DIYChristmas community make it much easier to get help when you run into problems.

A warning. We've found that many new DIY'ers get in over their heads because they imagine it won't be much different than the relatively easy, plug-n-play methods that generally work for traditional A/C light strings. Wow, are they ever in for a surprise! Even experienced DIY'ers occasionally encounter unexpected problems when introducing new hardware, firmware, or software into their displays. So don't be afraid to start small and start EARLY in the year. You may envision a large display filled with synchronized lights, music, and special effects. That's fine -- just understand that the learning curve and time required to get everything working are each about 25 times larger than you'd ever imagine them to be. Let your skills and investment grow slowly or you WILL become very, very frustrated.