Bruceski44

I think it goes without saying that this only applies if you have legally purchased the songs you play, but I'm going to say it anyway. The artists and studios are entitled to compensation for their work. Thanks OP, for doing the due diligence.

My choice was between a new vendor with no track record at lower prices, or an established vendor with an excellent track record at higher prices. I was planning to place part of my order at the lower price, but this increase has reduced the difference. It is no longer worthwhile for me to take the risk. Ryan made no mention of a price increase, and I am unable to check here every day.

It doesn't sound like this may happen, but would you be so kind as to notify us if and before you raise your prices? I'm planning to put my order in at these prices before 2/11, so would appreciate advance notice of any changes. Thanks for the consideration, Bruce

HHmm, after viewing the video, I was reminded of how we used to fix shorts on a printed circuit board. These are notoriously hard to find, so we would just crank up the voltage and current and wait for it to burn through the short. It wouldn't always work... I wonder if these malfunctions are related to partial shorts, possibly by tin whiskers, and the overstress from the tester burns through them?

Would you guys mind doing a burn-in on your repaired strings? Just plug them in, maybe indoors at room temperature and let them run at full on. Better yet, use a controller to blink on and off. Diodes are funny things. There are rectifying diodes in the "blobs" and the LEDs are themselves diodes. An overstress may induce latent damage that would weaken the junction and may reduce its life. I realize you fixed these, but am wondering how long they'll remain fixed. As for what happened inside when they got fixed, I have no answer yet.

If your lights came in a box that looks like these: http://www.amazon.com/50-count-Sylvania-Gem-Christmas-Lights/dp/B001KZ1E3G then they probably have a 5-year warranty. I bought lots of these minis, G12 and C6 lights and they replaced about 10% of them after the first year. I have a few more failures this year and will be seeking replacements again. These lights are actually made by Inliten 1-800-681-3814.

I bought some flat RGB LED lights from Bird Dog Distributing and would buy from them again. They also have single-color LED rope: http://www.birddogdistributing.com/ My only problem with the RGB ribbon I bought was that it is wired common-cathode so that when you turn the blue lights on, both the red and green lights are on as well. (I made my own controller to control each color...) There's no way to correct it as that's the way the ribbon was built. [ATTACH=CONFIG]41258[/ATTACH]

We've had 6 straight days of rain here, sometimes very heavy. It has been almost continuous since Friday morning. The first song during the first run of my show tripped the GFCI breaker and it has been down ever since. We should clear tomorrow for a couple of days and I will be out with my heat gun and plastic wrap to try and get the show running and able to withstand the next storm(s) starting Saturday. Considering it was 80 degrees and sunny when I set everything up (in December no less) I can't complain, but this really illustrates what people in other locations have to deal with. If I had known in advance that we'd have almost a week of solid rain, I definitely would have prepared. In past years, we've had a day or two of rain for the entire month, but this year, we've had three storms already with the latest being a real duesy. I hope my fellow PCers in the Golden State are safe and dry and wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Good thoughts on the longevity of the markers. My climate is practically tropical compared to yours and the marker on duct tape only lasted two seasons. It was fun trying to guess if that obliterated number was a 5, 6 or 8, but not something I want to do every year. Especially if it's really cold outside.

Many of my elements use red, green and blue (RGB) individual strings, so I label my each end of my cords with red, green or blue electrical tape. I lay out the cords three at a time from the controller to the element and can then connect each end without too much fuss. I store them in totes broken down by size: 8-15 feet 20-25 feet 35-40 feet 50 feet and up

Go to www.target.com/Christmas to get your free download. I'm not familiar with the artists, but that doesn't mean much.

You missed my sarcasm, despite my disclaimer that it was all tongue-in-cheek. I cannot tell people to use religious songs any more than the OP can tell people how to improve their display. Thanks for the link. Is that you telling people how to improve their display?

It seems my gentle chiding has gone completely over your head, so I'll kick the clarity up a notch: It is presumptuous for you to tell people how to improve their displays when YOU HAVEN'T EVEN DONE ONE SHOW YET! You say you suggest a different way that we haven't thought of yet, but you fail to realize that we have been thinking over our shows for far longer than the 8 months you've been here AND WE LIKE THEM! BTW, I looked at your pumpkin video on your YouTube channel and I was suitably UNIMPRESSED. I know there's only so much you can do with 16 channels, but I'm not seeing any evidence of your gift yet. Here's a tip I really hope you take: Lurk until you have completed the videos of your first show. Then we can see for ourselves if you have a better way, but right now you have no credibility and you're annoying. There are many contests you can enter if you really need external validation, but you must complete your show first.

I'll take a cue from you and return some tips to you. I'm not quite an old hand, but I do have more experience than you. FIRST- Do not use secular songs like Jingle Bells in your display. You must use only those songs that point to the birth of Christ. After all, isn't that what Christmas is about? SECOND- When the words in the hymn are significant, go ahead and flash the lights to the word(s) to emphasize them. For example, in O Holy Night, emphasize these words "our dear Savior's birth." THIRD- don't try to make your lights look like ballroom dancers unless they can twirl and move about. Don't forget a lift now and then too. I hope you realize this is all tongue-in-cheek. I'm sure you mean well, but if you"ve been watching enough displays you will realize a few things: 1. Our displays are an individual expression and most of us are quite happy with them. 2. Styles vary immensely, just as our personalities do. 3. We all exhibit dofferent skill levels. Not everyone is Holdman-like. 4. We are all working within budget and time constraints. I can't do everything I want to this year, or likely next year also. I appreciate your attempt to help, but I choose not to do it "your way." I'm looking forward to seeing your videos after your shows are complete. Welcome to the hobby!

I got my entire order last week. It was exactly what I ordered and everything works well. I am perfectly satisfied with LED Holiday Lighting!