All Johan Jorna, 17, needed to put together his Christmas light display was 7,500 bulbs, along with 1,500 feet of computer cable and 32 solid-state relays.
Naturally, all that got hooked into a personal computer with the appropriate software to synchronize all those lights to the sounds of Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards in Winter.”
Oh, and, of course, how could one do all that and forget to put together a small, homemade radio transmitter to broadcast the music directly to passing cars, the idea being not to bug the neighbors too much?
Stretched over two houses on the small cul-de-sac at 12313 N.E. 165th St. in Bothell, what Johan’s display required most was the ingenuity of a self-confessed computer geek who plans on being an engineer — and it would seem he should have no problem accomplishing that task.
“A certain person told me I should get a hobby,” Johan said in explaining part of the inspiration for his choreographed light display.
“And then when it was done, she said, ‘You need to get a different hobby,’” Johan finishes, laughing.
Actually, he said his inspiration came mostly from the fact he just likes Christmas lights. That and seeing displays similar to his on the Internet and deciding he could do one himself.
Johan said the first step was completing a spread sheet of every light that he planned on using in the display. His family had some lights, while he borrowed more from a neighbor. Johan said that, most importantly, the spread sheet told him how much power he would need and the source of that power. Johan said that, obviously, he could not just plug the entire display into an extension cord.
All in all, Johan figures he’s using about 165 watts an hour, which he contends for 7,500 lights is not much at all. In fact, according to Johan, since the lights are constantly going on and off in time to the music, the large display uses less juice than a few strings of static lights might.
After figuring out what lights he had to work with, Johan said the next step was programming his computer to synchronize the lights and the music, making use of a free software downloaded from the Internet. Johan admitted he learned to hook up some of the hardware a bit on the fly.
“Half the control box,” he said, pointing toward the computer set-up, “is actually fried because of mistakes I made. But I learned a lot.”
Not surprisingly, Johan worked out exactly where to place all his lights far in advance of actually hanging a single string.
“We probably spent more time planning than in putting up the lights,” Johan said.
With the help of some friends, the work of stringing up the display began in early October and was completed about a month later.
“A lot of people were actually laughing at us when we were putting up the lights in October,” Johan said. But he also adds the work was a lot easier in that month’s comparatively dryer and warmer weather.
The radio transmitter was an idea Johan admits he found on the Internet. The transmitter is one of those you can use to send signals to your car radio from an iPod or MP3 player. Modified, the transmitter simply hangs on a pole in the middle of Johan’s display. A lighted, homemade sign invites passersby to tune to a certain AM frequency to hear the music.
An automated timer flips on the switch for Johan’s display every day at 5 p.m. and flips it off at 11 p.m. Visitors are invited to drop off a donation of nonperishable food. The display should remain up and running until Jan. 4.
