Welcome to PacificaLights.info, a web site devoted to the notion that a guy with no real background in electronics could build a blinking, flashing set of Christmas lights for his house, set to music.
The 2011 show ran from Dec. 12-Jan 6; it included 17 songs played on alternating nights (see the program page for more details).
There are a variety of commercial systems available on the market to handle the chore of synchronizing lights to music, but PacificaLights is a home-brew affair: each of the many light controllers (as well as the computer-to-lights interface, an electronic sign and even the strings around the windows and bannisters) were built in the workshop; the software includes a number of freeware applications and all the electrical was done by a guy with a liberal-arts education.
Admittedly, a large community of do-it-yourselfers from around the world helped out: some controllers were designed by electronics geniuses in Florida, while others were plotted out by soldering-iron wizards from Australia or Canada. You can visit these fine folk at the web sites Do It Yourself Christmas and DIY Light Animation, where all the gory details are at hand.
The core of the display is the sequencing software, Vixen. Without it, there would be no show. You can learn more about Vixen here and here.
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