By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Clark Griswold blinded his neighbors with 25,000 Christmas lights in the 1989 National Lampoon movie. As it turns out, that was child's play compared to the 35,000-plus synchronized lights now on display at 252 W. 15th Street in Hoisington. John Robinson moved into the residence four years ago and has turned his hobby into something the community can enjoy.
"Everything is either designed by me or by people who also do this," he said. "You go in and tell every bulb what to do. All my lights have a red, a green, and a blue light in it. So you can make any color, like a million-some possibilities of color."
A longtime-Hoisington resident, Robinson started with much smaller Christmas decorations at a previous location nearly a decade ago. Just three years ago at his current location, he created the synchronized display with around 15,000 lights. Adding an additional 5,000 lights from last year's show, that total is now beyond 35,000.
"Each one has a computer chip in it," he said. "With the program, you're telling every bulb what to do - what color to be, when, where, everything."
In reality, Robinson is not using old-fashioned light bulbs but modern LED RGB pixels. Using the three primary colors of red, green, and blue, the lights can generate virtually any color. Robinson uses software called xLights to formulate the various movements in time with music. He watches a 3-D version of his home and display while piecing together a sequence.
"As you sequence it and make it work, you can play it back and watch everything it's going to do right there on your computer screen," he said. "You have a better idea of what's going to be going on."
Using xLights, Robinson can separate each component of his decoration, then use his own personal effects or those designed by other light enthusiasts to bring the lights to life. Users can pinpoint an effect to an exact note in a song, or use pre-programmed sequences like chase or intensity effects that reflect the type of music being played.
A complex design may take longer than a week to create. But with the software, users can share their creations with other users, who can tweak the show to fit their own display in a matter of hours. The technology allows for some professional displays right at home.
"Year after year it gets easier and easier," Robinson said. "I used to run mine off a laptop, and now I use a little Raspberry Pi circuit board computer with a computer chip in it so I don't even have to use my laptop anymore."
This year Robinson is adding something else to his light show: glowing bracelets. The bracelets include a radio frequency and will light up along with the display in the yard. Proceeds from the sale of the bracelets, which are available for $5 at Hoisington Veterinary Hospital, will go towards LADA Paws Rescue.
Robinson currently uses 18-20 songs in the display, and a few of those songs may change throughout the holiday season. The light show runs from 6-10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 6-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Be sure to tune to 101.5 FM to hear the music.
Follow Lights on 15th Street on Facebook for updated news about the display.