You've probably noticed that my display is now 100% LEDs consisting of every bulb size and type representing almost all the different manufacturers on the market.  I've also been conducting extensive R&D since my first attempt at animating the strands for my Nascar display in 2005.  That's why I developed the terminators, there's nothing worse than spending all the time and effort necessary to create an animated show, only to find the 2 technologies don't like working with each other.  '05 was also the same year the C-9 LED replacement bulbs were first introduced on the retail market, and since I love the look of C-9 bulbs, I placed my order and started testing them as soon as I received them.  Unfortunately, they worked great for static applications, but once I hooked them up to one of my LOR CTB08's, they failed at an alarming rate.  So back to the incandescent C-9s for the 05 display.

2006 had proved to be a transitional year in regards to computer control and LEDs.  More vendors were offering more choices as to bulb size, heavy duty commercial strings Vs normal retail use, C-7 and C-9 LED replacements that actually worked, and even Action offered several different types of LED replacement floods and spots.  LOR ironed out the kinks in their controllers which negated the need for terminators, (Yeah!), while D-Light had the foresight to enable their existing boards with user defined register tweaks that made it possible to use LEDs for more than just on/off. 

There's been a lot of discussion back and forth, on PlanetChristmas and other boards, regarding LED floods and C-9 Replacements, LOR boards and D-Light boards, (most of which ended up lost in cyberspace when PC crashed and burned some time ago), this is simply my observations and experiences relating to LEDs.  I'm by no means an expert at anything, I simply have an overabundance of curiosity along with a somewhat compelling need to see how things work, and sometimes how they don't.

Click on the following links to pages that go into detail on various LED questions and my opinionated answers.  Just please do me one favor if you find this information helpful or if you have your own experiences with using LEDs, use the Email me page and I'll respond as soon as possible.  One other request, don't post any of this information on the TexasChristmasLight Site or boards, thanks.

2007 LED Ongoing R&D for this year.

D-Light Vs LOR LED control