Do you really know?

[shfr26]

Do you actually know how many lights you have up? My second year and did my best to keep count, in between checking amps and all. I was on a roll, until someone tried to help and just totally messed me up. So I figure I will just guess and be really close, by about 400 or so. Is this wrong?? And no, I will not go back out and start counting again either. I'm at about 16,000 with a few channels to go.

[iresq]

1 Billion Lights!

I always loose count too. For the most part, I just count the number of cases in led's I have purchased and add the features that are still incan (at this point, just arches, mini-trees and few odds and ends. As years go on, this is getting more accurate.

As for power use? Kill-o-watt keeps me honest.

[Don]

I used to know. Heck, there was a time I could tell you from memory how many lights were in each part of the display.

Now a days when people ask, I simply tell them, "I lost count after 10 or so." (That usually gets a laugh out of them.)

[WhitePlainsNY]

I reply, "Feel free to count them yourself. Just don't ask me if you're right or not because I don't know myself."

[jimswinder]

yep, I know...but I LOVE making spreadsheets!!! LOL



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[PaulXmas]

shfr26 wrote:

Do you actually know how many lights you have up? My second year and did my best to keep count, in between checking amps and all. I was on a roll, until someone tried to help and just totally messed me up. So I figure I will just guess and be really close, by about 400 or so. Is this wrong?? And no, I will not go back out and start counting again either. I'm at about 16,000 with a few channels to go.

Yes go outside and start counting!

Just kidding ; )

I have exactly 13690

Well give are take a few

Plus I might have another 1000 or so more this week

or not

[Guest Don Gillespie]

jimswinder wrote:

yep, I know...but I LOVE making spreadsheets!!! LOL

ME to, here is my spread sheet

A WHOLE BUNCH

man Jim you are organized I have stuff that I bought and to be honest can't remember where I put it, I guess thats why my wife keeps letting me buy more he he

I guess I could count them I know for sure each tree has 2000 lights on them so thats 10,000 but next year I am going to be like Jim new spread sheet for 2011 just don't tell my wife ok

[shfr26]

jimswinder wrote:

yep, I know...but I LOVE making spreadsheets!!! LOL

Sure, you would know! I just can't keep track. Went out tonight, played a sequence, added more lights. It never ends!!! Still have about 15,000 lights left to play with, wanta help??

[Dad02]

Seems like the totes of lights get heavier and heavier each year coming up from my basement. My mega tree has 16 legs with four strings in each leg...6400 lights. Out of curiosity, weighed the totes of lights just for the mega tree and it totaled 75 lbs. Getting close to 20,000 lights.....what is that...close to 235lbs of lights. Not including all the extras, like extension cords.

[George Simmons]

I'm also a spreadsheet guy and I know the spreadsheet is probably about 95% accurate when the display is set up. I doubt seriously that I keep it accurate during the season if I add things, though. But the public likes to know numbers, so I quote my numbers from set up and tell them it's within 5%. That seems to do it. Truth is, there's a few thousand more than I report and I don't really know what the actual total is.

While I generally believe that more is better when it comes to Christmas lights (based on a lifetime of static displays) the number of lights itself doesn't impress very many people around here. It's what you do with them.

[jimswinder]

George Simmons wrote:

While I generally believe that more is better, itself doesn't impress very many people around here. It's what you do with them.

sounds like something an ex-wife once told me...

[-klb-]

My estimate when asked a couple of weeks ago was about 125,000 for the city park & firehouse. When I finally got some data into the spreadsheet, and some formulas fixed, it came out to 133,000. Or at least that is what the design totals to. I know some places have more, and others less. Other parts I think are pretty spot on.

I figure either number is good enough. What really counts is the smiles per hour once it starts.

[Brian Mitchell]

Knowing how many lights you have is good and all, but what I really want to know is,

How many licks does it take to get to the chewy center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

[jimswinder]

Brian Mitchell wrote:

Knowing how many lights you have is good and all, but what I really want to know is,

How many licks does it take to get to the chewy center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?

just one for me...but I have a big tongue...

[rjnitto]

Over the past few years, I've used the spreadsheet available at Quartzhill
http://www.quartzhillchristmas.com/12.html
to not only help balance the load on each individual controller, but to count lights, watts and amps. This spreadsheet has proved invaluable in designing my layout. I use a fake controller number to include static elements.

Based on my 2010 calculations, I have 43, 887 lights. Make that 43,886. I just saw a bulb that's burned out.

Richard

[jjdurrant]

I have a good guesstimate.. but that's about it.

[Bob Wingert]

I'm an excel geek too, like Jim Exact count, you betcha! Too bad its at home otherwise I'd tell you, right down to the bulb...UNLESS some of my strands are short a bulb or 2....DOH!

[jimswinder]

pokrplr wrote:

I'm an excel geek too, like Jim Exact count, you betcha! Too bad its at home otherwise I'd tell you, right down to the bulb...UNLESS some of my strands are short a bulb or 2....DOH!

a true Christmas Lighter would KNOW exactly how many from the top of his head!!!

[texascop]

I think I have about 15,000 bulbs and they pull about 32 amps when all on. But, I am usually thinking about the lights I don't have, where I can get them, what I can plug them into and how I will put them in my display.Then I start thinking controllers, money, extension cords, money,......

[HowardShank]

Ummm... I GOT IT!

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