Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Adding speakers to a musical Christmas controller.

We've gotten some calls about out newest musical christmas controller, asking if you can use different speakers with the unit or add more speakers.

You can use a different speaker, the stock speaker is 8 ohms and we recommend matching the ohms. The bottom of the controller unit has a speaker out that is has a phono plug (RCA plug) jack so you will have to either have a speaker cable with that type of connector or make your own like we had to do in our office.

I used a old guitar cable which had bad 1/4" plugs but you can use cable with a positive and negative wire (even just normal 18 gauge wire will work, but may not sound the best), I wired up a solderless phono plug to the wire (I recommend soldering the wires if you plan to use this cable for multiple seasons) and stripped the other end so I could clip it into the back of the shelf stereo speaker I was testing.

I tested out the stock speaker, just for a comparison of the sound quality, plugged in the new speaker and it worked like a charm. Not only was the larger speaker better sounded but louder. The stock speaker is by no means bad, but the better the speaker the better the sound quality of course.

The other big question we get asked a lot is if the unit has a Line out. A line out is used to send the audio signal to another amplifier source of some sort. This unit does not TECHNICALLY have a line out. I have not tried using the speaker out as a line out, and I do NOT recommend this method. The speaker out is a powered output, meaning, it sends the powered signal from the units amp to the speaker and is not like a Line out.

The simplest solution is to go to a electronic store or most department stores electronics sections have a Y splitter cable from your audio source. This allows you to plug the Y splitter into your mp3 player then one side of the Y you can connect to the controller unit and the other side you can send out to an separate external amplifier. So you have your signal coming to the controller to control the lights and the other signal powering a external speaker source.

I hope this helps clear the air about this new unit. Thanks! Click here to see the controller on the site.

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Zach

Monday, August 30, 2010

Faders are back.

We are happy to be offering a new Fader. Our previous fader was very popular and the future of it's production is up in the air. In the mean while our new 2 channel Fader is in stock and ready to ship.

This Christmas light fader offers two channels, rated at 2.5 amps each. That's 750 mini light bulbs per channel, so one fader unit can handle quite a few lights. The box has a Speed knob, the unit fade slowly between the channels or go fast enough to simulate a flicker effect. This fader has a tab to fasten it via screw to a wall, but we recommend always protecting them from the elements in some way.

These Christmas Faders are only 34.97 are perfect for adding some movement to your Holiday decorations! Check out the site for even more info. Click Here

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Zach

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Options for Icicle Lights

We are constantly trying to expand what products we carry and I admit that the plethora of similar products can be a bit overwhelming and confusing. This is true for our Icicle lights. Icicle lights are staple during the Christmas season, easy to decorate with and great looking. We have carried Icicle sets for years and are constantly trying to keep the widest selection of lights available.

In efforts to bring the most options to the table we have expanded our standard 100 Count Icicle lights. We now carry 3 different styles of just the standard 100 count sets on Green and White wire.

ICICLE-100-GW-C
  • Our Preferred Set! 100 Clear Icicle Lights on Green Wire - 8.5' Lighted Length with 5" approximate spacing between drops - 18 Drops- Longest icicle drop is 22.75" - 6" Lead and 4" Tail
  • These sets are THE BEST for decorating. The short leads allow you to have less wire between sets which makes putting these sets up on a gutter or around your roof so much easier.
ICICLE-100-GW-C-LL
  • 100 Clear Icicle Lights on Green Wire - 5' Lighted Length (7' in total length) with 3" approximate spacing between drops - Longest icicle drop is 15.5" and shortest 7.5" - 24" Lead and 4" Tail - All drops are approx.
  • These are the sets we've carried for years, they are reliable and good looking sets. They are perfect if you need a longer lead on your set if you need to bridge gaps without having to black out lights.
ICICLE-100-GW-C-Long Drops
  • Newest Set! 100 Clear Icicle Lights on Green Wire with Extra Long Drops - 9' Total Length with 6" approximate spacing between drops - 18 Drops- Drops range in length from 15" to 30" - 4" bulb spacing on drops - Bulbs clip to wire for a uniform look - 5 sets End to End
  • This is our newest icicle set. It has many advantages over previous sets we've carried. It has the same short leads, long Icicle drops, clips on the sockets to keep the bulbs pointing towards the ground, and you can plug 5 sets end to end (That's over 40 feet of lighted length on one run)
Most of these come with Clear bulbs on either White or Green wire. Please visit the site if you're interested in checking out our entire selection of Christmas lights. Click Here.

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Zach

Monday, August 23, 2010

New Products On The Way

We are getting in new products very soon. Stay tuned for new Icicle lights and new LED lights. I will post new products when we get them in stock. Stay tuned to the blog and the site for new products and decorating ideas!

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Zach

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Banner Programs

We carry a full line of Commercial quality banners on the website www.allamericanchristmas.com
Banners are great for cities, downtowns, parking lots, businesses, or parks. We offer a wide variety of banner styles as well, Spring/Summer, Fall, Winter, Christmas, All Seasonal styles, Patriotic. We also can have banners custom made with your own design ideas, our manufacturer can change just about everything about the banners except for their preset sizes.
Here is what is customizable:
  • Image Position, Rotation, Size, and Cropping
  • Change Color of Art Elements and Backgrounds
  • Text Alterations
  • Mix and Match Stock Design
Our banners are Digital Printed on heavy duty 18 oz vinyl or Screen Printed on Marine acrylic fabrics. These high quality banners will last many seasons with proper storage!

We also carry all the mounting hardware, our banner brackets are perfect for securing banners to light poles, street lamps, or anywhere else you'd like
to start a banner program.

Here are some fact
s about our brackets:
  • Certified to 80 MPH Wind loads
  • Member SGIA
  • Preferred choice of banner installation professionals
  • One bolt "Sure-Lock" tension adjustment
  • Rust-proof cast aluminum
  • Easily custom colored
  • Solid fiberglass arms
Visit http://www.allamericanchristmas.com/shopsite/banners.asp to see all our banners and email us if you're interested in getting a quote on banners! Thanks

--
Zach