Twinkle Light Question

surfsupdon

surfsupdon

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Walt Disney World uses special twinkle lights that seem to blink independently of eachother in various parts of the park. The trees that used to be in the hub at MK and the trees in the American Adv. at Epcot are two locations that have had the special twinkle lighting.

Where can these lights be bought. Any special web addresses, or phone numbers, or places within the park?

Someone mentioned they were sold (as I remember) at Disneyland in Adventureland, but there was not given a way to get in touch with the 'distributer.' I did searches on here but could not come up with a phone number or anything, though members have said (as I remember) that you can purchase them.

Anybody know a phone number I can use or a website I can access? Please.

Thanks for your help, I'd really like to get some of these lights.

Have a happy day. Survivor tonight on this beautiful Mother's Day!!:wave:
 
raven

raven

Well-Known Member
I posted a thread about this in the Imagineering section asking the same thing. And I still don't know where to get them.

I believe they are called "Fireflies." They are all over the property and even in the Downtown Disney area as well.

Someone said they sell them outside of PoC at Disneyland.
 
speck76

speck76

Well-Known Member
I love the firefly lights. I really missed seeing them in the hub, now that the large trees have been replaced with smaller flowering trees (Magnolias?). I think the view of the castle, esp with the new lighting effects were worth cutting the large trees down...but I miss the little lights.
 
McArcDes

McArcDes

New Member
I am sorry Raven, that was a bit of a joke on my part. Clark and Rusty are two of the Characters (Clark Griswald and his son Rusty) in the movie Christmas Vacation. I love that movie and when I read the post I could not resist. My apologies if I offended anyone.

We may be able to find the answer to this question at the following link there seems to be a lot of people with loads of technical know how there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/disneyworldmodelersclub/
 
C

cloudboy

Well-Known Member
Try looking up blinking LEDs on the web. There are anumber of compnies out there (mostly really small time places) that sell LED lights with little boards that let them flash. You would have to search them out though to find ones that work for your needs. Sorry I don't have any direct links.
 
raven

raven

Well-Known Member
Originally posted by McArcDes
I am sorry Raven, that was a bit of a joke on my part. Clark and Rusty are two of the Characters (Clark Griswald and his son Rusty) in the movie Christmas Vacation. I love that movie and when I read the post I could not resist. My apologies if I offended anyone.
Click to expand...

Oh, you didn't offend me. I just didn't know what you were talking about. :animwink:

But thanks for the link!
 
Bill

Bill

Account Suspended
They are called C9 size "flasher bulbs" or "twinkle bulbs" and can be bought at Wal-Mart during Christmas season. Though, only the individual bulbs are sold there. The only way to get a full set is to buy like 25 packages of the "flasher bulbs" (they came in 4 packs last year) then just buy 4 C9 bulb strands & replace them.

Or, to make things easier on ya:

http://www.christmas-decorations-gifts-store.com/store/PPF/Category_ID/193_3/products.asp

$18.99 per strand... kinda high priced, but it is what you're looking for. :)

Different colors are here:

http://www.christmas-decorations-gifts-store.com/store/PPF/Category_ID/193_4/products.asp

Though Disney only uses the clear ones.

Do a google search for "c9 Twinkle" including the quotes and you'll get plenty of choices. Froogle works too. :)
 
surfsupdon

surfsupdon

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for the link.

Thanks for the Christmas Vacation memories...great film!

Both are very much appreciated. Those lights do appear to be exactly what I was looking for.


On a side note, my dad just got off the phone with CRO and booked two rooms for a Dec/Jan vacation with the grandparents. :sohappy:
 
Bill

Bill

Account Suspended
Well, that's cool... but what about christmas lights?!?!?! LOL. How will you have time to get them up if you're leaving?
 
Lovecraft

Lovecraft

Member
Ok... so, where are the lights to be found?

I am looking for them as well. I don't want LEDs, I want smallish incandescent bulbs for the trees in my yard.

I do know how to make LEDs do this, however.

If you need plans for an LED solution email me, I designed a little circuit for doing subtle fadeouts when I built some fiber optic concrete blocks (like the ones at epcot).
 
D

Dredd15

Member
Lets re-open this topic ... its getting close to the Holidays, lets keep an eye out for inexpensive ways to make our trees twinkle with Fireflies!
 
surfsupdon

surfsupdon

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'd like to follow up saying I ordered these Lights from the first company link that was posted and they were great. They were on our deck all sumer long, and you can all imagine how nice they looked.

We are putting one or two strands on our Christmas tree, mixed in with the standard white lights. Sure to look great! :xmas:
 
D

Dredd15

Member
That's great news!

I watched a video from Disney World that was taken in 1994. The trees were in the video, so I started examining them. The lights look to be spaced out several feet apart, but the strands I see on the web have lights spaced 12" apart.

So, obviously I could take out some of the bulbs to space the lights apart further, but that seems like an electrical fire waiting to happen if the empty sockets get wet.

Anyone know where to buy strands that have lights spaced 24"-36" apart?
 
colliera

colliera

Member
Random twinkle trick

The lights are the same as the common Christmas tree c9s. [NOTE: c9 is an incorrect specification for this light. The c9 as well as the c7 is a screw base type bulb. The correct reference should have been mini light. See link to an example photo at end of post.]The trick to the random twinkle is the random placing of the cord. The same technique is used in the MSEP. Imagine taking a blank piece of paper and doing big looping random scribbling on it. Now imagine you are placing the electrical line in such a fashion that would follow that random pattern, (tree lighting would of course have to follow the paths of the branches but can still be randomly double backed on the path). Also think of this as not a single line of lights but multiple lines randomly overlapping each other on similar tracings. Different lines twinkled at different rates which added to the effect.

The MSEP lights had the small colored plastic bases that look like a small flower with petals. Lines of lights on the floats that "chased" are controlled by common sequencer boxes. Nowdays you can get strings of lights with an electronic sequencer built into one end of the line that even has different chase patterns programmed.

For a nice twinkle effect for Christmas trees I have worked out a technique that really works well that actually uses lights that are always on. Rather than wrap a tree round and round with the line make the line follow the trace of the branches. Next use a large amount of lights. I mean a really high number. I use about 100-150 bulbs per vertical foot of tree. Even though the lights stay on, when you move about various blubs are blocked from your view by the trunk, branches, and needles. The effect is the twinkle effect is even more random and dependent on the movement of the viewer, (Although this is not the method that was used in the former hub trees).

Mini Light photo
 

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