[baronep]

I'm not positive that this is allowed but I think it warrants the suggestion. You may want to consider using a custom circuit for your led stripping. Because it is a nonfunctional decoration, it is free game for circuits. Instead of using relays, maybe you might consider MOSFET transistors combined with an arduino control board. This way you can limit the workload on the crio, have the LEDs blink in disabled mode, and you can still change the pattern using a serial link to the crio.