Crimbo lights

[paulandlaura]

Very long line of little twinkly lights (12v with indoor transformer),that do not have replaceable bulbs. Almost neon-like bulbs, that are hard wired in twisted groups of 4.
Can I just cut out broken / not working bulbs and crimp the wires together to allow the rest of the line to work?
Will this be ok outside.
Thanks

 

[Bazdaa]

Very long line of little twinkly lights (12v with indoor transformer),that do not have replaceable bulbs. Almost neon-like bulbs, that are hard wired in twisted groups of 4.
Can I just cut out broken / not working bulbs and crimp the wires together to allow the rest of the line to work?
Will this be ok outside.
Thanks

I'm not a sparky. However the anything I put outside has to be designed for outside use!

Bazdaa

 

[Steve]

paulandlaura, these lamps are wired in series. When a lamp fails, there is a link in the bulb that allows current to pass when the filament burns out, thus allowing the rest of the lights to work still.

However, there is one disadvantage to this. There is less resistance in the bulb whose filament has burnt out. Therefore, more voltage/current flows thru the bulbs which are working, reducing their lives.

The set of lights you describe are not meant to have their bulbs replaced, and i dont understand why you want to cut out the not working ones. Just leave them be, they will all blow eventually, at an increasing rate over time, and if you cut the non-working ones out, you will be left with a string of crimps*!!! The set may only last a couple more years.

*not recommended, it will catch fire or burn the controller out. Also not recommended is running a set of lights with only half of them working.

 

[paulandlaura]

thanks

 

[kendor]

paulandlaura, these lamps are wired in series. When a lamp fails, there is a link in the bulb that allows current to pass when the filament burns out, thus allowing the rest of the lights to work still.

Agreed if they were mains rated but paulandlaura mentioned a 12volt supply, also mentioned "neon like" lamps this suggests they are not filament lamps.

 

[Steve]

paulandlaura, these lamps are wired in series. When a lamp fails, there is a link in the bulb that allows current to pass when the filament burns out, thus allowing the rest of the lights to work still.

Agreed if they were mains rated but paulandlaura mentioned a 12volt supply, also mentioned "neon like" lamps this suggests they are not filament lamps.

we have a set like it, the bulbs do look like LEDs when working (light is focused to the end of the bulb) but they aren't - you can see the filament when you look closely. Our set also has a transformer because they are designed for outdoor use.

 

[dingbat]

The simplest and most cost-effective solution, of course, is to bin them.

Whether or not you choose to recognise/celebrate any superstition is, surely, a private matter for you and your family and not to be broadcast (tackily) to the outside world.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Whether or not you choose to recognise/celebrate any superstition is, surely, a private matter for you and your family and not to be broadcast (tackily) to the outside world.

Nothing I have ever seen in this contry even begins to compare to some these.

http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~chartres/images/P14.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/3065/
http://www.clotxmas.com/tour/phot1.html and follow the ‘tour’
http://www.io.com/~maddog/xmas/pho_xmbn.jpg
http://www.io.com/~maddog/xmas/pho_xmsg.jpg
http://www.io.com/~maddog/xmas/pho_xmbo.jpg
http://www.planetchristmas.com/ShowingOff2005.htm

And when you've done marvelling at those, (or if you're busy and just want to cut to the chase), this has to be the winner. Sound as well as light.

http://members.cox.net/transam57/lights.wmv (5MB)

It is actually quite impressive, but can you imagine living opposite?

 

[Steve]

And when you've done marvelling at those, (or if you're busy and just want to cut to the chase), this has to be the winner. Sound as well as light.

http://members.cox.net/transam57/lights.wmv (5MB)

It is actually quite impressive, but can you imagine living opposite?

impressive, yes, funniest thing ive seen for a while! but i wonder what controls it? any ideas?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

My guess would be some sort of computing device.

Why - d'you want one?

 

[supersparks]

i think people who put 1000000s of lights on their houses are sad ****s but that last one is very good! i think its because everyone puts up lights and look the same, just one has one more bulb than the next house kinda thing...but that one just nukes the competition.....impressive...must have taken months

 

[Adam_151]

My guess would be some sort of computing device.

Why - d'you want one?

Thats done with Light-O-Rama: http://www.lightorama.com/ ,there are DIY solutions as well, but LOR is an off the shelf product

 

[plugwash]

controllers may well be off the shelf (and frankly builing one from scratch would probablly not be worth it especially if you wan'ted dimming) but you still have to wire up all the ligthing etc and program it all to look good.

 

[breezer]

I will bet it is done with DMX, and a controller set up with "scenes"

 

[Adam_151]

I will bet it is done with DMX, and a controller set up with "scenes"

That'd be one way of doing it, but you'd loose the bet, cos its done with Light-O-Rama