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| LED Christmas lights - love 'em or hate 'em? |
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| james_s:
--- Quote from: themadhippy on November 28, 2020, 12:09:44 am ---funny Ive never really noticed the flicker with incandescents --- Quote ---Never thought of adding a dimmer --- End quote --- Best to check your chosen dimmer will play nicely with the load,if theres not enough you can get very noticeable flashing --- End quote --- That's not likely to be a problem. Strings of incandescent mini lights draw a surprisingly large amount of power, seems like a 100 light string is around 60 watts though it's been a while since I've checked. A tree covered in lights can easily draw 150-300W. |
| james_s:
--- Quote from: Red Squirrel on November 27, 2020, 10:57:56 pm ---Hard to tell because of how they are built into the tree, my guess is like 25. And yeah I would not be against altering the voltage, just can't seem to find actual replacement bulbs that are LED. I think through hole LEDs would maybe work but those are not bright at all as they are only really meant for indicators. Never thought of adding a dimmer I suppose that may be an option to make them last longer. And yeah with a diode I would see the flicker. I have some LED lights in there too just to add some colour and I run them off rectified mains so the flicker is not as bad. Tempting to throw in a capacitor but I feel the lights may not like that as they are probably not designed to run at full duty cycle. --- End quote --- Remove a bulb from a working section and see how many lamps go out. Shouldn't take too long to count, it will be either 20, 35 or 50 most likely. You could also remove one of the existing bulbs and run it up on a bench supply and see what voltage it takes to make them light normal brightness. |
| themadhippy:
--- Quote ---That's not likely to be a problem.Strings of incandescent mini lights draw a surprisingly large amount of power, seems like a 100 light string is around 60 watts though it's been a while since I've checked. --- End quote --- On this side of the pond the old incandescent strings were a bit more modest,20 or 40 lamps,at around 1/2 watt each. |
| james_s:
I think the lamps are pretty similar, the size of the strings varies though. In the last 30 years or so 35, 50 and 100 light strings are the most common. In the 70s 20 and 40 light strings were around too but even then you could get 100 light strings. 10 light strings also exist, those are mostly integrated into tree toppers, stars, angels and other assorted stuff has been popular over the years. |
| coppercone2:
i like them on trees and such, if they are hung on a wall it looks cheesy. they remind me of the glow worms from pitch black when they are on a wall. If they are the ones that drape periodically(branches) it looks better, but just having a single string that droops down is not a good decoration. There also needs to be alot, when you just put a few, the only thing that comes to mind is a half assed Christmas decoration in tropical islands or something (usually string of lights and a few beer cans on the table). It reminds me of palm trees that are decorated when there is not enough lights, and for some reason I cannot stand the 'single string of lights wrapped around a palm tree with a half twist). Those lawn chair crappy hot weather chirstmas decorations are really bad. When I see it I think 'good lord corporate bean counters got to the decorations'. I think the new LED lights look better, at least the color ones, if they are good quality. Especially the blue and purple etc. the non tinted ones (clear glass) in incandescent have their own appeal. Now I am not saying it needs to look like a projected hologram, but it should NOT look like a radio tower warning illumination lights. ghetto/bad decoration (getting creative with the storage cost huh?) https://i.pinimg.com/originals/04/4b/c3/044bc37d9d7a06c840996be85e44afcb.jpg I assumed its inspired by a anaconda attacking native americans in a teepee scifi original feature good decoration https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/1254175/gettyimages-1069216858.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=88&f=d1e0173ca5dc955c09b9b704750745c7 |
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