LED Christmas lights - love 'em or hate 'em? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 02:05:14 am
content: I think that with many of us who decorate for Christmas, our tastes are most influenced by what we saw as children. I was born in 1957, so I grew up with incandescent Christmas lights, mostly C7 and C9 bulbs, and the miniature bulbs which came along later.A few years ago, trying to be "green" and modern, I bought some multicolored LED light strings for the evergreen hedge along my front sidewalk, replacing the multicolored translucent C7 incandescents I'd been using. But right from the start, they seemed cold and not very "Christmas-y". It was several things: the highly-saturated colors, the purple which isn't a traditional Christmas light color, the odd light distribution, and their overall dimness.I tolerated the LEDs for a couple of years, hoping I'd get used to them, but I finally realized they just weren't going to work. I replaced them with incandescent strings that I custom-configured with alternating clear and transparent red 5W C7 lamps spaced at 12". The difference was amazing - the cheerful, warm and bright Christmas lights that I'd loved since childhood were back!

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 02:15:13 am
content: I'm a traditionalist, it doesn't feel like Christmas unless I've spent at least half an hour trying to find which bulb on the string is bust, and another half hour trying to find where I left the spare bulbs.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 03:13:37 am
content: Funny, the City is at this very moment installing super bright LED Christmas lights on a pole right outside my window...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 03:25:30 am
content: I've been an early adopter of most LED lighting and have been pleased with it but LED Christmas lights just have not lived up and I went completely back to incandescent, vintage C9 outside, C6 on the tree and miniature for other things. The LED lights are almost all too dim, the colors are bland and not the most pleasant, some are downright sickly looking. there is a wide variation in brightness from color to color, and the worst part is that they almost all are half wave self rectified and flicker very noticeably, at least to my eyes. On top of all that they don't last worth a crap. One of the big advantages of LED lighting is normally the long life, but out of the maybe 2 dozen strings of LED holiday lights I've had most of them started getting dead bulbs within a couple of seasons, some after just a week or so of use. I have incandescent lights that are ~30-70 years old that still works, on the indoor stuff it's rare that more than a lamp or two burns out in a season, they last longer than the LEDs which I think are just overdriven in attempt to get reasonable brightness out of cheap crap 20mA LEDs. Given the relatively low amount of use and the fact that they're used in the winter when the extra heat in the house is usually welcome I'll just stick to the warm, classic, flicker free glow of incandescent lamps.

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 04:38:09 am
content: Christmas Vacation scene.https://youtu.be/iXaw70X7wb4

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 04:54:30 am
content: I like them for the efficiency, and bulbs not burning out much... but I hate that most of them use crap LED modules that are not very bright, and lot of them are not even smoothed DC so they flicker at 60hz. For those I have a bridge rectifier box that brings them to 120hz so it's slightly less bad on the eyes. I don't want to put a capacitor too as it would maybe exceed their spec at that point as they would be doing continuous duty. But they should be designing and speccing them this way! I hate that they don't.That said, some sets are better than others. I like when they have them on display at the store since I can quickly tell which ones are actually being fed proper DC and once that are just straight AC. I finally retired my C9 sets a few years ago and got a LED set that I actually like.For some other lights I've opted to just use the bridge rectifier box.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 06:05:34 am
content: I like the larger C7 and C9 bulbs too, but I haven't found them durable. I lose a dozen or more each season that I decorate (less and less as time goes on) and they have always been a bit hard to find. I have seen C7 or C9 LED bulbs advertised, but as I recall filling a string with them would make a rich man cry. I am sure they share the same problem as the incandescent replacements. Only a limited range of replacement colors were ever stocked for some reason, and they are getting harder to find. I have never like long mono-color strings or short repeat patterns of two or three colors.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 06:13:42 am
content: The C9s don't last nearly as long as the miniature lights, I think they get a lot of abuse, clinking around putting them up, moving in the wind, etc. The local McLendons hardware usually has a good stock of C9 bulbs around the season, and I've ordered cases of them from Action Lighting a few times too.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 01:07:07 pm
content: Quote from: Cerebus on November 17, 2020, 02:15:13 amI remember the series-wired strings, and Dad changing the lamps one by one to find a bad one. One brand of parallel-wired lights had a slogan on the box: "When one goes out, the rest stay lit".

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 03:16:04 pm
content: I've converted an old cheap string of fairy lights with miniature bulbs to color-changing LEDs (the variant with slowly changing colors). Looks very pleasant. And it never becomes boring because the LEDs have slightly different delays. From my experience a lot of LED fairy lights are too bright. So I add diodes or resistors to adjust the brightness. If you like larger lights you could buy strings with transparent (also colored) plug-on thingies, like stars, snow flakes and so on. You get the plug-on thingies also separately in packs. Grinding paper can be quite helpful for a less beamy light. Buy only LED light strings which are powered by DC (usually by a SMPSU), and choose the color temperature carefully. In most cases it's going to be 2700K (warm white), but 4000 or 6000K can work great in some environments too. Don't expect LEDs to be a direct replacement for bulbs. It's a different light source and the fairy lights need to be designed accordingly.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 04:47:31 pm
content: Now I have LED lights, which don't seem to die just because they've been stored in the loft for a while, I miss the game of "what ridiculous overkill test equipment can I use to find out which bulbs have died this year?".String of fairy lights, £12.99.Keysight 34465A to find the dead bulbs, £1252.I'm sure there are plenty of more amusingly costly ways to do it... over to you!

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 05:01:45 pm
content: Well, a TDR is the obvious first point of call. On an older one, like one of the old Tek ones, the trace is possibly even going to look a bit like a string of Christmas lights with a little vertical blip of discontinuity as the impedance changes as you go though each bulb.However, I'm sure we can come up with something a bit more exotic than that.Why yes, you all should consider that a challenge.

author: asmi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 09:07:21 pm
content: When I was a kid, my father explained to me what the binary search is and demonstrated it as he was searching for a burnt out bulb. Still remember what it is

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 09:23:47 pm
content: Indoor mini lights I use LED. Outdoor on the front of the house we switched back to incandescent and haven't regretted it for a second. Every time we come home from a walk or a drive etc and see the bright warm glow along the front of the house it makes us smile no end.

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 09:51:29 pm
content: I hate, hate, HATE flashing LED christmas lights. Especially the real cheap ones that flash rapidly, who the hell enjoys looking at these?They all have all these rapid, constantly changing flashy patterns but none of them have a nice slow fade. One of my favorite modes in the old lights that i have is the slow fade-in and fade-out into different colors. I actually used those lights in my uni dorm room as ambient lighting (nanoleaf eat your heart out).

author: 25 CPS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 11:09:27 pm
content: I'm not a fan of LED Christmas lights. They look dark and cold to me. They're just not that bright and the colours all have a very narrow passband compared to filtering the output of incandescent bulbs to produce the colours the old way and there's no comparison between white LEDs and clear incandescents at all. The white LEDS aren't as bright and not the warm colour temperature at all although some close on colour temperature but can't seem to match the brightness of incandescents. On the other hand when the colour temperature's off, it can be badly off with some of the nastier white and blue LEDs being these offensive frigid looking things that make you feel about 10 degrees colder the moment you look at them.All that said, I did see LED Christmas lights used for an impressive looking effect about 10 years ago. What someone did in my old neighbourhood was outline parts of their house in bright incandescent lights and then ran LEDs back and forth inside the border to fill out the inside of each area in the corresponding colour of the border but with the dimmer and more narrowly defined effect of the LEDs and it the visual effect of the two put together like that was really impressive. I don't know if it was the homeowner who did this or if they hired someone, and I've only seen this done the once, but it looked great. Whoever came up with that idea knew what they were doing.Anyhow, my house is strictly incandescent, front and back. When I moved in, I used clear ones following the roof profile and on the cedar tree by the front walk. After about five years of that, I relamped the strings with opaque coloured incandescents which looks really retro and I'm going to run them again this year but when I was checking things out the other day when it was warm out, the sun's given them a beating so I think next year I'm going to shake it up and go back to clear bulbs. The incandescents look so bright and cheerful compared to all the other houses with LEDs on them that it's almost loud but to my mind, that's how Christmas lights should be. It's hard to believe that it's a visibly standout exception now when it used to be completely normal.My back yard's a pitch dark expanse as soon as the sun sets and I've gone through several different ways of attempting to light it up. Citronella torches and kerosene lanterns gave a nice light but were too labour intensive plus a fire hazard if any got knocked over. Putting a clamp lamp on the back vestibule with a 100 W bulb in it pushed the darkness back a bit for the first part of the back yard but that was ineffective otherwise but I had a string of clear C9 incandescent Christmas lights left over from the front of the house the first year I did that so I put them up on the back vestibule and it looked great and gave the area around that a nice soft glow. With that successful test, I outlined a section of the other three sides of the back yard with a combination of C9 and C7 clear incandescent Christmas lights and that gives a really beautiful soft golden glow that isn't overpowering if I'm out there with guests after dark. I don't usually put them on if I'm out there by myself though.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 17, 2020, 11:54:16 pm
content: Bah humbug.

author: Mr.B
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 18, 2020, 12:18:56 am
content: Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on November 17, 2020, 11:54:16 pmMay the tin whiskers of a thousand circuit boards infest your lab…

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2020, 12:30:02 am
content: Dont know about other places,but in the uk we tend to get the chavs covering there house in the cheapest pound land lights,all flashing at different rates or crappy light up santas and other tat,for examplepass the insulated side cutters

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2020, 12:35:57 am
content: Quote from: Mr.B on November 18, 2020, 12:18:56 amI wonder what Clark Griswald would do with these fancy new LED xmas lights.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2020, 01:28:51 am
content: I bought a hundred of those 'candle' flickering LEDs (the type they use in electric tea lights), I'm about to retrofit an old set of lights with them - they are warm white and have a very pleasing visual look.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2020, 10:47:34 pm
content: Quote from: Cerebus on November 17, 2020, 02:15:13 amAnd another hour to untangle the string.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 05:38:22 pm
content: The photos in this article illustrate the hideousness of "warm white" LED Christmas lights:https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/11/24/christmas-lights-early-decorations/. Note especially the third photo from the top, of the house with all of its windows outlined in that sickly, green-tinged LED light.Not that I'm criticizing the homeowners - I'm always glad to see someone go to the effort of decorating - but the public has really been misled about LEDs being aesthetically equal to incandescents.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 06:03:14 pm
content: Quote from: AlbertL on November 27, 2020, 05:38:22 pmIt's a matter of taste, I think. Someone likes bright and juicy colors, and someone likes pastel and soft.Excuse me, is this a link to the legendary Washingtonpost? The site is 3/4 full of ads and an intrusive offer to buy a subscription?This is the first newspaper I read in English when I was studying at the institute...

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 06:25:32 pm
content: Yup, that's the Washington Post all right - owned by Jeff Bezos of Amazon!

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 07:57:43 pm
content: Quote from: AlbertL on November 27, 2020, 06:25:32 pmWashinton Compost

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 09:00:44 pm
content: Speaking of LED lights, is there any suitable replacement bulbs that are LED that fit in "mini light" incadescent sockets? The ones that are in series where the bulb has a shunt so it closes circuit if it dies. I have a tree with them built in and they are burning out, and if too many burn out the whole string goes as they are getting too much voltage. I have yet to find suitable replacements, I tried different voltage ones but sooner or later the whole string just dies. Also, can someone explain this one? If I put a 12v rated bulb, it dies immediately, while the 3v one does not. Why would the higher voltage one die when the lower voltage one does not? Since I did not know the voltage originally I figured I would start with highest and work my way down but that did not quite work!

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 09:27:35 pm
content: I've never seen retrofit bulbs sold, but there is nothing stopping you from installing ordinary LEDs and then add a suitable current limiting resistor or proper constant current power supply to each string, ready made LED mini lights usually just have a resistor in series.How many bulbs are in each segment? 20 used to be common but now most are 35 or 50 using 3.5 and 2.5V bulbs respectively so the 6V bulbs required for the 20 light segments are somewhat difficult to find. Things are complicated by the fact that some bulbs use more current than others so you may replace a 3.5V bulb with another 3.5V bulb and find that it runs high or low, throwing off the voltage on the rest of the bulbs in the string. I usually wait until right after Christmas and then buy up a bunch of bulbs at steeply discounted prices and then in my vintage strings I'll replace all the bulbs in a segment if the spares I have don't perfectly match.A light dimmer set at 80-90% will dramatically increase the lifespan of incandescent lights for only a modest penalty in apparent brightness.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 10:17:58 pm
content: QuoteA diode is another way

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 10:25:17 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on November 27, 2020, 10:17:58 pmI find that I can see the visible flicker when using a diode on incandescent though even at 60Hz, I'd imagine it must be much worse on 50Hz, and also it drops the power down enough to be noticeably dimmer.It's also a curious fact that incandescent lifespan is reduced on DC vs AC, which will partially offset the gains of the lower voltage.Either way a dimmer is nice in that you can customize the brightness at any point. I usually run my christmas lights a bit dimmer in the weeks leading up to the holiday and then turn them up higher during events when people are over.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 10:28:59 pm
content: Generally, I like them, but I find the multicoloured ones fairly tacky. The warm white ones are pleasant; not sure I like the cold or cool white ones at all.

author: 25 CPS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 10:48:22 pm
content: I'm curious, does anybody know what the utility companies position on LED lighting is? I remember reading about a 1970s TV regulated power supply circuit that introduced a nonlinear current waveform that caused some issues in places where it was in common use at the same time of day so I was wondering if LED lighting, Christmas or otherwise, being a nonlinear load has been a problem or at least something that's noticeable from the electricity utility end?

author: Red Squirrel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 27, 2020, 10:57:56 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on November 27, 2020, 09:27:35 pmHard 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.

author: andy2000
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 12:04:57 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on November 27, 2020, 09:00:44 pmThat's because with series string lights, the current draw of each bulb is critical. If you put 12v 100 mA bulb in a set designed for 3v 200 mA bulbs, the 12v bulb will see roughly 24v and blow instantly. It's actually worse than that because the other bulbs never receive enough current to light up, so their resistance is a lot lower than when they are operating, so the 12v bulb probably sees close to 120v. Higher voltage bulbs are usually lower current so that the power for each bulb stays reasonable.I generally measure the current draw of the bulbs in my lights sets and write it on the plug. I also sort my spare bulbs the same way. The best place to get spare bulbs is from other light sets. For longest life you need to replace bad bulbs immediately. If more than a few blow, the other bulbs see excessive voltage and fail quickly.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 12:09:44 am
content: funny Ive never really noticed the flicker with incandescentsQuoteBest to check your chosen dimmer will play nicely with the load,if theres not enough you can get very noticeable flashing

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 03:07:25 am
content: Quote from: themadhippy on November 28, 2020, 12:09:44 amThat'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.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 03:08:59 am
content: Quote from: Red Squirrel on November 27, 2020, 10:57:56 pmRemove 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.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 04:29:32 am
content: QuoteOn this side of the pond the old incandescent strings were a bit more modest,20 or 40 lamps,at around 1/2 watt each.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 06:11:49 am
content: 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.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 06:32:23 am
content: 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.jpgI assumed its inspired by a anaconda attacking native americans in a teepee scifi original featuregood decorationhttps://d.newsweek.com/en/full/1254175/gettyimages-1069216858.jpg?w=1600&h=900&q=88&f=d1e0173ca5dc955c09b9b704750745c7

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 08:13:54 am
content: Quote from: 25 CPS on November 27, 2020, 10:48:22 pmMy guess is it has a negligible effect compared to things like motors in washing machines, which are often triac-chopped, or small switch mode power supplies (sub ~50W) which don't require PFC.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 08:18:31 am
content: IIRC most of the decent quality LED bulbs have a reasonable power factor, I'll measure a few different bulbs next time I've got the stuff out. Christmas lights will be cheap and nasty of course but those are negligible, being used for only a few weeks out of the year and mostly in modest quantities.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 08:35:08 am
content: Our LED bulbs run off AC transformers and the controller decides which pair to light by chopping the positive or negative. I imagine that having a modest inductance in the circuit goes some way to reduce the effects on the power grid.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 12:45:26 pm
content: So far I've seen LED fairy lights with some sort of controller powered only by a small SMPSU wall wart. Half the LEDs in the string are wired in parallel, and the other half anti-parallel. The controller generates a PWM and also switches the polarity to select which half of LEDs to light. Usually they have 8 modes.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 07:18:15 pm
content: We have all the way up to RGBW LED strings here, saw a tree lit with them at Micheals.I prefer incandescant to LED, the warm white ones aren't that bad though (the unrectified ones are a bit nasty though).I like the color of (multicolor) phosphor LEDs better than bare dies, but I haven't seen them outside of battery sets, where they are used so they all drop the same brightness as the batteries drain. I would love to get a hold of a set of vintage phosphor light string, while dim the color is very unique.Another thing about LEDs is the current draw is low enough that they can be easily driven from audio output vacuum tubes. One of these days I want to try and build a lighting controller using tubes, it would probably probably only have a few functions and I'm limiting it to a three color string. Also decatrons are pretty much off the table since they need 350+V which is well above the about 160V of rectified NA mains. You might be able to get away with using them on european recified mains but they might be unstable.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 08:07:29 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on November 27, 2020, 10:25:17 pmCan you see interference with another light source flashing slightly with a phase shift?

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 08:10:39 pm
content: Quote from: 25 CPS on November 27, 2020, 10:48:22 pmI think the led load is not so large that it is noticed by the power company. Although, in the modern power supply network there are so many pulse consumers that the sinusoid has long been bitten off by the tops.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 28, 2020, 09:54:48 pm
content: Quote from: madires on November 28, 2020, 12:45:26 pmI think that's probably due to regulations in some 240V countries. Here in the US transformer powered miniature lights were never really a thing, they were always just series strings of lamps fed directly from the mains, when LED strings appeared they used the same arrangement with the addition of a ballast resistor. Some have sections wired in anti-parallel to reduce flicker, some don't. More recently I've seen some multi-mode lights that have electronic controllers but there are still a lot of the plain series string LEDs.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 03:19:21 am
content: What has LED lights got to do with the birth of Jesus Christ? Nothing whatsoever.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 04:32:33 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on November 29, 2020, 03:19:21 amVirtually none of the Christmas traditions have anything at all to do with the birth of Jesus, but that's beside the point. Many elements were borrowed from existing Pagan holidays, some are much more recent than that. Santa's red & white suit came from a Coca Cola advertising campaign, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was an advertisement for the Montgomery Ward department store chain.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 05:00:54 am
content: Look how cheap these chinese Christmas lights tend to be, complete with annoying blink flash blink flash and 1/2 wave flicker.No fuse, no strain relief, loose strands, inadequate spacings... let's kill the "capitalist running-dogs" or burn your house down or both. I don't know why this stuff is allowed in the country.http://www.bigclive.com/noflash.htmhttps://auschristmaslighting.com/wiki/Bypassing-multi-function-LED-controllers

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 05:13:56 am
content: A lot of the really cheap junk technically isn't allowed in, but it's pretty hard to stop people from buying it direct from China. They can't even stop the flow of obviously counterfeit goods.

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 06:19:36 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on November 29, 2020, 03:19:21 amWarning: incoming truth bomb...The Dec. 25 day is disputed.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 11:57:27 am
content: Quote from: VK3DRB on November 29, 2020, 03:19:21 amIt's a way to bring some positive thoughts into the dark winter time.PS: You're free to use classic Roman oil lamps if you prefer those.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 12:04:45 pm
content: Quote from: Ed.Kloonk on November 29, 2020, 06:19:36 amThere is nothing documented in the Bible or by the scribe Josephus or anywhere else that we know of that there were three wise men. There might have been 27. Or maybe only two. And there is nothing to say they were kings. They were probably Persian magi. The great Italian Renaissance painters and the American movie moguls were either racist or just ignorant... Jesus almost certainly did not have to have blue eyes and fair skin. Ethnically he would have had dark hair, dark eyes and dark skin. There is no mention in the Bible of animals at his birth and nowhere does it say he was born in a stable. There is no mention in the Bible of LED lights, happy holidays, seasons greetings (whatever that is, LOL), "I'm Dreaming of White Christmas", Santa, elves, reindeer, stockings, a time for rampant consumerism or any other such crap.In replicating mindless tradition to the masses year after year, there’s a risk in accepting subtle inaccuracies and convenient assumptions as historical fact.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 12:46:17 pm
content: Quote from: madires on November 29, 2020, 11:57:27 amWhat dark winter time? Last year half our country was on fire at Christmas time. And it is light from early in the morning to late at night where we happily get plenty of Vitamin D for free. As for the Roman oil lamps, they have been a little hard to hard to come by since China started dumping fake knockoffs on the market.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 03:26:05 pm
content: QuoteIndeed,but the use of light is very much linked to the winter solstice celebrations.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 03:26:59 pm
content: If you like to get an original oil lamp bring your shovel. I'm living just a few meters away from the Limes Germanicus. Plenty of Roman forts.Gosh, 40°C in Sydney.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 03:49:05 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on November 28, 2020, 09:54:48 pmI'm not sure, but directly mains powered LED strings should be still allowed over here. My guess is that a low voltage string plus wall wart is cheaper to produce than a fully compliant 230V version.

author: S. Petrukhin
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 07:01:28 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on November 29, 2020, 04:32:33 amIn Russia, there was no CocaCola when Ded Moroz and Snegurochka appeared. Yes, and even the United States was not.I do not know their history of appearance.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2020, 11:47:53 pm
content: Quote from: madires on November 29, 2020, 03:26:59 pmThat's one thing we don't have here, unfortunately, and that is ancient artefacts other than a few Aborigine rock paintings and shell middens. If I lived in Europe, I'd be out there with a metal detector, exploring forests looking for stolen loot from the middle ages, ancient Roman coins or oil lamps. One thing we can do here is go metal detecting around the goldfields areas right here in Victoria. There are still gold to be found, as well as coins and other stuff from the 1850's. Some people strike it lucky...https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/20/asia/australia-gold-nuggets-scli-intl/index.html.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2020, 03:38:17 am
content: Quote from: james_s on November 28, 2020, 09:54:48 pmThe tiny little ones (grain of wheat lights) are transformer powered, usually 24V and series parallel.

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2020, 03:52:30 am
content: I had a lot of fun, adding Christmas LEDs strings, to a controller I bought at auto parts store. The controller runs in 12 V battery, and does sequences of red-blue-green, as each has a channel.But one often overlooked point: You don't have to always follow the RGB in strict order. Even a white led set can be put somewhere in the sequence.I made a Hallmark 3-D CARD, into a holiday display, Paris scene with blue and white sky, RED horizon, etc.(All in the cheap, using car enhancement lighting products!)

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2020, 04:42:34 am
content: it comes from a pagan tradition, the goal/message of the decorations fits in with the chirstian faith

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2020, 06:00:42 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on November 30, 2020, 04:42:34 amDecorations have nothing to do with the Christian faith. It has everything to do to with concocted traditions.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2020, 06:26:28 am
content: Well I'm not religious so I never cared one way or another about that side of things. Christmas is a family tradition for me and I enjoy the traditions, celebrations and lights, it cheers up the otherwise cold, dark and gloomy season in my half of the world. If some want to pretend that these mostly ancient Pagan traditions have something to do with Christianity that's totally fine with me. If someone doesn't want to celebrate then that's fine too. Don't come in here and complain though, we were having a perfectly good discussion about decorative lighting.

author: bombledmonk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2020, 05:32:56 pm
content: I disliked led's until I permanently installed this.https://photos.app.goo.gl/2p6MU5JZiiSphiRCA(video)

author: RJSV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 01, 2020, 08:40:48 pm
content: AlbertL: Thanks for your thread, here is a picture, of my LED controller (bought at local Auto Parts store).Up top, of the 3-D Paris scene featured on Hallmark greeting / holiday card.There are both white light and the regular usual R-G-B sets. I've brought the wires out to a breadboard for easy changes.Controller is that little square box; there is a remote.Bringing up RED feature, some LEDs are below deck, for a 'dawn-like' effect with controller sequencing. Up top, I made a simple 'egg crate's light baffle, for downward lighting (Blue and white led).

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 10:08:30 pm
content: I've generally had a positive experience with LED Christmas lights. I now have two sets. A large one of 100, which cost £8 and I have around my tree at home and some much cheaper lights at work, which I've modified. The cheap set is made of two sets of 10 lights, which were originally designed to run off two AA batteries. The LEDs were all wired up in parallel, without any series resistors. I cut them into strings of 5, connected them in series and powered them off a 12V mains adaptor.I don't like the deep blue/indigo/violet LED lights, which look very harsh, but white (both ice and warm) are nice and multicoloured is always good. I've not noticed any flicker. All of the LED lights I've seen run off a DC power supply, rather than directly off the mains.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2020, 06:51:21 am
content: I just evaluated some Christmas lights. Quite ingenious. Two wires out the controller. All 100 LEDs are monochrome. They use PWM to drive the LEDs, reversing the polarity to switch between one set and the next. So with two wires, they create a vast array of patterns. The wiring we very well done. It runs on 4.5V (3 x AA cells), and so electrically it is safe. This entire set cost $10 ($7 USD) RETAIL. The lights had no regulatory certifications (eg: the mandatory RCM mark), and RF emissions are quite detectable on an AM radio within a few metres. The cost of the set was probably a dollar or two out of China. I suspect the people who manufactured this were prisoners or slaves; but one thing is for sure - those who buy them do not spare a thought for the people who put them together. Today, Christmas is more about jing jing jingling of the cash register, hoarding more stuff and gluttony - not too much goodwill and almost no thought about the Christ in Christmas. I don't want to sound like one of those big note look-at-me celebrity, but this year we decided to give no-one in the family gifts, but have sent a sum of money to a local food bank to help mainly foreign students who are stuck here due to COVID to get a Christmas hamper. I won't know who they go to. But it would be nice to know who actually put the Christmas lights together, and send them something in appreciation. At least when you turn on your Christmas lights, or pop some bonbons, spare a thought for those who assembled them.

author: AlbertL
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 07:21:47 pm
content: Over the holidays I like to walk around various neighborhoods in my vicinity and see how people are decorating. To me, the worst of the LED lights are still the dim "warm white" strings with the distinct sickly greenish (or sometimes violet) tinge. To me they look like a cool-white fluorescent seen through a grimy window.The color of a clear low-wattage incandescent lamp is very close to a candle flame, and in fact I believe the original role of electric Christmas lights was to replace the dangerous use of candles on indoor trees and greenery.

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2020, 02:55:06 am
content: Quote from: AlbertL on December 29, 2020, 07:21:47 pmCorrectI even left a comment saying "What's next? Those damn diodes everywhere bulbs should be!"