Re-wiring fairy lights
Pretzelz
I don't know anything hardly about electrics.
I've bought 30 metres of white fairy lights (300 lights) which are on
one long chord. The chord is made up of five wires twisted together to
make the long chord.
I've got these around my bedroom (I'm a student) and I've bought a
small power adapter which plugs into the wall which actives ON and OFF
by remote control, thus I can switch all 300 lights on around my room
by remote. Cool!
Now the problem is however, the lights have a little box at the end of
the chord near the plug. And on the box is a button. Pressing it 7
times sends it through 7 types of flash sequences (ya know, standard
fairy lights stuff) but all I want is for them to be on static all the
time. The default is RANDOM. So when I put my lights on at any time
with the remote, they go onto random and it looks like a disco. So,
not generally appropriate. --Can I cut the whole control box out of
the chord and somehow just connect up the 5 wires making up the chord,
directly into the plug so that they'll just be continually powered
with control options?
Next problem. I plugged them in and was admiring them for ten minutes
yesterday. I could smell something funny though, and gradually some of
them began to flicker on and off (when they were supposed to be
constant). I thought there might be some dodgy wiring so looked at the
start few bulbs in the sequence... they had completely melted with the
transparent plastic casing around them. These bulbs now no longer
worked, so I think these now need to be cut out the sequence and I
need to solder the remainder of the 30 metres to the start of the
chord? (And God knows why they melted?! They are standard fairy lights
for UK plug socket. I just plugged them in. But I could see plastic
melting off them.)
Actually it's all rather frustrating. How hard should it be just to
stick 300 lights around my room without them flickeringONcontrol or
melting on me!
Grrr.
Alright, hope someone can help me, really appreciated! THanks!
Peter Andrews
"Pretzelz" <cryp...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1188930104.6...@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
If you bought them recently take them back, they are clearly faulty, and get
a refund. If you have had them some time throw them away they are
potentially dangerous.
Peter
stevelup
> Next problem. I plugged them in and was admiring them for ten minutes
> yesterday. I could smell something funny though, and gradually some of
> them began to flicker on and off (when they were supposed to be
> constant). I thought there might be some dodgy wiring so looked at the
> start few bulbs in the sequence... they had completely melted with the
> transparent plastic casing around them. These bulbs now no longer
> worked, so I think these now need to be cut out the sequence and I
> need to solder the remainder of the 30 metres to the start of the
> chord? (And God knows why they melted?! They are standard fairy lights
> for UK plug socket. I just plugged them in. But I could see plastic
> melting off them.)
I think the only thing you will succeed in doing is burning your house
down!
Either throw them away or return them to the store you bought them
from if still under warranty.
Steve
Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot
> Hi everyone,
>
> I don't know anything hardly about electrics.
>
> I've bought 30 metres of white fairy lights (300 lights) which are on
> one long chord. The chord is made up of five wires twisted together to
> make the long chord.
>
> I've got these around my bedroom (I'm a student)
That's an interesting comment - you seem to know that having 300 fairy
lights around your room is stupid but you should be excused just because
you're a student. I deduce, therefore, that you are trying hard to be an
oddball but it does not come naturally to you. I conclude that you should
stop trying to fit in with all the wankers, grow up, and throw them away.
Just because they're called fairy lights does not make them run on magic
fairy electricity - they can still kill you.
HTH
Si
Cicero
==================================
Maybe he likes the sound they make, or maybe he's just a figment of his
own imagination.
Cic.
--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================
Lyndon
news:kpmdnVWc-v1...@pipex.net...
Xmas trees, so I'm not sure why people think it is stupid to have them round
the room. Sounds good to me, in theory. However, the fact that some have
melted does sound like you have a serious problem. Don't try and short them
out. They are probably 24V lights in strings of 10, so shorting 2 out puts
240 volts across 8 of them instead, so you'll be putting 30 volts across 24
volt bulbs, and may start melting a few more.
If you know hardly anything about electricity, I wouldn't try to cut out the
sequencer. So, take them back if you can, and mutter something about them
not being of merchantable quality. Get your money back, buy a string of
lights that doesn't have a fancy built in sequencer, and enjoy the effect.
--
Lyndon
Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot
> "Mungo "Two Sheds" Toadfoot" <eastREM...@gmail.com> wrote in
> message news:kpmdnVWc-v1...@pipex.net...
>> That's an interesting comment - you seem to know that having 300
>> fairy lights around your room is stupid but you should be excused
>> just because you're a student. I deduce, therefore, that you are
>> trying hard to be an oddball but it does not come naturally to you.
>> I conclude that you should stop trying to fit in with all the
>> wankers, grow up, and throw them away. Just because they're called
>> fairy lights does not make them run on magic fairy electricity -
>> they can still kill you. HTH
>>
>> Si
> It sounds like you have a set of lights that is designed for use
> indoors on Xmas trees,
I fucking do not! Sort out your attributions! Mine are in their natural
residence at this time of year: a box in the loft.
> so I'm not sure why people think it is stupid
> to have them round the room.
Because they look awful, even at Christmas.
> Sounds good to me, in theory.
Another bloody student! It's nearly back-to-school time so this must be a
last fling at Usenet before settling down to some more serious dossing and
moaning about how difficult life is.
Si
Owain
> I've bought 30 metres of white fairy lights (300 lights) which are on
> one long chord. The chord is made up of five wires twisted together to
> make the long chord.
> the chord near the plug. And on the box is a button. Pressing it 7
> times sends it through 7 types of flash sequences (ya know, standard
> fairy lights stuff) but all I want is for them to be on static all the
> time. The default is RANDOM. So when I put my lights on at any time
> with the remote, they go onto random and it looks like a disco. So,
> not generally appropriate. --Can I cut the whole control box out of
> the chord and somehow just connect up the 5 wires making up the chord,
> directly into the plug so that they'll just be continually powered
> with control options?
No. The lights are almost certainly low voltage (possibly LEDs) and the
control box reduces the voltage. However...
> Next problem. I plugged them in and was admiring them for ten minutes
> yesterday. I could smell something funny though, and gradually some of
> them began to flicker on and off (when they were supposed to be
> constant). I thought there might be some dodgy wiring so looked at the
> start few bulbs in the sequence... they had completely melted with the
> transparent plastic casing around them.
Low voltage ones shouldn't be dissipating enough power to melt anything.
> These bulbs now no longer
> worked, so I think these now need to be cut out the sequence and I
> need to solder the remainder of the 30 metres to the start of the
> chord? (And God knows why they melted?! They are standard fairy lights
> for UK plug socket. I just plugged them in. But I could see plastic
> melting off them.)
They're dangerous. Rather than take them back to the shop I suggest you
go to your local Trading Standards - they can consider whether the
product should be recalled for safety reasons. Someone else with these
lights could die in a house fire.
If you don't know where Trading Standards is, ask at the nearest
porter's desk. (If you haven't already realised, uni porters know
*everything*.)
Owain
Pretzelz
hassel then!
Firstly, the dreaded words: I bought them off ebay. I paid about £35
for them. They don't look like fairy lights xmas-style. Well, see the
pic.
Do you think they'll be able to give me a refund? Or send me a
replacement? Or even care? To be honest I don't want to have paid £35
for lights which shouldn't have melted on me. Why would they melt
anyway?!
There ya go, check that link out. It has the technical spec on the
lights, but they're 10W apparently.
--I just emailed the seller so lets see what (s)he says.
As for people complaining about my idea to put them round my room, I
do like things which are kindof extreme. Thought las vegas was great.
Andrew Gabriel
Pretzelz <cryp...@gmail.com> writes:
> oh crap. I've just returned and read all your replies. More damn
> hassel then!
>
> for them. They don't look like fairy lights xmas-style. Well, see the
> pic.
>
> L_W0QQitemZ270161444604QQihZ017QQcategoryZ93665QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmd=
> ZViewItem
They look well over-priced.
> Do you think they'll be able to give me a refund? Or send me a
> replacement? Or even care? To be honest I don't want to have paid =A335
> for lights which shouldn't have melted on me. Why would they melt
> anyway?!
I cannot imagine an LED melting. They die long before they get
hot enough for that. Are they really LEDs? If you think they are
not safe, or not conformant to EU safety standards (are they CE
marked? not that it means much), then you should contact Newcastle
Trading Standards so they can impound the stock, although that
won't get your money back.
Ask for a refund.
> There ya go, check that link out. It has the technical spec on the
> lights, but they're 10W apparently.
>
> --I just emailed the seller so lets see what (s)he says.
>
> As for people complaining about my idea to put them round my room, I
> do like things which are kindof extreme. Thought las vegas was great.
--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]
Andy Burns
> Do you think they'll be able to give me a refund? Or send me a
> replacement? Or even care?
Well the seller has now de-registered from ebay (and has quite a bit of
patchy neutral/negative feedback) I see one person has already had a
refund from them for fairy lights, so unless that's you, get in quick.
gavin...@gmail.com
Dave Plowman (News)
supply.
--
*Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether *
Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
tabb...@gmail.com
> Hi can you please help me I have three separate strings of fairy lights each string has a small box to change the flashing can you cut the small boxes out and have the lights to stay on permanently
NT
spuorg...@gowanhill.com
http://www.bigclive.com/noflash.htm
Owain
NY
news:acf98384-4fe6-47b1...@googlegroups.com...
> each string has a small box to change the flashing can you cut the small
> boxes out and have the lights to stay on permanently
transformer, then you may get away with it. We had a couple sets of lights,
one set all white and the other with various colours, and they both stopped
working at about the same time. I managed to prise open the welded plastic
boxes and confirmed that they contained timing circuits but no
current-limiting or voltage drop-down components, so I thought I'd try it.
The problem was to determine which of the wires was the common and which
were the various sections of the bulbs (eg the first, fourth and seventh,
then the second, fifth and eighth, then the third, sixth and ninth). I did
this by measuring the resistance between all the combinations of the four
wires, looking for the combination where the resistance between one wire
(call it A) and each of the other wires (call them B, C and D) was most
similar - this only worked because I knew there had been equal numbers of
lights in each flashing circuit.
I then connected one wire from the transformer to A and the other to B, C
and D (connected together). I knew that the transformer could handle that
load because one of the flashing patterns had all the lights permanently
lit, so that was the worst-case load.
I fitted terminal blocks within the plastic box (having removed the old, non
functional circuit board) and taped it back together.
Brian Gaff
It depends very much on how they are powered. if they are driven by the
circuit in the box so you can get running light effects or some on and
others off, then they will be driven by an electronic circuit. You dod not
tell us if they are bulbs or leds, and whether they are series or parallel
wired.
As a rule of thumb, you can get more success with bulb types due to them
being old fashioned bulbs that can run on AC.
Brian
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Muddymike
> Hi can you please help me I have three separate strings of fairy lights each string has a small box to change the flashing can you cut the small boxes out and have the lights to stay on permanently
>
wires into the control box and three wires out. It didn't take much
trial and error to work out which wire was the common.
Worked with both bulbed and LEDs.
I hate those that power up in a flashing sequence, particularly when the
control box is outside half way up a tree!
Mike