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XMAS LED lights - seem cheap and effective for street/town lighting


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I am pleased with using LED lights from a XMAS box string of battery operated lights - loads for £1.99 from Home Bargains- they stretch full length and beyond along my Hornby suspension bridge and look well [ lights subdued with some yellow paint].

 

They have the advantage of -

                                            being cheap

                                            avoid wiring to my control box

                                            can be switched on/off simply

                                            two 1.5v batteries should last forever.

                                             they can be placed at some distance away without additional wiring

                                            don't need a resistor

                                            don't need much thought   [often necessary in my case]]

              I have another box of them awaiting inspiration and planning approval.

 

now this is my question - if I want to use , say, just half a dozen lights for one street can I just cut half a dozen off from the long string of lights? Is it as simple as that - or am I missing something?

 

I have already sent for two battery boxes with switches [less than than £2 the pair from China] for the LEDs that will be "cut off".

 

Thank you .

 

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Thanks for that Andy,

 

My battery boxes are not yet here [from China] but I am not expecting them to have resistors [i have never yet fitted a resistor to anything myself].  

Until I read your comment I did not think about the Xmas LEDs as having resistors in them. I have another unopened box of Xmas LED lights, waiting for a decision as to how to use them.

 

I have seen the sales on ebay for things like street lamps [LEDs] and their comments that they must be maximum 3 volt [but they don't say how many lamps per each 3v  - but with no mention of resistors].

I have also sent for some LED street lamps, again from China, So when they arrive I shall try to suss out the resistor situation, and then wish myself luck.

 

Thanks again Andy.

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...thanks crompton,

 

I know that [not recently though] I have read in the ebay verbals that resistors could/should be used -

but a thing that caught my mind were comments that these lights are for 3v only and would "blow" with higher voltage, and not for use with 12v or 16v ac...........didn't say how many lights per 3v battery  ... so I presumed that resistors were not needed   - we shall see - I might try a couple of lights together with one 3v battery and see if they "live". I hope they will. I can risk a couple of yen finding out. They seem remarkably cheap - but then so do lots of China things -  I am waiting for a wine bottle stopper for less than £1 inc. postage from China. I guess the Chinese working in "the outback" must be working for next to nothing.

 

Thanks again 

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All mine run from a 12 volt transformer with  resistors fitted to each light.  The street lights are 12 volt . Station platform are 6 volt .Plus  6 lights are 3 volt. After over 2 years in use they still all work. I used slug tape under the baseboard with all lights soldered to it .

Edited by crompton 33
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Thanks crompton for your info.

10 street lamps arrived for me today [from UK - not China], but no resistors.

When my two battery boxes arrive from China the experiments will begin.

 

I am surprised at how thin the wires are on the street lamps. I get the impression that holding several of the wires together when soldering should get the soldering job done by the heat of the iron without peeling back the plastic. We shall see.

 

THanks again.

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