Lighting using grain of wheat bulbs

[Bonkers]

Hi, this is my first post so hope I have placed it correctly.

 

i have about 60 grain of wheat bulb station lamps and at present only two are connected ( they are double platform lights so essentially there are four lamps,

 

i have them them connected to a pair of long copper wires, one covered in red plastic the other covered with black. I one end of the copper wires have banana plugs on and are in a 3 amp switched power supply.

 

at present the lights are very dim as I only have them set at 3 volts. I can turn this to 4 or 7 or 8 or 12 volts and this does increase brightness but the bulbs melt the plastic lamppost/ platform lights.

 

how do I get them brighter without melting

how is best to wire and how many amps of power will I need, do I need a separate power source, I have a ham ant and Morgan duette controller am I best using the side 12v plug holes to power lights

 

why do they melt is it amps or volts or watts that cause this.

 

thank you

 

[cliff park]

It is because they are bulbs. They get hot. LEDs run cold. Very often a bulb run at a lower voltage looks more authentically yellow than bright white. But if you run them at bright white they will get hot, it is the watts being dissipated. Nothing you can do will make them run bright and cold.

[Bonkers]

The copper wires run under the board and will eventually hopefully power all lights, I basically cut the plastic off and chocolate box the wire from lamps to the wire

[Bonkers]

Thank you Cliff, will it make a difference when I have them all connected.... more lights using more watts means they don’t have to dissipate so much 

[Bonkers]

Sorry re read and digested your reply,,, nothing will alter the heat thing, thank you for your quick answer,

[Junctionmad]

20 hours ago, Bonkers said:

Sorry re read and digested your reply,,, nothing will alter the heat thing, thank you for your quick answer,

As Scotty used to say “ ye canna change the laws of physics “ ! 

[Bonkers]

Hi Junctionmad.. I thought it was worth trying to change at least one law if it made my life easier

[melmerby]

Most lamps were gas and were a very yellowy light, so a less than "full on" filament lamp will appear more authentic.

Lights in olden times were not very bright (unlike these days with blindingly bright LED street lights)

 

Some years back I lived in a road where the street lights were (IIRC) only 60W filament bulbs and there wasn't very many.

The same road now has probably 3 times the number and they are much much brighter.