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Author Topic: Electrical Conundrum
Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009


 - posted December 08, 2016 11:19 AM      Profile for Barry Fritz   Email Barry Fritz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
For all you electric guys: How is it possible that on a 50 foot string of LED christmas lights, suddenly the first 10 feet of lights and the last 10 feet of lights go out, but the lights in between stay lit? These are three wire lights made by Sylvania and were new.

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Phil Murat
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 671
From: Villeneuve St Georges, France
Registered: Dec 2015


 - posted December 08, 2016 12:27 PM      Profile for Phil Murat   Email Phil Murat   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Barry,

There is a high probability that total lenght of lights is made with 3 or 4 sections........

Normally, LED are serialy connected in each section, so that , if one led fail all a section is light off .

How many wires come out from power source ?

Phil

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 08, 2016 12:39 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
A long time ago Christmas lights were all low voltage bulbs in series strings and if one blew the whole string went out. Then they started doing them with line voltage bulbs in parallel so if one went out the others stayed lit.

LEDs are low voltage devices, so what was old is new again!

Merry Low Voltage Christmas!

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009


 - posted December 08, 2016 02:50 PM      Profile for Barry Fritz   Email Barry Fritz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
There are just 2 wires coming from the plug, third wire starts at first light. I have had similar situations before, but the outage started where there was clearly a section joint evidenced by a thick thingy in the wires. There is nothing like that with this string. I get the series problem, but how can an end section and start section be out while a middle section is on. BTW I have had similar experience with the tiny incandescent lights also, but just where first bunch of lights were out but end ones were on. No middle group as in above.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 08, 2016 04:05 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
My best guess is the two dark sections are parts of the same series string even if they aren't physically next to each other.

Are the LEDs replaceable?

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Barry Fritz
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009


 - posted December 09, 2016 08:06 PM      Profile for Barry Fritz   Email Barry Fritz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
They are replaceable but I could not find any replacements. I think they came with some but wife may have tossed them. Now more have gone out. Only 10 feet of 50 are left. Sylvania is crap.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 09, 2016 09:22 PM      Profile for Steve Klare   Email Steve Klare   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
OK,

This calls for a strategy!

Take the first led in the string that won't light and switch it with the first LED in the string that does. If the bright string goes dark, you've found a dead LED, if not then move on to the second LED and repeat. Hopefully somewhere along the line the dark string has lit up, if not you have multiple dead LEDs or maybe a broken connection.

-my wife on the other hand throws out strings of lights because they are tangled.

Yet If I lived by myself I'd paint a Christmas Tree on the wall and hang a movie screen over it New Years day!

(Whatever works!)

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All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted December 10, 2016 04:37 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Barry

Here is a rather long-winded description of the LED light strings to which you refer. It all sounds rather challenging if some of your string have failed.

http://www.ciphersbyritter.com/RADELECT/LITES/LEDLITES.HTM

You said they were new. I suggest you return them and make a complaint.

--------------------
Maurice

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Paul Adsett
Film God

Posts: 5003
From: USA
Registered: Jun 2003


 - posted December 10, 2016 04:34 PM      Profile for Paul Adsett     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sylvania used to be a proud American company making really quality products. In addition to light bulbs, flash cubes, and TV sets, they were world leaders in the design and production of high-tech microwave devices, such as magnetrons, klystrons, and travelling wave tubes, for both commercial and military radar systems.
I joined Sylvania in 1963, and they had plants all over Pennsylvania employing thousands of people making great electronic products. They were a wonderful company to work for, more like a family really, and taking great care of their employees.
Tragically all that technology has now been sold to China. So the company is now just another iconic name, like RCA, badged on cheap Chinese produced items.
The last pack of Sylvania light bulbs that I purchased averaged about 3 months/bulb!

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Bill Brandenstein
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1632
From: California
Registered: Aug 2007


 - posted December 10, 2016 04:58 PM      Profile for Bill Brandenstein   Email Bill Brandenstein   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Cue Les Miserables:

"Bring Him Home!!!"

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