Entry tags:
LED light strand mystery, continued. Also, DIY extensions for light-strands.
Prior episode.
I've now taken this LED light strand outside to put up on the porch for the holidays. It has bulbs of 5 alternating colors (red, blue, green, yellow, pink/purple).
When I plugged it in outside, there were several bulbs in the strand not lighting up. I think these same bulbs weren't working inside anymore either, but I didn't check it carefully before so am not certain.
4 of the non-working bulbs were at the far end. I pulled out the first of them (the one next to the working bulbs). The other 3 that were out came back on. Hrmmm?
The strand had 2 spare bulbs. I plugged one if them into the empty socket, and it worked.
In the middle of the strand were 2 more non-working bulbs next to each other. I pulled one of them out. The other one came back on. Hrmmm. I put the 2nd spare bulb in the now-empty socket, and it works. I am now out of spare bulbs.
Near the beginning of the strand are 2 more non-working bulbs. These are the 2 mentioned in the prior episode, which would sometimes flicker on and off. I pulled one out. Again, the other one came on. I pulled the 2nd one out... the whole strand goes out. Apparently that happens whenever 2 bulbs are out. You can have one out but not two.
I put the first bad bulb into the 2nd one's socket, and the 2nd one in the 1st's socket. The strand comes on again, except for those 2 bulbs. I try pulling the next light on either side of those 2 out. Each time, those 2 remain out, as well as the pulled-out one now being out.
Curiously, all 3 "bad" bulbs I pulled out are pink ones. I saw the last one flicker on and off the last time I put it back in, so I think they're not completely bad. But they may have a bad connection inside, as previously suggested by![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
randomdreams.
I do a web search, but find no page discussing a weird LED light strand problem like this, where one bad bulb makes another one (or another 3) not turn on.
.
Earlier I did find something useful, though. I'm putting up 2 different strands on the porch, and they would fit best if there was an extension cord of about 6 feet put between them. I tried a normal indoor extension cord, but its plug is polarized and therefore doesn't fit into the end of a light strand.
I searched online for a 2-prong extension cord *without* a polarized plug, but didn't find any.
But I found these tutorials on how to make your own, from an old strand of lights. I have some of those actually, which I'd been planning to recycle. But now they can still be of use to me!
The first of these videos seems much simpler than what's described in the 2nd, but I think they are basically doing the same thing.
Video title: How To Make a Christmas Light Extension Cord (HowToLou.com)
Posted by: HowToLou
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOw8TgRVJ70
Date posted: Nov 23, 2012
Video title: How to convert Christmas Light strings in to FREE extension cords for Light O Rama
Posted by: Leechburg Lights
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrQMTEVb3JU
Date posted: Dec 29, 2012
I've now taken this LED light strand outside to put up on the porch for the holidays. It has bulbs of 5 alternating colors (red, blue, green, yellow, pink/purple).
When I plugged it in outside, there were several bulbs in the strand not lighting up. I think these same bulbs weren't working inside anymore either, but I didn't check it carefully before so am not certain.
4 of the non-working bulbs were at the far end. I pulled out the first of them (the one next to the working bulbs). The other 3 that were out came back on. Hrmmm?
The strand had 2 spare bulbs. I plugged one if them into the empty socket, and it worked.
In the middle of the strand were 2 more non-working bulbs next to each other. I pulled one of them out. The other one came back on. Hrmmm. I put the 2nd spare bulb in the now-empty socket, and it works. I am now out of spare bulbs.
Near the beginning of the strand are 2 more non-working bulbs. These are the 2 mentioned in the prior episode, which would sometimes flicker on and off. I pulled one out. Again, the other one came on. I pulled the 2nd one out... the whole strand goes out. Apparently that happens whenever 2 bulbs are out. You can have one out but not two.
I put the first bad bulb into the 2nd one's socket, and the 2nd one in the 1st's socket. The strand comes on again, except for those 2 bulbs. I try pulling the next light on either side of those 2 out. Each time, those 2 remain out, as well as the pulled-out one now being out.
Curiously, all 3 "bad" bulbs I pulled out are pink ones. I saw the last one flicker on and off the last time I put it back in, so I think they're not completely bad. But they may have a bad connection inside, as previously suggested by
randomdreams.I do a web search, but find no page discussing a weird LED light strand problem like this, where one bad bulb makes another one (or another 3) not turn on.
.
Earlier I did find something useful, though. I'm putting up 2 different strands on the porch, and they would fit best if there was an extension cord of about 6 feet put between them. I tried a normal indoor extension cord, but its plug is polarized and therefore doesn't fit into the end of a light strand.
I searched online for a 2-prong extension cord *without* a polarized plug, but didn't find any.
But I found these tutorials on how to make your own, from an old strand of lights. I have some of those actually, which I'd been planning to recycle. But now they can still be of use to me!
The first of these videos seems much simpler than what's described in the 2nd, but I think they are basically doing the same thing.
Video title: How To Make a Christmas Light Extension Cord (HowToLou.com)
Posted by: HowToLou
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOw8TgRVJ70
Date posted: Nov 23, 2012
Video title: How to convert Christmas Light strings in to FREE extension cords for Light O Rama
Posted by: Leechburg Lights
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrQMTEVb3JU
Date posted: Dec 29, 2012
no subject
Oh, man, that brings back memories.
Prior to LED, *all* Christmas lights were like that. If the lights failed, you had to take out each and every bulb, one at a time, to figure out which was the bad bulb. Maybe your LED lights are trying to be retro?
no subject
But now with this LED strand, having a bad bulb affecting a few but *only a few* other bulbs, that I do not understand.
no subject
Retro fever, I tell you. Try hanging aluminum tinsel next to your bulbs, and see whether that makes them feel better.
no subject
Well, this is on the porch where I wouldn't normally put tinsel or ornaments.
Up until a year or two ago, I was putting the nice and heavy-weight tinsel my mom still had from long ago on the Christmas tree, until I found out it was so nice and heavy because it was made with lead (https://darkoshi.dreamwidth.org/664472.html).
So last year after Christmas, I bought some Victorian tinsel icicles to use instead. Last Christmas was also the last year I had incandescent lights on the tree (https://darkoshi.dreamwidth.org/742450.html).
no subject
I remember fighting with my parents over Christmas lights when I was a teen. I wanted lights on the tree; my parents didn't. I said, "But there are some really tiny ones now - they won't be in the way!" I suppose those must have been some of the first mini-incandescent lights. They may be the ones I still use?
Our tinsel (bought in the 1960s, I believe) was metal, but it might have been aluminum. I no longer have it, at any rate.