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Christmas Lighting in Abundance
gral writes "My boss really gets into setting up Christmas lights. He has been interviewed by a couple TV stations, because of his displays. He usually has them setup at his house. This year he has moved to a Church Yard for more space. For 2003, his display sports over 200,000 lights, each string is controlled by computer to light to the tune of a Radio Station playing christmas music. Check out his website at Planet Christmas. Some pictures of this year's display can be seen as well. Have fun and Happy Holidays."
Anyone pick up some of those LED strands? Ugh. The flickering. They don't convert the power from AC to DC, so naturally the LEDs being one-way things flicker at 60hz (maybe its 30 at that point? I dunno).
Anyone know of someone that sells a solution to this? I'm thinking a few capacitors and a few diodes would do it?
60Hz (50Hz in Europe and some other places). But the nature of LEDs would mean they flicker would not be as bad as it would seem (they dim down slower than they ignite). Traditional fluorescent lights flicker at 60Hz too (not new starterless ones, the ballasts operate at 25kHz to 110kHz).
I have used LEDs to turn a pot plant into a Xmas tree (it was the 80s, what can I say) and simply used a wall wart style transformer(12vdc). You don't need capacitors to turn AC into DC, although it will be smoother electricity (less ripple). Not needed for just lighting LEDs, since they simply consume and burn the electricity.
All you need is 4 diodes to turn AC into DC. Go google "bridge rectifier" and I am sure you can find plans. It is very very easy to make. The typical basic rectifier has 4 diodes and 2 capacitors (optional). But its still easier to buy a universal transformer/rectifier for small loads. For medium to large loads (3 to 30 amps) you may try a car battery instead. Another option is a regulated power supply, basically a poor man's Variac. Those are under $50 for up to 8 amps or more.
There are some other methods as well, such as using a power inverter that works at a higher frequency (LEDs don't care what Hz you use, just the direction of the current flow). Any Hz over 85 is going to appear flicker free. You might have trouble finding an inverter that works at these higher Hz.
Another possible but ludicrous option is to get a surplus military generator. Most of these have dual taps, 60Hz for basic power, and 400Hz for aircraft recharging. The 400Hz side will work nicely for powering LEDs. These can be purchased at auction for a couple grand or less. They run on anything remotely "fuel oil", even corn oil.
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
Personally, I don't decorate for Christmas or other holidays - it seems too commercial for me. But I enjoy driving around with my family to see what others do.
However, being somewhat of a geek and in lawschool, I had to search to see if any people like the good boss here were ever sued for being a Public Nusiance. I came up with the following:
Osborne v. Power (Ark, 1994) - guy ordered to reduce his amount of lights so as to not attract the large numbers of sightseers coming to the neighborhood.
Rodrigue v. Copeland (La., 1985) - from the case: "Defendant is enjoined from erecting and operating a Christmas exhibition which is calculated to and does attract an unusually large number of visitors to the neighborhood." The court also spent some time arguing that this limitation did not infringe his rights of free speech.
Klein v. Copeland (La., 1986) - followup suit from the previous - the guy apparently didn't comply.
Just like the power wasted by your computer surfing the internet ;)
You want 4 diodes and a small capacitor. Otherwise the LEDs will still flicker, at 120 Hz. I'm not sure why they don't just put these parts into the strand, because they can't cost more than 35-40 cents in quantity.
Wow, you have either really old light sets or really cheap ones. Every string I've bought in the last 5 years or so was in parallel. You may want to consider an upgrade. It's only about $5 a string...
I sing the doggie electric!
He probably meant "rite", but was confused as to the spelling.
What does the religious meanign of christmas have to do with this at all?
As for the religious reference, IIRC it's an old Scot tradition. It was a custom that if a boarding house, hotel, or private home had room for visitors to stay, they would place a candle in the window so travellers would know that they could come in and stay the night.
When Mary & Joseph went to Bethlehem, there was no place for them to stay because of the census. Everything was full. As a result, Jesus was born in a stable.
The Scot tradition was that you placed a light in your window, left your doors unlocked, prepared an extra bed and set an extra plate at dinner on Christmas eve. This was to indicate that you welcomed Mary, Joseph, and Jesus into your home (or life). This is an allusion to "letting Christ into your heart", or becoming a Christian.M
And before yo flame me for all the religious stuff, the author of the parent post DID ask that specifically. Whether you belive the religion or not, that is the significance of it in the Christian faith. Although I doubt most Christians are aware of it.
There is a reason for everything. Sometimes that reason just sucks.
Mirror up here for those of you who just can't wait.
LED's are diodes. That means that the voltage drop across them is fixed. If you have enough capacitance to keep the minimum voltage above that voltage (usually about 2V for red LEDs, 3.5 for blue with green in between) then the LED will remain on. An LED that is getting brighter and dimmer at 60 (or 120)Hz is going to be a lot less noticable than an LED that is switching off and on.