Re: LED Xmas lights and X10.. the final solution...

Actually not quite $0, as a string of the mini-lights take more power than something like 10 strings of LEDS.

Outside, I have a few mini-light strings in use - but then again, I have a blow-up snowman too!

Inside, however, it's all LED - had a chuck of mini-lights go out on my "pre-lit" tree, and I now have it pre-lit with LEDS. The color is so much better, and I don't want mini-lights in the mix.. Therefore the relay.

The LED strings I got do allow you to interchange lights (from Target - made by phillips), and while you can get the white (kind of blue) strings, to get a string of all red, you need to get about 5 strings and use the reds all in one.. You'll wind up with a string of orange (Halloween) and green (St Patty's Day)! The ones I got look (in shape) like mini lights.


Steven Downin wrote:
I ran across the LED glow issue last year. I'm slowly changing outside decorations to LEDs where possible. The $0 solution is to connect at least 1 miniature light set to each LED branch power feed. This not a problem since I have an intermix of LED and miniature lights. This needs to done at the controller end or before the LED strings. The pass-through power (string-a-long) on the LED string is rectified voltage (about 100 volts DC).

My decoration theme is candy cane so most of the lighting is red and white (clear or frosted). For years I'm made on own color schemes by interchanging bulbs. However, this is not possible with LEDs. For one decoration I interwove the red and white LED sets using tiewraps. My next task is red/white LED icicles (sometimes called curtain lights). There are a few on the market but are way, way, way too expensive. No easy solution other than cut, splice, heat shrink, and keeping the polarity straight.

The colored LEDs are very bold in color. However, the white LEDs have a slight cold blue color when viewed outside in the dark.

Mixmaster

"AZ Woody" <reply@here> wrote in message news:47425b92$0$506$815e3792@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
OK.. After doing testing with 1-4 strings of LEDs and the X10 mods I had on hand (modified and unmodifed) here's what I did... (none of the modules would turn off the Leds all the way

- Home Depot - gray plastic box, outlet cover, and outlet - ~$2
- 2' power cord (salvaged from junk box)
- 110v AC relay (ratshack - $8, but I'm sure they can be found cheaper - 10amp contactsis what I got) Just make sure it will fit in the outlet box, with the outlet

Basically, wired so that when power is a applied, relay closes and power is applied to the outlet.. Using a std X10 appliance module all works! I plug the relay into the module, the LED lights into the relay. It's less visible than adding a incandescent light to the mix.. 2' cord is enough to set the outlet box on the floor (containing the relay).

The relay is DPDT, but only switching hot, so I can easily use the other side for dry contact at a later time. (3 screw terminals on the outside of the box and wire to the relay is all it takes...)


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