HELP! REALLY confused about LED Lights!

[EmmienLightFan]

I'm in the UK so most LED strings run on 24v, not mains voltage, and incans are not outdoor. 

 

I have started several posts in the past about this, and people have different ideas and when I try them nothing works.

Previous posts:

http://forums.lightorama.com/index.php?/topic/35244-leds-not-working/

 

Initially, I thought the transformers were DC, then they connected to the flasher, so I just remove the flasher, join the common negatives, and connect that to my CMB24D running with a 24v regulated DC power supply. Didn't work. 

Steven then pointed out that what I thought was a power supply, was actually a transformer. I was really confused. I first thought there must be a rectifier in the flasher control, as LEDs can't run on AC, but how come they didn't work when I tried them on DC? In the post I was testing some blue LEDs (They never had a flasher), which MUST have run on AC. The wire goes directly from the AC transformer to the lights. I just tested them on my CTB16PC (At 24v of course) and they worked fine. AC LEDs? What? Lights that I took the flasher from, however, won't work, only the first come on, or come on dim. This makes me think again, that there is a rectifier somewhere in the flasher.

All photos that may be needed, I have added to the Google Drive folder from my previous post, as well as some other stuff and the old post. Just ask if you need to know anything else.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6dCx7Jc8zNnfkxlc3d2dHNRZ2VwNElxLWVtcmRtMEduNXg1ekVOTVVBS1hURHFQSDJVU1E&usp=sharing

Read the descriptions of the images for more info.

 

 

[Darryl Lambert]

I have some Led strings that Don't have a rectifier. They are what we call "half wave LED's". They only use half of the sinewave of your power input. In my case 120V. They will have a slight flicker look to them because they are turning on & off 60 times per second ( our power here is 60 Hertz ) . This flicker is most noticable when viewed while driving.

[EmmienLightFan]

The blue lights that run on AC I am talking about do have a significant flicker! Maybe they are "Half wave". Could a transformer modify the frequency to make them flicker less?

[scubado]

The transformer only reduces or can increase voltage.  The rectifier will convert the bottom part of sinewave to positive so that your lights are peaking at 120hz.  Running a string of lights designed for AC won't work if you hook up to a DC power supply at least here in the USA.

[EmmienLightFan]

Oh. Ok. That makes things a bit clearer. I guess it has to be the same here as well.

[scubado]

Max-Paul PM'd me about my statement above that I should maybe clarify.  "Running a string of lights designed for AC won't work if you hook up to a DC power supply at least here in the USA."  I was talking about our lights here that run on 120V AC.  I brainfarted and forgot you were talking about a 24V AC string and wanting to run it on 24V DC.  Do you have pic of just the string of lights?  How many bulbs in series and how many series to the full string?  The rectifier should be in series of each series curcuit.

[EmmienLightFan]

There is a pic of just the string of lights in a bunch, and is probably a folder of pictures of them stretched out by the time you are reading this. How many bulbs in a series is a bit weird. The first has 8 (Sounds about right as each blue LED runs on 3.32v) and the second has 9.