George Simmons Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 We've all seen the commercials... "... you've reached the age of knowing how to make things happen..." Here's my tale: I'm making a few mini-Marty fans and on that kind of a prop I'll typically cut off the female end of the light string so I don't have to figure out what to do with it. (Bad enough having to work around the LED blobs) I'm doing them on 1/2 inch mesh and each 70 bulb string gets about 100 zip ties total. Over the weekend, I was working on said prop in the garage and every now and then I'd pop my head outside to visit/ogle with Sharon who was using the pool. On one such occasion, I took a break at the point where I was ready to chop off the end because the cutters were out of reach. When I went back in, I grabbed the cutters and just as they made that 'click' sound as the plug was cut I came to the sickening realization that I'd just cut off the MALE plug. Not only did I cut it off, but I sheared it cleanly just outside the last blob and there was no way to solder it whole again. Darn! (Except I didn't exactly say darn...) All I could think of for the first few seconds, as that sinking feeling settled in my gut, was having to clip a hundred zip ties and re-do the entire set of lights - not to mention wasting a brand new set of LEDs. On top of that, I have just the exact number of strings I need, so my brain was scrambling to come up with plan B. Then, the Viagra moment occurred... As I was looking incredulously at the severed plug I was holding and saw there was no polarity I wondered whether the lights really cared which end they got their power from. I figured I had a 50-50 chance, so I removed the end I should have clipped in the first place and soldered the male plug onto the wires. Plugged them in and presto! - the lights work just fine. "... you've reached the age of knowing how to make things happen" - indeed!!!!
Aaron Maue Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 Nice. Would never have thought of that.
scubado Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 Good story, but there should have been more about Sharon in the pool!
Santas Helper Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 (edited) Good story, but there should have been more about Sharon in the pool! Nice!!! Good thinking Jim.So George, do you own an old Camaro or Mustang? Just curious. Seriously though. It is nice info to know when hacking LEDS. Edited September 18, 2013 by Santas Helper
james campbell Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 make sure to change your sequence or those lights with flash in reverse
75redman Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 Hopefully the light string lasts more than 4 hours.
Surfing4Dough Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 (edited) Good story, but there should have been more about Sharon in the pool! Hence the Viagra moment, and it probably didn't last very long so there likely wasn't much more to tell. All George was worried about was how to get the "male end" to work. Edited September 18, 2013 by Surfing4Dough
caniac Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 But did it last longer than four hours requiring him to seek medical assistance!! inquiring minds want to know plus were they sitting in his and hers bathtubs because that is always how I start!! lol
Orville Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 (edited) Yes, that will work TEMPORARILY, it IS NOT recommened! Please be aware that the blob, even though you think there is no polarity, actually converts the AC current to DC current through the LED strand, not only that, the blob usually also has a diode bridge in there that makes sure the LED strand sees the correct polarity to the LED's. LED's, providing their voltage rating and number add up to 120VAC will work in either direction on AC current, but they could possibly get hotter than normal and/or burn out in a shorter amount of time, and if they start burning out, current increases to other LED's, wiring gets hotter and could actually start a fire. I did this to a strand a few years ago, it lasted for a very short while, but eventually failed, wiring melted and become completely useless. Just lucky it blew the fuses in the male plug, cutting power to the strand before anything really serious happened, like a fire. I would not ever recommend changing the female plug on the very end of a LED strand with a male plug UNLESS you also include some type of diode bridge to convert the current to DC and to keep polarity from reversing back and forth, as AC, even though not +/- does alternate the current back and forth, this is very hard on the LEDs if powered directly from AC current without some type of diode bridge interface between them, unless you're using pure DC current, again, this method of converting the end female plug with a male one would not be recommended. I have done a lot of experimenting with LED strands and this one is not really that safe unless their is circuitry added to help protect the LED's and the wiring. Edited September 18, 2013 by Orville
George Simmons Posted September 18, 2013 Author Posted September 18, 2013 Thanks for the info Orv. As I posted, I figured I had a 50/50 chance of getting the polarity correct - so far, it looks like I got it right. I had the lights lit for over 24 hours (in a spot that wouldn't be harmed if they did combust) and they looked fine when I shut them off. I figure that was probably the equivalent of 25+ years of service, so I'm not at all concerned with replacing them for the rest of my natural/unnatural life.
BillyT Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 Well clearly the lights aren't going to fail before you have your display running!
TGabriel Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 Well at least it will stay up longer than Jims
scubado Posted September 18, 2013 Posted September 18, 2013 Well at least it will stay up longer than JimsYou've got a misplaced dig on Jim, George is working on a fan, not a tree on his roof.
evan.a Posted September 19, 2013 Posted September 19, 2013 Good story, but there should have been more about Sharon in the pool! That made my night...good to know George, Thanks.
George Simmons Posted September 19, 2013 Author Posted September 19, 2013 Good story, but there should have been more about Sharon in the pool! The entire thing is about Sharon in the pool. Not to cast aspersions, but it's clearly her fault. It was immediately after watching her float around that I went into the garage and pulled a Bobbit on the lights. You've got a misplaced dig on Jim, George is working on a fan, not a tree on his roof. If you really think it would make Jim feel better I could take one of the fans out and let it fall off the garage roof in a symbolic show of solidarity. They're LEDs (warm whites) so they should survive nicely. That made my night...good to know George, Thanks. Glad I could be of service...
overeazy Posted September 19, 2013 Posted September 19, 2013 George I have always had a problem trying to keep the lights on my mini-fans looking right and had never thought about using wire mesh. You have any pictures you could share? thanks Duane
George Simmons Posted September 20, 2013 Author Posted September 20, 2013 Duane - here's a dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3xhvx0aei5zpvlj/didHqqOqAe There's 2 pics. One shows entire fan, currently suspended from ceiling in garage. Second one is a closeup from the back and it shows how I stabilized the mesh with a "Sturdy Stake" from a local garden department. I like the mesh a lot, compared to the traditional 2"x3" garden fencing that I use for most props. But the mesh has no backbone, and folds over quicker than Obama on Syria. In my case, I'll be mounting it on a chain link fence, so stability isn't a key issue but the stake makes it a lot easier to handle. I'll leave the link active for a few days until I think of it a couple weeks from now.
caniac Posted September 20, 2013 Posted September 20, 2013 Duane - here's a dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3xhvx0aei5zpvlj/didHqqOqAe There's 2 pics. One shows entire fan, currently suspended from ceiling in garage. Second one is a closeup from the back and it shows how I stabilized the mesh with a "Sturdy Stake" from a local garden department. I like the mesh a lot, compared to the traditional 2"x3" garden fencing that I use for most props. But the mesh has no backbone, and folds over quicker than Obama on Syria. In my case, I'll be mounting it on a chain link fence, so stability isn't a key issue but the stake makes it a lot easier to handle. I'll leave the link active for a few days until I think of it a couple weeks from now.I guess Obama is the reason Jim's tree fell off the roof, sonic boom from Air Force One.
scubado Posted September 20, 2013 Posted September 20, 2013 The only time Air Force One is that fast, is to a golf course!
plasmadrive Posted September 20, 2013 Posted September 20, 2013 The only time Air Force One is that fast, is to a golf course!You pegged that one right.
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