Shortening LED light strands

[vanc_trough]

Hello all, 

 

I recently made a post asking some general LOR questions. I wanted to make a follow-up post because I couldn't really find an answer using the search function. Since i'm just getting into LOR, I am starting VERY small this year and only going to use LOR for a Holiday Coro Singing Christmas Tree (1 tree) (http://www.holidaycoro.com/Singing-Christmas-Trees-p/100.htm). 

 

On the website, it lists all of the lights needed for 1 tree. My question is, a lot of the requirements are for really odd numbers of lights. How exactly do I do create a strand of 82 lights? Would I just buy a strand of 100 and just bundle 18 of the lights behind the display?

 

Thanks.  

[Ebuechner]

Yes. 

[Mr. P]

Shortening led strings is too much of a hassel as there is a lot involved, much easier to just get some blackout caps. I usually just wrap them up and stick them inside a black garbage bag so the light doesn't leak out.

[vanc_trough]

11 minutes ago, Ebuechner said:

Yes. 

 

Just now, Mr. P said:

Shortening led strings is too much of a hassel as there is a lot involved, much easier to just get some blackout caps. I usually just wrap them up and stick them inside a black garbage bag so the light doesn't leak out.

Thank you both very much!

[yostmatt]

If you shorten them, wont they be brighter since the current isn't spread as far?

[DougP]

I have been able to cut some strings in half. I find the place where there are only 2 wires between the lights and I cut them. I have been able to make 2 strings and they still work, dim and fade. If there is not a place that only has 2 wires, you can't cut the string in half.

[George Simmons]

1 hour ago, yostmatt said:

If you shorten them, wont they be brighter since the current isn't spread as far?

This is true for incandescents, but not for LEDs.  As Mr. P stated, there's a lot more involved with modifying LED strings.

It should also be noted that it fries incandescents pretty quickly when you run more voltage through the bulb's filament than it was designed to handle.

[kelly jett]

A QUICK AND EASY FIX.....AND EVERYONE HAS IT SOMEWHERE IN YOUR TOOL BOX......ELECTRICAL TAPE.  

A LITTLE PIECE OF TAPE AROUND THE BULB WILL BLOCK IT OUT FINE.  BLACK OUT CAPS ARE GREAT BUT SOMETIMES HARD

TO FIND.   ALSO WORKS GREAT IF YOUR TRIMMING WINDOWS AND AROUND ANYTHING WHERE YOU NEED A BLACK SPACE BETWEEN.

IF YOUR STRING GOES BAD GRAB ANOTHER STRING AND SOME MORE TAPE AND YOUR GOOD TO GO.  ONCE YOU GET STARTED CUTTING UP

STRINGS THEN YOU HAVE A HASSLE NOT WORTH MESSING WITH.

 

AND BE HONEST GUYS....AFTER THE SEASON IS OVER AND ITS FREEZING OUTSIDE WE'RE NOT SMART ENOUGH TO PUT EVERYTHING AWAY IN ORDER

TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR US THE NEXT YEAR.  PUT THE LIGHTS AWAY AND JUST GRAB NEW TAPE THE NEXT TIME.

 

 

[George Simmons]

Christmas-LEDs.com sells blackout caps for about 10 cents each.

I know not what their inventory looks like, but they had them in stock a few weeks ago.  Plus, they shipped the next day and I had them two days later.

[Ebuechner]

And here I was trying to answer his question without making it complicated

 

Yes, bundle them behind the faces and block off the light with anything you choose. 

[lightingnewb]

Depending on the type of light you're using, you could cut your own light strands down to size. I make a beautiful 7ft tall PVC that has 12 strands of lights. Some of those strands had to be cut down to size. When I bought the lights, I bought one extra strand of each color (red, green, white) for experimentation. Luckily it worked out just fine.

It also depends on how much time you have.

[jerry72]

Every single one of my

On 10/25/2017 at 2:26 PM, vanc_trough said:

Hello all, 

 

I recently made a post asking some general LOR questions. I wanted to make a follow-up post because I couldn't really find an answer using the search function. Since i'm just getting into LOR, I am starting VERY small this year and only going to use LOR for a Holiday Coro Singing Christmas Tree (1 tree) (http://www.holidaycoro.com/Singing-Christmas-Trees-p/100.htm). 

 

On the website, it lists all of the lights needed for 1 tree. My question is, a lot of the requirements are for really odd numbers of lights. How exactly do I do create a strand of 82 lights? Would I just buy a strand of 100 and just bundle 18 of the lights behind the display?

 

Thanks.  

Every single one of my strings for my signing faces has been shortened, actually far easier to do then some let one. All you need to know is what resistor size to use. More then likely, depending on the manufacturer, ,a strand of 82 will have a strand of 50 then a strand of 32, so you technically only need to cut out 18 from a strand of 50. Lets say you need to cut out 18.... starting voltage is 120, need voltage is 76, 76 volts at .02 amps would leave you with a 2.2k ohm 3/4 watt resistor. you remove the last plug, save it, cut the 18 off you need, solder in the resistor between the last plug at the end ya just cut off.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d8mqfa6fezarnsi/led string.jpg?dl=0