Delay when lighting newer yard ornaments

[Bearded_Seamonkey]

Good morning.  As I add to my display, I like to use trees that can be purchased at big box stores.  I'm noticing that the new yard ornaments have the little rectangular plug and when I plug in the tree, there is a delay before it actually lights up.  When I'm running my display and having lights flash using the LOR controller, it is not even lighting up since there is a delay.  Is there a way to bypass this issue?  I really don't want to go through and change the timing of this one tree in the grand scheme of my display.  Any help is appreciated.  

[TheDucks]

Danger Will Robinson. Those are AC to DC inverters. Do not DIM or jerk them (voltage wise) around.

Use the HU to set Gen 3 CTB16PC ports to ON-Off only. That does not take care of your delay because that PSU still needs to start up.

💡 Read the Label. What does it say for Output?  You might be able to use a CMB24 port (A bank can be powered from 5-30VDC. I suggest using the one that IS NOT the Logic power one)

BUT, if there is also an effects module further down the line....  🥵 , you are outa luck. Those are even more fussy.

(last year I bought a 4' wire frame cat (They had other in the family, but were sold out by the time I returned) at the Depot.

I got home and the plug put out 5V... OK. Then there was the dreaded effects module  that forgets what effect every time I power down.

Using a bench supply, the LED mini-rope  takes 3V for approximately the same output.  (note LEDs can use pulses to appear brighter without damage.

3V is below what a native CMB is rated. I also have a US Flag the uses 24V. I could  rig alternate ways to power these (the CMB sinks the channel), but I am loath to risk my CMB experimenting

 

 

[Orville]

Sounds like the plug has some added circuitry added to create the delay, but not knowing how it's set up, would or may be difficult to bypass, as it may also have voltage reducing circuitry in that mix.

About the only way to do a bypass on these new trees is to remove the lights they come with and install older 120VAC L.E.D. or incandescent light strings on them, or in my case smart RGB node strings.

I've been doing that on some trees I have that had those light strings with the built on control boxes and replacing with RGB strings so I can control them my way.

Probably not what you want to hear, but with these newer light strings they're putting on the trees, it's about the easiest, but most time consuming, way to bypass some of what they're doing with them, like start-up delays before the lights actually come on.  And those delays can be very frustrating trying to get them timed approprietly with all the other props and lights in your display.

Hopefully, there is someone else who has dealt with this issue and perhaps has a better resolution for this problem.

I just take off those lights and replace with ones I prefer, that don't have those type issues.

Good Luck.

Edited November 6, 2023 by Orville

[Bearded_Seamonkey]

TheDucks and Orville, thanks for your replies.  

 

TheDucks, your explanation may be a little above me.  Sounds a little confusing. I think I get what you are saying on the basic level.  

 

Orville, makes perfect sense.  I have done this in the past with trees that didn't do what I wanted, especially after some lights went out.  

 

Looks like these will be constant on for my display and not be part of the sequence.  

[hasslerk]

I have a set of the Snowmen family from Costco that suffer from this startup problem.  Sometimes I try to account for the delay in some of my sequences, but otherwise it just is-what-it-is.  I also make sure they are either on or off...no dimming or flashing.  They are just ancillary props to my show and not part of the real light show.  I do turn them off in my sequences when I am going for the total dark effect, but also leave them on to the very end of my sequences when the goal is to keep them lit into the next song.  I do the same with my tune-to signage.

[Dr_Aplet]

I have seen many people going to this power block ( Costco reindeer, Lamp posts etc. home depot too.  there are ways around it if you like building your own inverters and voiding any warranty.  I have been running the Costco deer in my sequence.  out of laziness i did not make them on/off and the work fine but deliver some irregular results but I'm ok with it.  its been 3 years with them like that and they are still going. eventually they will burn out.  

[Orville]

35 minutes ago, Dr_Aplet said:

I have seen many people going to this power block ( Costco reindeer, Lamp posts etc. home depot too.  there are ways around it if you like building your own inverters and voiding any warranty.  I have been running the Costco deer in my sequence.  out of laziness i did not make them on/off and the work fine but deliver some irregular results but I'm ok with it.  its been 3 years with them like that and they are still going. eventually they will burn out.  

I scavanged all my old AC Motors off reindeer I had used for almost 30+ tears, the deer bodies rusted away and finally had ro toss them out about 2 years ago.  Still have their motors and all still work.

But I don't see wireframe deer like the old ones I had that lasted for years, well the motors did.  I probably replaced the lights on them at least 3 to 5 times  when L.E.D. strings started coming into existence, i started using them on the 4 deer I had.

But, I don't like how they are being powered today😟, just not very conducive to sequencing them unless you change out the motors and lighting system being used today.

[Steven]

On 11/6/2023 at 1:46 PM, Dr_Aplet said:

I have seen many people going to this power block ( Costco reindeer, Lamp posts etc. home depot too.  there are ways around it if you like building your own inverters and voiding any warranty.

In some cases you are just plain out of luck. For example, my neighbor (and part of my display) has some fairy lights that use a power block/controller to send alternate polarity to the string. Every other light in the string is wired "backwards", so that putting a DC voltage will light alternate bulbs, and reversing the polarity will light the other bulbs. Putting AC on the string will light all the bulbs. This is beyond the capability of a CMB24 (and the voltage is too low as well).