Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: jcc]
#3195388
12/04/23 10:16 PM
12/04/23 10:16 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,270 Morrow, OH
markz528
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My guess, its the color changing circuitry/low Dc voltage converter. Ie the string is now junk. I agree
67 Coronet 500 9.610 @ 139.20 mph 67 Coronet 500 (street car) 14.82 @ 94 mph 69 GTX (clone) - build in progress......
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: markz528]
#3195411
12/05/23 12:52 AM
12/05/23 12:52 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,884 Oregon
hooziewhatsit
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A full wave rectifier converts AC to DC. It will also pass DC voltage, but with a voltage drop going over the diodes. No idea if that's what in the green molded thing Where did you apply the 9v battery?
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#3195422
12/05/23 06:49 AM
12/05/23 06:49 AM
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 8,162 USA
360view
Moparts resident spammer
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That cylinder shape around 2 wires covered with plastic looks to me like a “ ferrite core radio interference suppressor” similar to the similar cylinders you see on the cord between a keyboard and computer. It would be good engineering practice to have this ferrite just past the rectifier because the diodes inside the rectifier create little voltage spikes 120 times per second when converting 60 cycle AC to DC. Was there a larger DC rectifier box between the AC plug and the device shown in your picture? Palomar Engineers has long sold ferrite “snap on” retrofit kits https://palomar-engineers.com/ferrite-products/Ferrite-Core-Products-c21312657
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: 360view]
#3195430
12/05/23 09:45 AM
12/05/23 09:45 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,877 Virginia
BSharp
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: BSharp]
#3195438
12/05/23 10:36 AM
12/05/23 10:36 AM
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,380 St. Charles, MO
wingman
Uncreative Title
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St. Charles, MO
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I went to Wally World to get a few more strands of lights because some of the ones we put away last year dont work now.
New strands of 100 lights were $2.98 !!!
I hate throwing things away and and am a fixer by nature. But dang! Its not even worth it to replace burned out bulbs!
We wonder why 1) Nothing lasts 2) The landfills are filling up
I like a good deal as much as anyone but how can they make them and ship them over the pond for $2.98. Its crazy.
1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 383 A4 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 440 FC7 (sold)
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: 360view]
#3195447
12/05/23 11:00 AM
12/05/23 11:00 AM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,248 nowhere
Sniper
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That cylinder shape around 2 wires covered with plastic looks to me like a “ ferrite core radio interference suppressor” similar to the similar cylinders you see on the cord between a keyboard and computer. It would be good engineering practice to have this ferrite just past the rectifier because the diodes inside the rectifier create little voltage spikes 120 times per second when converting 60 cycle AC to DC. Was there a larger DC rectifier box between the AC plug and the device shown in your picture? Palomar Engineers has long sold ferrite “snap on” retrofit kits https://palomar-engineers.com/ferrite-products/Ferrite-Core-Products-c21312657 For an LED light string? No. Irrelevant and unneeded.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: BSharp]
#3195449
12/05/23 11:01 AM
12/05/23 11:01 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 2,937 GA
roadrunninMark
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Thanks for all the responses, let me see if I can respond to all:
JCC - The lights still work when using a 9 volt battery to test them, even still change color, so I don't think it is a gonner.
Hoozie.. I put the 9v power to the wires past cylinder, it is one of those led christmas light repair tools, yellow handle device to help find burned out bulbs.
A12 - I have one of those cheap mutli functional tester... can I use that? I am thinking it is DC because the lights works with a 9 v battery in my light fixer tool.
360 - The cylinder is after the typical christmas light plug, which has 2 of the 3v silver fuses housed in it. These kept popping after the water damage, even after weeks of drying out.
Bsharp - yes, that is what it looks like! A rectifier and it says that on the tag on the box. I guess I have to figure what size rectifier I need. I will look at that website!
Wingan - This set goes for about $100, so you can see why I don't want to give up on them yet. They are a really cool light set.
Thanks again all for the input.. I am going to try the noveltylights.com site Bsharp mentioned. Will report back if I get to work again.
The noveltylights site doesn't sell parts or have a technical department, so I am trying some other repair people I saw on youtube...
Last edited by roadrunninMark; 12/05/23 11:27 AM.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: hooziewhatsit]
#3195558
12/05/23 09:04 PM
12/05/23 09:04 PM
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Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,754 Phila
PhillyRag
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A full wave rectifier converts AC to DC. It will also pass DC voltage, but with a voltage drop going over the diodes. No idea if that's what in the green molded thing Where did you apply the 9v battery? Just cut it open and find out what's inside.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#3195666
12/06/23 12:59 PM
12/06/23 12:59 PM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,884 Oregon
hooziewhatsit
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Yep, makes sense that it would be completely potted to keep moisture out (you had one job... ) All that should be in it is 4 diodes. Doesn't look big enough to have a voltage regulator. There's no voltage output from the rectifier when you plug it in, right? Typically, the LEDs will be in series, or two parallel lines of leds that are in series. Rectified 110vAC will be around 150vDC. Each led drops a couple volts, and somewhere there's a current limiting resistor. 50 leds x 3v each is around the 150vDC they would see. Giving it 9v shouldn't be enough to get them to turn on at all. But, if they're color changing there has to be something special somewhere? Although that can be built in to each individual LED too. Looks like this set? https://www.amazon.com/Lawn-Lights-Illuminated-Decoration-Multicolor/dp/B07VMKPN8Y/ref=sr_1_2I would be tempted to get a full bridge rectifier, and wire it in place...
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: hooziewhatsit]
#3195689
12/06/23 02:10 PM
12/06/23 02:10 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 32,930 Grand Prairie,Texas
stumpy
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oops! I read the ad as static but it says on down that the 36 series changes.
Last edited by stumpy; 12/06/23 03:28 PM.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#3195751
12/06/23 05:24 PM
12/06/23 05:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,714 North Dakota
6PakBee
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Well, this link refers to that inline component as a rectifier. So I am guessing that is what it is. Rectifier?If the string runs acceptably well with a 9 volt battery, then I'd get a nine volt power supply, splice it into the light string and ride off into the sunset. Power supply
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: 6PakBee]
#3195754
12/06/23 05:49 PM
12/06/23 05:49 PM
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Joined: Oct 2007
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hooziewhatsit
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Is there a cheap set of lights you can steal the rectifier from? It would be ugly, but something like this would duplicate it. https://www.amazon.com/NTE-Electronics-NTE5311-Rectifier-Repetitive/dp/B008UTVH5A/ref=sr_1_2AC goes on the inner pins, and then it has DC out on the +/- pins. (Remember the DC will be around 150v!) Or, hook it up to a 12v car battery and see what happens. If that works, a 110v to 12vDC power supply would work, and be a lot safer.
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#3195835
12/07/23 09:52 AM
12/07/23 09:52 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,714 North Dakota
6PakBee
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6Pac - the 9v lit the lights but they were dim, so I will need a little more power. I may try the 12V idea as Hoozie mentioned.
Hoozie - I looked for another set of lights, it seems only the higher end (20 a string) have the rectifier. I will keep looking. I contacted that company you linked the video from. They won't help as I didn't buy the lights from them and can't give advice on a product they didn't sell. I will try the car battery - I have some lawnmower batteries around and try that. I'll keep the link to the rectifier in mind next. I don't know why I can't find the simple inline rectifier as that is used in all these light sets... it is like a trade secret or something! Okay, you want 12 volt here you go. 12V SupplyWhy can't you find one? It's like the tag on almost anything electronic currently "No User Serviceable Parts Inside". It's not intended to be replaced when it fails so it isn't available from the OEM and there isn't enough demand for a third party to step up an make one.
"We live in a time when intelligent people are being silenced so that stupid people won't be offended".
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: 6PakBee]
#3195841
12/07/23 10:22 AM
12/07/23 10:22 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
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roadrunninMark
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Someone makes them and you would think they would want to sell as many as they could. So why not list the individual components for sale. If Radio Shack was still a big box store, I am sure I could get one there.
OK, the 12V lawnmower battery is not enough voltage. Looking at the info on the new set, here are the specs. The string is rated at 2.4 watts (0.02Amps). The supply is house power... 120 volts and the fuses are rated for 125V, 3 amp.
What determines the power draw? How many LEDs there are or is the rectifier also a power limiter?
Last edited by roadrunninMark; 12/07/23 12:13 PM. Reason: power info
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Re: NE Electrical Engineers on here? What item is this?
[Re: roadrunninMark]
#3195893
12/07/23 01:32 PM
12/07/23 01:32 PM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 3,884 Oregon
hooziewhatsit
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the rectifier only converts from AC to DC.
There will be a resistor in the string somewhere to limit the current.
Each led will drop 2-3v, depending on the color. The average led also draws around 20mA (0.02A)
For example, with mostly real numbers: 35 leds x 3v => 105v.
155vDC (rectified 110vAC)
155v - 105v = 50v that needs dropped by the current limiting resistor.
50v/0.02A = 2.5kOhm resistor somewhere inline.
Since the input voltage has tolerances (110v-120v) the current through the string will change (since the resistor is a fixed value), but because leds have a range of currents that they will work with they'll be just fine. Just don't give them 220vAC, lol.
Sounds like you do indeed need a rectifier to get the high DC voltage. That one from amazon would work, or you could get four discrete diodes and wire it yourself. They would be much lower profile and look more like the original rectifier. The output polarity will make a difference though. They should only work one way.
If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck.
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