BRIGHTER conversion of tungsten fairy lights to LED.
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2025
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By popular request, a different version of the tungsten to LED fairy light conversion project, that uses a common capacitive dropper module from ebay to run the LEDs at higher current.
With this module as it is supplied you can drive up to around 40 LEDs in series with no PCB modifications on 120V. If your supply is 220V to 250V I'd recommend changing the electrolytic capacitor for a 400V 4.7uF one (a common type in the lighting industry) and adjusting the value of the red current limiting capacitor from the supplied 680nF to something like 100, 220, 330 or 470nF (at 400V) depending on how bright you want the LEDs and how many you want to run. The upside for higher voltage 220-250V supplies is that we can run around 100 LEDs in series.
Although the capacitive dropper is more complicated than the simple resistive dropper, it is much more efficient since it doesn't dissipate the excess power as heat
Here's a link to an ebay seller of these capacitive dropper supplies.
www.ebay.co.uk/...
Recently saw Dave put a cap in backwards in an oscilloscope rebuild, it was quite interesting, while the camera was not on the cap at the time, the magic black smoke was fab, and Dave's reaction classic as he rushed to remove power. The result on the cap was classic as well!
I have been wanting to build my own lights for around the house (outside) for some time this is exactly the video I needed to see it done
Remember the 50 bulb string conversion I said I was going to do?
Well, I did it! My bag of 100 warm white diffused 5mm LEDs came the other day, they light up nicely.
Used a capacitive dropper lol.
Dropper cap is a 1uF 275V X2 cap, a few resistors, a few 1N4007 diodes, a 10uF 200V cap to eliminate flicker, and I even added in the two 3A fuses (ugh, they're the tiny 125V glass type.. :S) that were already on the string (in the plug) .. cause why not? :P
It's been going all day, and hasn't blown up XDDD
Clive, I do quite enjoy your videos. While my job doesn't require any substantial application of the things I learn from your videos it has many times given me a better understanding of equipment failure or capacity. Thanks for the work you put in :)
I kept wondering why you drew resistors as boxes and not the familiar triangle waveform. TIL that the box schematic is the International Electrotechnical Commission symbol for a schematic resistor. It's been a while since I did any electronic circuitry. Another win for the web - question raised in my mind by watching a Big Clive RUclips vid answered by surfing over to Wikipedia. What a time to be alive!
I used to draw them zig-zag style, but changed when the electronic magazines switched over in that era.
Love this, Clive. I was tipped off to it by my brother-in-law. Goaded on by him, and having also studied the sister video to this one which shows in detail how to fit the LED's, I went ahead and successfully converted a failed multi-colour 50 bulb tungsten set to LED.
I used the big 10mm diffused LED's and a capacitive dropper as featured above. As suggested to one of your other viewers, I changed the capacitor on the AC side from 680nF to 330nF (plenty bright enough for 50 LED's) and, as recommended in the video I changed the electrolytic cap for one capable of handling 400V.
I consider myself to be a "novice dabbler" as far as electronics is concerned, but this project passed off without a hitch. Many thanks and Big Kudos to Big Clive! Cheers mate!
Good result. I really like the big 10mm diffused LEDs in this application. I made my brother a set of red, orange, yellow and warm-white ones with them. It only draws about half a watt and is just left on 24/7.
I modified some old light with an inline resistive dropper and it works great. I am working on a 100 LED string too since I have so many of these things.
Thanks for doing an update to your previous video. I really liked the looks of those big 10mm LEDs. Now to find some lights here that are still wired in series and one of those LED drivers that are 120v and not 220-240v.
I find a big lump of "blue-tack" is really useful when trying to solder small circuit boards! Put the blue-tack on the bench, then put the PCB onto it....
Just done one of these with a capacitive dropper on a set off 50 from Poundland (disappointed to find it only had 48 fitting).
Was going to make a capacitive dropper but then remembered I still had a spare one from doing the red/blue LED conversion on the bulb kit. I figured that since it was driving 38 LEDs in the kit it would be fine with 48 in the string.
Thanks for the swift reply. I am trying to come up with Some low cost security lighting for around my home. And have some fun and learn something at the same time. i will give that a go thanx clive.
+rikstr77 Take a look at the LED floodlights with the PIR movement sensors on them. Instant-on and low energy.
Clive's house must be lit like a circus.
I think you showed the capacitive dropper one before with another set of lights in the past, but, yeah, the resistive dropper does the job and takes up less space... :)
When ever I put wires through a board I'll put some solder on them so that the wires don't splay everywhere.
I have done it both ways though.
The soldering the wire has its advantages and disadvantages.
One it is easier to put through the holes.
But two there could be a big blob of solder that you have to get off before you can put it through the hole.
You on a video mission today Clive? haha. I'm not complaining though.
I've worked with quite a few LEDs, on the general, you can assume they can safely be driven at 20mA, and I've pushed higher-end LEDs to 30mA with no negative results.
G'Day Clive Love your videos, there very entertaining and full of interesting facts and knowledge I have learnt quite a bit. I would like to see a capacitive dropped Circuit with 1 watt led's if at all possible thanks. keep up the great videos Rik.
+rikstr77 Hi Rik, it's not really practical to use the capacitive dropper for the currents involved with individual 1W LEDs. They're better suited to higher voltage strings of LEDs run at lower current. For the higher power LEDs a small switching converter is a better option.
I made one, ever solder my own supply according to the schematic. I used 5mm rgb slow flash led's, at first i used 100nF capacitor but they have problem going the full cycle of colors, changed to 150nF and it's just enough (string of 100 led's)
Very good tutorial! Thank you.
Used soldering wick can be used as track bridges, I've found out.
Oh and by the way.... Another great vid even if I am a little late to the party!
where do you get those LEDs?? I ordered some on Ebay, 10mm diffused and they are so dim. The Green is barley noticeable, red is crap, yellow is meh and the blue is the only one that is bright, they require a max of 20mA and if you give 21mA they burn. They are "5000" mcd, im not sure if thats the reason but I couldn't find any better 10mm diffused leds.
+chems The seller has sent you Gallium Arsenide/phosphide indicator LEDs. You have to shop around to find decent intensity ones by trial and error. On a plus note, the dull green ones run at about 2V and will last for ever unlike their modern Gallium Nitride rivals.
bigclivedotcom thats exactly what i thought since the green had a nostalgic color, can you recommend me the LEDs you got in your video?
+chems Those ones came from an AliExpress seller who didn't pack them in proper static protective packaging and also supplied the 5mm version in the same old-skool green you got. So I wouldn;t recommend them. Try searching ebay for 100 10mm (or 5mm) diffused green LED.
I just wanted to send you the URL to a page where you could calculate online the right for capacitor and resistor (given the mains voltage, frequency, desired output voltage and current) to take the guesswork out of the circuit. But it looks that just starting with this November they decided to take it down and instead sell a windows program to do that simple calculation...
"... because kids are attracted to bright lights". And somewhat older RUclips viewers of Clive's channel too
I think with the second capacitor the voltage rating isn't an issue because after rectification the voltage is only 170v P-P rather than the 340v P-P seen at the input of the rectifier when connected to a UK 240VRMS source as is the nature of rectification the P-P is halved.
peak voltage is with reference to zero volts, so even after rectification it is still about 1.41 times the RMS voltage.
bigclivedotcom oh you're right, somehow I forgot about RMS to P-P being 2*(RMS*1.414) and mistook 339 to be P-P when it is peak as you say... bit of a brainfart xD
Clive, how do 35 white led strings with colored cover's run directly on US mains 110-125VAC? Have they just hidden components in the end plug that lets you add a string or in the mains plug? I haven't taken one apart. Do the wire them in series? I had one bulb go out and the rest stayed lit. Thank you for your thoughts.
Which is more efficient? Is there a more efficient way?
I’m also looking at converting to 24v DC from 120v series.
where can i find that power meter that u use as here we use UK plugs with 220V? can it measure wattage for an AC which runs at 15A or so? can u make a video on how to make any appliance wirelessly controlled, something like a wirelessly triggered plug to switch things on and off?
Hi Clive,
how would I go about converting 200led solar light string from 1.2 volt to 240ac/5vdc
+bigclivedotcom, Could you tell me what parts need to modify to run 100-LEDs(2.2v and 3mA ) and to make it running flikker free.
Thanks
Great video but what would you recommend for converting a 500+ tungsten light Christmas tree? I believe they are wired in parallel.
+Jerry Morley If it's the classic American style parallel festoon with 120V lamps then the only simple option is LED lamps and that ain't going to be cheap to do in a single hit. It might be easier just getting some new 100 LED strings to re-do the tree from scratch.
Do those wire strippers work on all gauges of wire? And where can i get one? They seem so simple to use, no more guessing on wire gauge and finding the right slot on my strippers.
The v-notch style stripper can be set for any size of wire. They're a pretty common wire stripper.
bigclivedotcom Ah that's a shame, still have to adjust them per wire eh? Oh well they still look more enjoyable than what I normally use, thanks.
TYVM! I'll check these out.
Simple capacitive reactance, not much to go wrong i suppose :-)
+zx8401ztv Just make sure its a good quality cap (Nichicon/Panisonic comes to mind) with low ESR if possible to keep down heat. Probably half of my analog repairs involve replacing degraded caps.
+GreenAppelPie Yes i agree, ive found more equipment dead because of tantalum beads, shorted internally, hate them :-/
But thats on older through hole pcbs.
Hi Clive,
What is the device you are using to monitor the power consumption, and where can I get one?
Gordon
+Gordon Cole (Gord) It's a common device called an energy monitor. But there are good ones and bad ones. The one I use is a good one but quite hard to find.
Hi Clive. I am attempting to convert my old tungsten Christmas star to LED. I got the capacitive dropper in your video via the link. Unfortunately, I was only able to get the 50-80pcs when I really need the 1-36 as I will be powering 35 LEDs. The dropper is putting out 335VDC from 250VAC (UK) with a 684J 250V capacitor. I changed the capacitor to a 220uF 400V but that only dropped it 10V. The LEDs I am using have a max forward voltage of 3.8V with 30mA times by 35 and i get 133VDC. What size capacitor would I need to drop down to that voltage? Would I need a higher or lower capacitance? Is there a calculation I could do to find out.
Cheers.
+Michael Love The voltage will float high off load. 220nF is fine.
bigclivedotcom thanks for your reply Clive. Just before I saw your message I had a light bulb moment. I suddenly realised that I was testing without a load so I guess I was getting the voltage reading from the smoothing capacitor, which if I am correct makes sense.
Thanks.
bigclivedotcom It now works a treat. Thanks for your help and your inspiring videos. Keep up the good work 👍👍👍🍻
Please try LEDs - 10 in series - with a 230v - 24volt transformer. That would be a lot safer than keeping the light set at
mains potential, which if becomes open circuit !!!!!!
In the uk is the 220v on one leg? Or two legs of 115 different phase? Like here in the us for home mains
+hill billy Single phase.
what capacitor would you recommend for a 40 string at reasonable brightness?
I'm still waiting for my led drivers, it's quite frustrating
+brian whittle It depends on your mains voltage. On 110v the original should be good, but on 230v I'd suggest around 330nF at 400V.
+brian whittle It depends on your mains voltage. On 110v the original should be good, but on 230v I'd suggest around 330nF at 400V.
+bigclivedotcom will 470nf at 230V be too bright
+brian whittle That could be pushing the LEDs quite hard. It's always better to under-run them as they will last longer and also have less intensity degradation over time.
I have some Christmas lights that used the old incandescent bulbs and I hate them because I never know which ones to buy to replace them and I always wanted to replace them with LEDs. I looked at Electronic Transformer Power Supply Driver Fr String LED 50-80pcs and every single one says 220v-240v so odd that cap was so low.
Glebs Litvjaks
Yes, and as an engineer one should always look at things as a worst case scenario ALWAYS. In this case it is better to be a pessimist than an optimist.
+legalizeshemp420 And besides... You absolutely WILL end up plugging and unplugging LEDs for fun when the string is lit. And when it goes open circuit as you do that, the voltage will go up.
bigclivedotcom
Precisely, and if one blows (as they do when put outside) on a rare occasion then BOOM! :/
+legalizeshemp420
Yup, and I'd use a X1 or X2 rated cap just for an extra layer of safety. Not a regular film cap like in these little units.
Benjamin Esposti
I don't think I have ever, and I mean ever, seen that in anything "Made in China" before. If so maybe on the 1k dollar plus stuff but most Chinese stuff could care less about EMI/RFI for such things.
I learn so much from you and your explanations Thank you!.
Clive or anyone else is this the same for Australian currents as I think we are the same 240v 50-60hz . I have been watching all your videos and want to try some of this nonsense hahahahaa hopefully with no thermonuclear reaction or death
+paratroy UK and Oz are same voltage and frequency.
Great channel Clive...I tune into every video. Is there one of those driver boxes from china that will drive 50 LEDs in parallel as opposed to series that currently run on 3 AA Duracell batteries?
+Arfur Watt The capacitive or resistive droppers are only really suited to long series strings of LEDs running at low current. To run the parallel strings would require something like a USB power supply and a suitable resistor or two in series to limit the current to the desired level.
Thanks for the info Clive.....I tried running the battery box with a 5 volt phone power supply adaptor...took out the batteries of course and spring terminals just left the switch there and small circuit board which gives OFF, ON, FLASH functions. Replaced a resistor and " voila" works a treat : )
ok so I have a 2w Philips Luxeon LED it worked fine so I took it out of the bulb in the hopes of making a torch but cannot get it to light up with a battery.... are these AC LEDs?
+zeatsov looks like those are 50V array LEDs, so you'll need a DC-DC up converter.
www.lumileds.com/uploads/372/DS110-pdf
+zeatsov I'm sorry to have to ask this but better safe than sorry, you have tried both polarities?
no not tried both polarities for fear of breaking them, I know some LEDs don't like it lol. been trying to work out the output voltage of the circuit it was attached to but I'm useless plus i can't find a program that easily allows you to enter your values etc and give you an output and I don't really want to be attaching it to mains by the bare wires lol.
+Alex Law I don't think that's the same LED I have, Mine is round with two positive and two negative solder points sticking out at both ends.
zeatsov Could you show a picture of any markings, or show us the listing? Then (hopefully) we should be able to let you know what you need to do.
Wait, you say it's a way to make it's brighter than the one with resistors, but using lower resistance resistors wouldn't make similar effect ?
It would work, but the heat dissipation from the resistors becomes an issue.
At that point you would have to add lots of lower value resistors in series, presumably attached to the LEDs to spread the dissipation, but then it either becomes a time consuming modification process or you end up with a hell of a long resistive dropper, correct? (I'm learnding [ralph wiggum] from this channel!)
if you could, could you tear down a qi wireless charging coil?
+k metz Try searching my videos for QI, I took some apart.
+bigclivedotcom thanks found it!
usb mem sticks are ubiquitous is itposs to hack a 1 2 or 4gig older stick to a higher capacity?
+hrxy1 no because to do this you need to (A) change the actual NVRAM IC and (B) change the NVRAM micro-p IC, both require special soldering / desoldering tips and/or hot air tools.. Also there is no promise this would even work and could damage your computers USB hub if done wrong, so its cheaper to just buy a larger USB stick.
Youre better off buying them, they became pretty cheap. But it is fun to replace the usb plug with an old usb wire and then sticking the board into a cassette or whatever to get a very unique stick.
+hrxy1 Nope, but you can reprogram them to appear bigger, just ask china how, cos they do it all the time... :P
***** That 32GB sticker makes all the difference..
can't find power supply for 100 LEDs anywhere.
i wanna be in the random prize draw!
Ive got a set of vintage candle lights i'd like to replace with LEDs. Unfirtunately i dont understand any of the physics here!
You may be able to rewire them to operate from a low voltage supply like a 5V USB power supply. Depending on the bulbs you may also find retrofit LED bulbs for your effect. Note that you can't mix tungsten and LED bulbs in series though, so it may be better to change them all at once.
Can anyone following these comments please post a link to these controllers. I've been hunting eBay and get nothing. Cheers for any help.
+bigclivedotcom Silly video idea: how many LEDs can you drive in series. I'd be entertained to see how you would approach driving thousands of LEDs in series with a reasonable brightness.
+joelie83 Technically, you could run 4000 in series on a 10kV neon transformer, but there would be insulation issues.
+bigclivedotcom I love your videos no matter what the topic, but driving a stupid number of LEDs in series would be particularly entertaining. Selfishly just putting the idea out there :)
have you seen the random other stuff that eBay seller has? severed arms, "sexy" clothing and classy fake diamond wedding rings.
+James Grimwood
That's almost normal for these sellers. But it gets funny when they somehow automate the naming of their (mostly fashion/apparel) items and slap random attributes on the names. I just bought a "Striking Nice Red" and "Sassy Stunning Green Laser Pointer" and almost got weak at the "Chic Stylish MPU-6050 Module 3 Axis Gyroscope + Accelerometer Module for Arduino" and "Sightly Chic 18650 Li-Ion Battery Container". ;)
I like the keyword spice mix the Chinese sellers sprinkle on their eBay items. It's not an "LED Torch", it's a "LED Light Torch AAA ultra bright L.E.D CREE 12000 lumen flashlight battery lamp inspection light" ;-)
And then the thing you end up getting is a plastic keyfob with a white LED poking out the end and a coin cell battery in the middle.
Why is America wimpy on voltage? We would save millions if we used 240 V like the Europeans. Like metric we have to get our shot together !
now replace with 10W LED's
Hi Clive, I just saw this on you tube ruclips.net/video/22kx0q5j-JA/видео.html and wondered if you could cast your expert eyes over one of these and let us know if the tube really is doing anything meaningful or not. There are lots of folks arguing the toss but few of them seem to have a) taken apart the kit and b) be as knowledgeable as you on the electronics side.
Cheers
Ian
+Ian Wilson Tubes (or valves as we call them here) are very much part of the audio geek industry. They are not as clinical as modern transistor amplifiers so may soften and colour the sound slightly. But personally I'll stick to modern amplifiers.
Fair enough. I like them but it's more the aesthetics of that glowing glass lump full of interesting and complex bits and pieces rather than any particular "better" audio. I'm afraid my ears struggle to tell the difference!
I love shoving tungsten lights across the mains. LEDs are so boring in comparison.
Not happy that unloaded there is 170 volts present on the output, you can feel it and although not deadly it still gives a kick
I love this channel, but it's starting to become "let's draw the schematic for capacitive dropper circuits" over and over and over. We already know how it works!
China flux is no good as well so perhaps they you the same flux with there brad