WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

In article ,
(Roly) writes:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

Lamp sets are so cheap, just buy a new one.
Buy a second one for a stock of spare lamps.

The best time to do this is just after Christmas, for
next year, when you can buy a whole lamp set for less
than the cost of a few spare lamps.

--
Andrew Gabriel

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
(Roly) writes:
... is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?


Lamp sets are so cheap, just buy a new one.
Buy a second one for a stock of spare lamps.

The best time to do this is just after Christmas, for
next year, when you can buy a whole lamp set for less
than the cost of a few spare lamps.

That is true, but desn't do much for the planet! I'd be interested (for
my general education if nowt else) in an answer to the original question.
Douglas de Lacey.

Roly wrote:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

NT

Douglas de Lacey wrote:
Andrew Gabriel wrote:

The best time to do this is just after Christmas, for
next year, when you can buy a whole lamp set for less
than the cost of a few spare lamps.


That is true, but desn't do much for the planet!

ROFL


What's 'greener' - buying an extra string of lights when you buy the
first one, or ordering a replacement bulb from RS, which will be
packaged in a parge box with lots of polystyrene peanuts, and delivered
to your door by ParcelForce van?

Get real... and if you really have any environmental concerns, don't buy
trees/bulbs in the first place. And try to cut back on those present -
the packaging is shocking.


--
Grunff

wrote:
Roly wrote:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals,
but are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't
match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

NT

Or 16v,24v

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

After serious thinking wrote :
put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

....and if it is wired in series you will also need to know/match the
wattage.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Roly wrote:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

You should be able to figure it out...

Have a good look at the way the bulbs are wired, they will probably be
wired so that the power goes through each bulb in a big loop. E.g.:

L -------- B ---- B ---- B ---- B ---- B ---- B --+
|
N ------------------------------------------------+

L = Line
B = Bulb
N = Neutral

Some sets basically wire the bulbs in two sets:

L -+------ B ---- B ---- B -----------------------+
\-------------------------- B ---- B ---- B --+
|
N ------------------------------------------------+

Or:

L -+------ B ----------- B ----------- B ---------+
\------------ B ----------- B ------------ B -+
|
N ------------------------------------------------+

There may be a few other versions, but I guess the above options would
account for most.

The mains is (give or take a bob or two) 240v.

You can now work out the voltage of the bulbs by counting the number of
bulbs in a set and dividing 240 by that number. If there are different
wattages available in that voltage then you may have problems - if the
wattages are different the distribution of voltage will not be equal
and you will blow something (hopefully the fuse bulb). Try getting a
range of values and see which one causes all the bulbs to be about as
bright as each other.

All in all, the safest option is always to go for a new set, and if you
do so make sure that you keep a note of the bulb type!

Hopefully very soon we will get LED sets so no need to buy new bulbs
every year.

Of course the set manufacturers don't want this because they make thier
money by this bulb confusion trick. Every couple of years you have to
buy a new set because no mater which set you bought you just can't seem
to get the bulbs any more (and even if you can you end up spending the
same for a couple of years' supply as the original set!).

Bah humbug etc...

On 23 Dec 2005 02:33:02 GMT, (Andrew
Gabriel) wrote:

In article ,
(Roly) writes:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

Lamp sets are so cheap, just buy a new one.
Buy a second one for a stock of spare lamps.

The best time to do this is just after Christmas, for
next year, when you can buy a whole lamp set for less
than the cost of a few spare lamps.

Yes, I did exactly this just yesterday.

Visited parents who have diminutively sized Christmas tree with a set
of 20 bulbs on it. Was working for a while and had then failed. They
had used up the spare bulbs.

Went to nearby garden centre and packs of 5 bulbs were £3.99.
New set of lights was £2.99.

Problem sorted and I don't need to pull out 20 bulbs to test with the
meter only to discover it's the last one that is class F.



--

..andy

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 01:54:51 GMT, (Roly)
wrote:

WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?


Just stick the bulb in and if nothing catches fire or goes 'pop' the
job's a good un.

sponix

wrote:

Roly wrote:

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.


That's all very well, but I know that some bulbs are 3V. So if the bulb
glows very brightly for just a moment, I can assume it used to be a 3
volt one.

I've been messing about with a variable power supply and a current meter
to see if a bulb glows at a similar brightness to existing ones. The
idea is to try and reconcile orphaned spare bulbs with their original
sets. I'm rather astonished at just how many variants there seem to be.

But I'm more astonished that there doesn't seem to be any known source
for these bulbs.

Roly wrote:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals, but
are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

You'll probably just have to "do the rounds", try garden centres,
Wilkinsons, Poundland as well as Woolies etc.


If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

Some bulbs are rather low voltage - try using 1.2v batteries,
first singly, then in series, 'till the bulb lights up as
they should. You might have to put two bulbs in series to get
a good "match". If you whap a significant voltage through a
buld without starting low, you could well blow it. Once you've
got the voltage you need about right, it's probably easiest to
just guess at the wattage, which might be anywhere from about
0.1W to 1W for most of these bulbs. You could also fiddle about
using a multimeter (borrow/buy for a tenner), Scalextric
controllers and things like that, etc. Have fun!

Roly wrote:
[snip]

But I'm more astonished that there doesn't seem to be any known source
for these bulbs.

Its called Japan. :-)

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 09:59:07 +0000, The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

Roly wrote:
[snip]

But I'm more astonished that there doesn't seem to be any known source
for these bulbs.

Its called Japan. :-)


More likely China these days !!

Dave

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 09:52:41 GMT, Roly wrote:

But I'm more astonished that there doesn't seem to be any known
source for these bulbs.

A few types can be bought in decent sized packs for a few quid from
Noma Direct:

http://www.nomadirect.co.uk

Best bet is to go back to the store you bought the set from and hope
they have spares. I agree it is a PITA, LED sets are getting more
available, quite a few about this year, I suspect next nearly all sets
will be LED.

What I was looking for was a decent mulicoloured, multifunctional
(preferably fading rather than flashing) battery set to bung over one
of the bushes where getting mains is inpractical.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

In article ,
am says...
snip
Problem sorted and I don't need to pull out 20 bulbs to test with the
meter only to discover it's the last one that is class F.


On a string of 20 bulbs you shouldn't need to take more than 11
resistance readings.

Rob Morley wrote in
t:


On a string of 20 bulbs you shouldn't need to take more than 11
resistance readings.

5 - or thereabouts?

mike

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 10:56:18 +0000, Owain
wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:
Went to nearby garden centre and packs of 5 bulbs were £3.99.
New set of lights was £2.99.

20 static white lights £1.99 in Woolies, and probably half price in January.

Owain

Yes, but the lights were needed now (well they weren't *needed* - I'm
not using any because I think they're all tacky).

Moreover, I would have to have parked in the town centre at a cost of
£1 in order to go to Woolies.


--

..andy

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 11:45:11 -0000, Rob Morley
wrote:

In article ,
says...
snip
Problem sorted and I don't need to pull out 20 bulbs to test with the
meter only to discover it's the last one that is class F.


On a string of 20 bulbs you shouldn't need to take more than 11
resistance readings.

Binary search. yes I know, but that would have meant going home and
back again for the meter.


--

..andy

In article ,
says...
Rob Morley wrote in
t:


On a string of 20 bulbs you shouldn't need to take more than 11
resistance readings.

5 - or thereabouts?

It's not a straight binary chop unless you pierce the insulation with
the probes - otherwise you need to remove a bulb to gain access, so you
need to check that bulb too. But I did miscalculate - it should have
been 8 not 11.

In article ,
am says...
On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 11:45:11 -0000, Rob Morley
wrote:

In article ,
says...
snip
Problem sorted and I don't need to pull out 20 bulbs to test with the
meter only to discover it's the last one that is class F.


On a string of 20 bulbs you shouldn't need to take more than 11
resistance readings.

Binary search. yes I know, but that would have meant going home and
back again for the meter.

It was you that mentioned a meter in the first place. :-)

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 10:56:18 +0000, Owain wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:
Went to nearby garden centre and packs of 5 bulbs were £3.99.
New set of lights was £2.99.

20 static white lights £1.99 in Woolies, and probably half price in January.

Owain

10 spare bulbs 98p in B & Q.
Sadly the wrong sort..

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 09:00:04 GMT, The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:

wrote:
Roly wrote:
WE've got several sets of Christmas tree bulbs and also some other
similar bulbs used for parasol lights etc.

They all have the same type of plastic base and bent wire terminals,
but are of different voltages and wattages.

Some retailers stock some bulbs, but there are some that we can't
match.

Is there a dealer who specialises in thses sort of bulbs ? The usual
suspects like RS and CPC don't appear to stock much of this type.

If the original instructions have been lost, is there an easy way to
determine the correct volt and power rating of a given bulb ?

put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

NT

Or 16v,24v

or 2.4v

In article .com,
writes

put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

We've got light sets with 1.2v bulbs...

Ascro wrote:
Of course the set manufacturers don't want this because they make thier
money by this bulb confusion trick. Every couple of years you have to
buy a new set because no mater which set you bought you just can't seem
to get the bulbs any more (and even if you can you end up spending the
same for a couple of years' supply as the original set!).

We bought a set of 40 Christmas Tree lights from Woolies over 25 years
ago. They still stock replacement bulbs, not that we've needed them
much. This set is still going strong touch (xmas tree) wood.


Bah humbug etc...

Nay, Merry Christmas!!

:-)

Anyone beat 25 years for the life of a set?

--
Adrian C

In article ,
"Harry Bloomfield" writes:
After serious thinking wrote :
put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

...and if it is wired in series you will also need to know/match the
wattage.

And make sure there's a fuse lamp in the set. There are a number
of house fires at this time of year caused by christmas tree lights.
Fitting possibly wrong voltage/wattage lamps in a set can only make
this worse.

Would also strongly suggest not leaving them on when there's no one
in the room -- mine are on an occupancy sensor and go off after 15
minutes (or if everyone falls asleep).

--
Andrew Gabriel

In article ,
(Andrew Gabriel) writes:

Lamp sets are so cheap, just buy a new one.
Buy a second one for a stock of spare lamps.

Actually, this reminds me of a tip which an electrician used
when he installed christmas tree lights in some place where
he was going to be responsible for keeping the things working
for a month... Cut one or two lamps off the end of the spare
set and add them to the working set, thereby increasing the
life of all the working lamps. Obviously, this needs to be
done very safely -- no chocolate blocks waiting for a piece
of silver decoration to dangle into the grub screws.

--
Andrew Gabriel

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 12:02:56 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote:

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 10:56:18 +0000, Owain
wrote:

Andy Hall wrote:
Went to nearby garden centre and packs of 5 bulbs were £3.99.
New set of lights was £2.99.

20 static white lights £1.99 in Woolies, and probably half price in January.

Owain

Yes, but the lights were needed now (well they weren't *needed* - I'm
not using any because I think they're all tacky).

Moreover, I would have to have parked in the town centre at a cost of
£1 in order to go to Woolies.

Bah, humbug!!! Bit of wire/tinfoil between the bulb/holder of the
faulty bulb will do it, saves a trip and gives a mere 5% overvoltage
to the other bulbs.

This is one place where a neon screwdriver would find the fault fairly
easily, though a decent torch should show up a broken filament.
Sticking an insulated screwdriver in the socket of the suspect bulb
will confirm it.

cheers,
Pete.

Rob Morley wrote in
t:



It's not a straight binary chop unless you pierce the insulation with
the probes - otherwise you need to remove a bulb to gain access, so you
need to check that bulb too. But I did miscalculate - it should have
been 8 not 11.


I was assuming bulb removal;

I was a bit approximate because trying to work it out made my head hurt.

However after trying it with 20 fuses I agree with 8.

Must be I'm a hands-on (stupid) sort of cove.

mike

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 10:56:18 +0000, Owain wrote:

20 static white lights £1.99 in Woolies, and probably half price in
January.

Unless Woolies are operating differently to the supermarkets and sheds
the Christams stuff has been half price all week in those places...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

In message , Adrian C
writes
Ascro wrote:
Of course the set manufacturers don't want this because they make thier
money by this bulb confusion trick. Every couple of years you have to
buy a new set because no mater which set you bought you just can't seem
to get the bulbs any more (and even if you can you end up spending the
same for a couple of years' supply as the original set!).

We bought a set of 40 Christmas Tree lights from Woolies over 25 years
ago. They still stock replacement bulbs, not that we've needed them
much. This set is still going strong touch (xmas tree) wood.

Bah humbug etc...

Nay, Merry Christmas!!

:-)

Anyone beat 25 years for the life of a set?


I bet my dad's still got the set we had when I was a kid ... somewhere

--
geoff

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
"Harry Bloomfield" writes:
After serious thinking wrote :
put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

...and if it is wired in series you will also need to know/match the
wattage.

And make sure there's a fuse lamp in the set. There are a number
of house fires at this time of year caused by christmas tree lights.

Indeed, a family died a few days ago in a fire in their house, the
lights were apparently one of the suspected causes.
--
Chris French

On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 01:31:00 +0000, chris French
wrote:

In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
In article ,
"Harry Bloomfield" writes:
After serious thinking wrote :
put a bulb on 6v, that will tell you whether its 6v or 12v. Thats
usually all you need to know.

...and if it is wired in series you will also need to know/match the
wattage.

And make sure there's a fuse lamp in the set. There are a number
of house fires at this time of year caused by christmas tree lights.

Indeed, a family died a few days ago in a fire in their house, the
lights were apparently one of the suspected causes.

Hi,

A smoke alarm in the same room is a very good idea too.

cheers,
Pete.

In message
raden wrote:

In message , Adrian C
writes
Ascro wrote:
Of course the set manufacturers don't want this because they make thier
money by this bulb confusion trick. Every couple of years you have to
buy a new set because no mater which set you bought you just can't seem
to get the bulbs any more (and even if you can you end up spending the
same for a couple of years' supply as the original set!).

We bought a set of 40 Christmas Tree lights from Woolies over 25 years
ago. They still stock replacement bulbs, not that we've needed them
much. This set is still going strong touch (xmas tree) wood.

Bah humbug etc...

Nay, Merry Christmas!!

:-)

Anyone beat 25 years for the life of a set?


I bet my dad's still got the set we had when I was a kid ... somewhere

Mine just packed up today after 42 years!.

--
J.P. Kerslake B.Sc., F.B.I.S. Home "phone"=01248-353264. RiscOS 4.03
e-mail (remove NOSPAM)
RiscStation Lite+. Boot 1.03. MPro. 3.27 DialUp 3.10. SpanStamp 1.02a

On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 18:52:52 GMT, John
wrote:

In message
raden wrote:

In message , Adrian C
writes
Ascro wrote:
Of course the set manufacturers don't want this because they make thier
money by this bulb confusion trick. Every couple of years you have to
buy a new set because no mater which set you bought you just can't seem
to get the bulbs any more (and even if you can you end up spending the
same for a couple of years' supply as the original set!).

We bought a set of 40 Christmas Tree lights from Woolies over 25 years
ago. They still stock replacement bulbs, not that we've needed them
much. This set is still going strong touch (xmas tree) wood.

Bah humbug etc...

Nay, Merry Christmas!!

:-)

Anyone beat 25 years for the life of a set?


I bet my dad's still got the set we had when I was a kid ... somewhere

Mine just packed up today after 42 years!.


Could it be because it was only used for Welsh programs?
Proportionally, that would be about right.


--

..andy