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Sci.Electronics.Basics -> landscape lighting
There are 25 messages in this thread.
You are currently looking at messages 1 to 20.
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We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
$30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
After a few hours, the power supply burned out. (Yay Made in China.)
I bought a 200W 12VDC transformer from Lowe's ($50!!!) to replace the
power supply. (I'm putting in 8 16W bulbs for spot lighting, leaving
12 4W bulbs, total 176W power, plus line losses.)
I noticed that the light closest to the power supply is brightest, and
the light furthest away is very dim. Even when putting in a 16W bulb
at the end, it's STILL dimmer than the 4W bulb closest to the power
supply.
Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
Thanks,
Michael
--
Consider: A million and a half new Americans are murdered every year
by abortion. No other issue involves numbers that high. Nothing short
of a full-scale nuclear or biological war between well-armed nation
states would kill that many people, and we aren=92t in imminent danger
of having one of those. Jobs? The economy? Taxes? Education? The
environment? Immigration? Forget it. We do not have nine million
people dying in a typical president=92s term of office due to bad job
programs, bad economic policies, bad taxes, bad education, bad
environmental law, bad immigration rules=97or even all of these
combined. All of them together cannot provide a reason proportionate
to the need to end abortion. Make no mistake: Abortion is the
preeminent moral issue of our time. It is the black hole that out-
masses every other issue. Presenting any other issues as if they were
proportionate to it is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
http://www.jimmyakin.org/2004/09/what_ratzinger_.html
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Author: Alvin AndriesDate: 15:29 11-06-08
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<mrdarrett@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:c29af287-e792-4c80-9e53-a3e27cdcbe38@z16g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
$30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
After a few hours, the power supply burned out. (Yay Made in China.)
I bought a 200W 12VDC transformer from Lowe's ($50!!!) to replace the
power supply. (I'm putting in 8 16W bulbs for spot lighting, leaving
12 4W bulbs, total 176W power, plus line losses.)
I noticed that the light closest to the power supply is brightest, and
the light furthest away is very dim. Even when putting in a 16W bulb
at the end, it's STILL dimmer than the 4W bulb closest to the power
supply.
Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
Thanks,
Michael
-----------------------------
Hi Michael,
If you measured the voltage at each blb, you would have seen the voltage
drop. I don't know if you are using the original cable or using an home-brew
extension, but you need to carry 16+ amps efficiently. Anything less than
2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the maximum gauge for the US,
http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html => gauge 10) would be silly
and even risky due to heating.
Regards,
Alvin.
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On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
<Alvin_Andries.no_s...@no.spam.versateladsl.be> wrote:
> <mrdarr...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:c29af287-e792-4c80-9e53-a3e27cdcbe38@z16g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
> We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
> $30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
>
> After a few hours, the power supply burned out. (Yay Made in China.)
>
> I bought a 200W 12VDC transformer from Lowe's ($50!!!) to replace the
> power supply. (I'm putting in 8 16W bulbs for spot lighting, leaving
> 12 4W bulbs, total 176W power, plus line losses.)
>
> I noticed that the light closest to the power supply is brightest, and
> the light furthest away is very dim. Even when putting in a 16W bulb
> at the end, it's STILL dimmer than the 4W bulb closest to the power
> supply.
>
> Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
>
> If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
> switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
>
> Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Michael
>
> -----------------------------
>
> Hi Michael,
>
> If you measured the voltage at each blb, you would have seen the voltage
> drop. I don't know if you are using the original cable or using an home-brew
> extension, but you need to carry 16+ amps efficiently. Anything less than
> 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the maximum gauge for the
US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=>; gauge 10) would be silly
> and even risky due to heating.
>
> Regards,
> Alvin.
It's 100 ft of whatever wire they included in the landscape kit. Good
point, maybe I should go for something thicker... (I didn't notice it
getting warm, though.)
Thanks,
Michael
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On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
<Alvin_Andries.no_s...@no.spam.versateladsl.be> wrote:
> <mrdarr...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:c29af287-e792-4c80-9e53-a3e27cdcbe38@z16g2000prn.googlegroups.com...
> We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
> $30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
>
> After a few hours, the power supply burned out. (Yay Made in China.)
>
> I bought a 200W 12VDC transformer from Lowe's ($50!!!) to replace the
> power supply. (I'm putting in 8 16W bulbs for spot lighting, leaving
> 12 4W bulbs, total 176W power, plus line losses.)
>
> I noticed that the light closest to the power supply is brightest, and
> the light furthest away is very dim. Even when putting in a 16W bulb
> at the end, it's STILL dimmer than the 4W bulb closest to the power
> supply.
>
> Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
>
> If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
> switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
>
> Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Michael
>
> -----------------------------
>
> Hi Michael,
>
> If you measured the voltage at each blb, you would have seen the voltage
> drop. I don't know if you are using the original cable or using an home-brew
> extension, but you need to carry 16+ amps efficiently. Anything less than
> 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the maximum gauge for the
US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=>; gauge 10) would be silly
> and even risky due to heating.
>
> Regards,
> Alvin.
Great point - a quick solution would be, instead of using one 100-ft.
wire of unknown gauge to light up 20 lights, break it up into two
parallel 50-ft sections of wire, each lighting up 10 lights. That
should do the trick...
Michael
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Author: JoergDate: 19:40 11-06-08
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mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:
> We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
> $30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
>
Malibu? Hmm, still pricey. IMHO it's not of very high quality so we
usually wait until it goes on sale and HD or Lowes for $20 or $25. Main
reason is that their timers are really lousy, they don't last. But I
always make sure there is not switcher in there.
> After a few hours, the power supply burned out. (Yay Made in China.)
>
No surprise there :-(
> I bought a 200W 12VDC transformer from Lowe's ($50!!!) to replace the
> power supply. (I'm putting in 8 16W bulbs for spot lighting, leaving
> 12 4W bulbs, total 176W power, plus line losses.)
>
> I noticed that the light closest to the power supply is brightest, and
> the light furthest away is very dim. Even when putting in a 16W bulb
> at the end, it's STILL dimmer than the 4W bulb closest to the power
> supply.
>
> Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
>
Nope.
> If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
> switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
>
Nope again. The cable that comes with these kits is kind of wimpy for
the current so you'll pretty much have to live with the voltage drop.
Unless you want to build a little switcher for each bulb and then your
radio will probably carry a nice background buzz. Professional
landscaping has larger cable but the connectors are very different and I
doubt the Malibu ones would fit.
> Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
>
No idea. For light bulbs it doesn't make sense. Only one reason I could
think of: A cheap switcher can only generate DC and maybe it was a few
milli-cents lower in cost than the transformer.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/
"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
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On Jun 11, 4:40 pm, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
wrote:
> mrdarr...@gmail.com wrote:
> > We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
> > $30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
>
> Malibu? Hmm, still pricey. IMHO it's not of very high quality so we
> usually wait until it goes on sale and HD or Lowes for $20 or $25. Main
> reason is that their timers are really lousy, they don't last. But I
> always make sure there is not switcher in there.
Yep it's a Malibu. They go on sale? It's very, very heavy so I doubt
it's a switcher.
~snip~
> > Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
>
> Nope.
>
> > If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
> > switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
>
> Nope again. The cable that comes with these kits is kind of wimpy for
> the current so you'll pretty much have to live with the voltage drop.
> Unless you want to build a little switcher for each bulb and then your
> radio will probably carry a nice background buzz. Professional
> landscaping has larger cable but the connectors are very different and I
> doubt the Malibu ones would fit.
K, thanks for saving me the time to build it, make it weather-proof,
then discover it doesn't help anyway.
> > Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
>
> No idea. For light bulbs it doesn't make sense. Only one reason I could
> think of: A cheap switcher can only generate DC and maybe it was a few
> milli-cents lower in cost than the transformer.
I went to the Surplus Store on Folsom Blvd. They had some IIRC 15VDC,
7A switching power supplies for IBM laptops, $12.
Would have been perfect, but 1) not for outdoor use, and 2) we wanted
brighter lights for the spot lights, exceeding the 100W point...
>
> --
> Regards, Joerg
>
> http://www.analogconsultants.com/
>
> "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
> Use another domain or send PM.
Thanks,
Michael
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On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
~snip~
> Hi Michael,
>
> If you measured the voltage at each blb, you would have seen the voltage
> drop. I don't know if you are using the original cable or using an home-brew
> extension, but you need to carry 16+ amps efficiently. Anything less than
> 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the maximum gauge for the
US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=>; gauge 10) would be silly
> and even risky due to heating.
>
> Regards,
> Alvin.
The wire is 18 gauge I believe. Those Chinese vendors...
I cut the wire into two ~50-foot pieces and connected them in parallel
to the 200W power supply. One leg has 10x4W bulbs; the other leg has
8x4W bulbs and 2x16W bulbs. (I haven't gotten around to buying 4 more
16W bulbs yet.)
40W... that's a bit less than 4A.
Ultimately, each leg will have 7x4W and 3x16W... 28+48W... 76W total.
Just under 7A.
And the lights are pretty much the same brightness now! If you look
REALLY closely you can tell the last bulb is a LITTLE dimmer than the
first one... but only if you know where to look.
Anyone know where I can get LED landscape lights for cheap? At $4
each from a web vendor, I calculate breakeven time to be 3 years
electricity-wise. On the other hand, I won't have to worry about my
house burning down from hot lamps...
Thanks,
Michael
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Author: Paul CarpenterDate: 05:18 12-06-08
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In article <1fc9650f-2d1a-4f70-9cba-
4997b5a8b7e2@x19g2000prg.googlegroups.com>, mrdarrett@gmail.com says...
> On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
>
> ~snip~
>
> > Hi Michael,
> >
> > If you measured the voltage at each blb, you would have seen the voltage
> > drop. I don't know if you are using the original cable or using an home-brew
> > extension, but you need to carry 16+ amps efficiently. Anything less than
> > 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the maximum gauge for the
US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=>; gauge 10) would be silly
> > and even risky due to heating.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Alvin.
>
>
> The wire is 18 gauge I believe. Those Chinese vendors...
Practically all of this type of consumer product is made in China or
similar locations, whatever the brand name is.
> I cut the wire into two ~50-foot pieces and connected them in parallel
> to the 200W power supply. One leg has 10x4W bulbs; the other leg has
> 8x4W bulbs and 2x16W bulbs. (I haven't gotten around to buying 4 more
> 16W bulbs yet.)
>
> 40W... that's a bit less than 4A.
Hmm.. several types of Landscape Lighting in UK have connectors allowing
two cable connections, and run in a 'ring' configuration, the wire is
heavier gauge, has a rib on one conductors insulator so polarity can be
determined. This is important when when closing the 'ring', otherwise you
end up with a short.
In your case run a second cable from transformer/PSU to last light in
chain completing the 'ring'.
Most UK ones I have seen are 12V AC, from a transformer with self-
resetting output overload (short) and thermal protection. The
transormer is normally expected to be used indoors and the lighting cable
run through a wall. Our loop length is over 30m.
> Ultimately, each leg will have 7x4W and 3x16W... 28+48W... 76W total.
> Just under 7A.
>
> And the lights are pretty much the same brightness now! If you look
> REALLY closely you can tell the last bulb is a LITTLE dimmer than the
> first one... but only if you know where to look.
....
I Even put in an external box to run a 5V DC water feature off of the
ring so replaces the solar panel drive at night time.
--
Paul Carpenter | paul@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk
<http://www.pcserviceselectronics.co.uk/>; PC Services
<http://www.pcserviceselectronics.co.uk/fonts/>; Timing Diagram Font
<http://www.gnuh8.org.uk/>; GNU H8 - compiler & Renesas H8/H8S/H8 Tiny
<http://www.badweb.org.uk/>; For those web sites you hate
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Author: BanDate: 07:01 12-06-08
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On Jun 11, 7:54=A0pm, mrdarr...@gmail.com wrote:
> Consider: A million and a half new Americans are murdered every year
> by abortion. No other issue involves numbers that high. Nothing short
> of a full-scale nuclear or biological war between well-armed nation
> states would kill that many people, and we aren=92t in imminent danger
> of having one of those. Jobs? The economy? Taxes? Education? The
> environment? Immigration? Forget it. We do not have nine million
> people dying in a typical president=92s term of office due to bad job
> programs, bad economic policies, bad taxes, bad education, bad
> environmental law, bad immigration rules=97or even all of these
> combined. All of them together cannot provide a reason proportionate
> to the need to end abortion. Make no mistake: Abortion is the
> preeminent moral issue of our time. It is the black hole that out-
> masses every other issue. Presenting any other issues as if they were
> proportionate to it is nothing but smoke and mirrors.http://www.jimmyakin.=
org/2004/09/what_ratzinger_.html
Hi dimbulb, I wonder what this stupid drivel has to do in this group.
Not only are your numbers wrong, but also is your argumentation.
Do you really want a milion more black and mexican kids on the street
with single mothers on public support? Or are you a holier than thou
Opus_Dei fan? Remember it's guys like you who make those poor women
pregnant not using condoms, prohibited by Ratzinger hypocrites.
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Author: JoergDate: 10:33 12-06-08
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mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 11, 4:40 pm, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
> wrote:
>> mrdarr...@gmail.com wrote:
>>> We got a 12V outdoor landscape light kit from Big Lots (was about
>>> $30). 20 lights, 4W ea bulb, 100W 12VAC switching power supply.
>> Malibu? Hmm, still pricey. IMHO it's not of very high quality so we
>> usually wait until it goes on sale and HD or Lowes for $20 or $25. Main
>> reason is that their timers are really lousy, they don't last. But I
>> always make sure there is not switcher in there.
>
>
> Yep it's a Malibu. They go on sale? It's very, very heavy so I doubt
> it's a switcher.
>
But above you mentioned it's a switcher :-)
The heavy big black Malibu boxes are transformers. And yeah, while the
transformers alone never go on sale those 20-count light sets with
timer-transformer do.
> ~snip~
>
>>> Would 12V AC solve the dim light problem?
>> Nope.
>>
>>> If so, how about pulsed DC? (I'm thinking of connecting a 555,
>>> switching at ~100 Hz, to a 20A MOSFET.)
>> Nope again. The cable that comes with these kits is kind of wimpy for
>> the current so you'll pretty much have to live with the voltage drop.
>> Unless you want to build a little switcher for each bulb and then your
>> radio will probably carry a nice background buzz. Professional
>> landscaping has larger cable but the connectors are very different and I
>> doubt the Malibu ones would fit.
>
>
> K, thanks for saving me the time to build it, make it weather-proof,
> then discover it doesn't help anyway.
>
Other than the voltage drop the cables are good, we've got some here
that are about 10 years old. The lamps break at times, the plastic gives
in under the permanent UV pelting. Becomes brittle, then comes a storm
and the pieces fly about.
What is IMHO the pits are the Malibu timers. One of the plastic gears
gives out after very few years, sometimes less than two years. Of course
you can't get them individually. They didn't even respond to my request.
A typical case where they could command much higehr prices if they built
better stuff. But this way we only buy at rock bottom price.
>
>>> Why did they bother to rectify the 12V output power, I wonder...
>> No idea. For light bulbs it doesn't make sense. Only one reason I could
>> think of: A cheap switcher can only generate DC and maybe it was a few
>> milli-cents lower in cost than the transformer.
>
>
> I went to the Surplus Store on Folsom Blvd. They had some IIRC 15VDC,
> 7A switching power supplies for IBM laptops, $12.
>
> Would have been perfect, but 1) not for outdoor use, and 2) we wanted
> brighter lights for the spot lights, exceeding the 100W point...
>
Make sure it's outdoor rated or have them in a protected location with
all the safety features around them.
BTW if I don't answer you on s.e.d. that is because you are using gmail
and I had to block that whole domain there to reign in the barrage of
spam. So I don't see any post from the Google domain there. Had no choice.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/
"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
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On Jun 12, 7:33 am, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
wrote:
...
> > Yep it's a Malibu. They go on sale? It's very, very heavy so I doubt
> > it's a switcher.
>
> But above you mentioned it's a switcher :-)
Ah I see what you mean now. The power supply that came with the light
kit was a switcher. It lasted maybe 2-3 hours, with the stock 4W
bulbs. Only 18 lights were installed, too - I had to make
"modifications" to 2 lights, which had bad wiring out of the box.
(bent connectors, loose wires.)
> The heavy big black Malibu boxes are transformers. And yeah, while the
> transformers alone never go on sale those 20-count light sets with
> timer-transformer do.
I'll keep an eye out.
...
> > K, thanks for saving me the time to build it, make it weather-proof,
> > then discover it doesn't help anyway.
>
> Other than the voltage drop the cables are good, we've got some here
> that are about 10 years old. The lamps break at times, the plastic gives
> in under the permanent UV pelting. Becomes brittle, then comes a storm
> and the pieces fly about.
>
> What is IMHO the pits are the Malibu timers. One of the plastic gears
> gives out after very few years, sometimes less than two years. Of course
> you can't get them individually. They didn't even respond to my request.
> A typical case where they could command much higehr prices if they built
> better stuff. But this way we only buy at rock bottom price.
>
>
>
...
> Make sure it's outdoor rated or have them in a protected location with
> all the safety features around them.
It's outdoor rated, but says to place it 1 foot above the ground. I
don't have a magnetic levitation device handy, and I'm really
reluctant to drill into my stucco just to accommodate this request.
Are they expecting arcing between the transformer, through the
plastic, to ground?
> BTW if I don't answer you on s.e.d. that is because you are using gmail
> and I had to block that whole domain there to reign in the barrage of
> spam. So I don't see any post from the Google domain there. Had no choice.
No problem. Thanks for answering me here.
>
> --
> Regards, Joerg
Michael
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On Jun 12, 4:01 am, Ban <bans...@masterweb.it> wrote:
> On Jun 11, 7:54 pm, mrdarr...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > Consider: A million and a half new Americans are murdered every year
> > by abortion. No other issue involves numbers that high. Nothing short
> > of a full-scale nuclear or biological war between well-armed nation
> > states would kill that many people, and we aren=92t in imminent danger
> > of having one of those. Jobs? The economy? Taxes? Education? The
> > environment? Immigration? Forget it. We do not have nine million
> > people dying in a typical president=92s term of office due to bad job
> > programs, bad economic policies, bad taxes, bad education, bad
> > environmental law, bad immigration rules=97or even all of these
> > combined. All of them together cannot provide a reason proportionate
> > to the need to end abortion. Make no mistake: Abortion is the
> > preeminent moral issue of our time. It is the black hole that out-
> > masses every other issue. Presenting any other issues as if they were
> > proportionate to it is nothing but smoke and mirrors.http://www.jimmyaki=
n.org/2004/09/what_ratzinger_.html
>
> Hi dimbulb, I wonder what this stupid drivel has to do in this group.
> Not only are your numbers wrong, but also is your argumentation.
> Do you really want a milion more black and mexican kids on the street
> with single mothers on public support? Or are you a holier than thou
> Opus_Dei fan? Remember it's guys like you who make those poor women
> pregnant not using condoms, prohibited by Ratzinger hypocrites.
I speak the truth, in the hope that others may listen.
Michael
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Author: JoergDate: 16:34 12-06-08
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mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 12, 7:33 am, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
> wrote:
>
> ...
>
>>> Yep it's a Malibu. They go on sale? It's very, very heavy so I doubt
>>> it's a switcher.
>> But above you mentioned it's a switcher :-)
>
>
> Ah I see what you mean now. The power supply that came with the light
> kit was a switcher. It lasted maybe 2-3 hours, with the stock 4W
> bulbs. Only 18 lights were installed, too - I had to make
> "modifications" to 2 lights, which had bad wiring out of the box.
> (bent connectors, loose wires.)
>
Not too unusual with Malibu stuff.
>
>> The heavy big black Malibu boxes are transformers. And yeah, while the
>> transformers alone never go on sale those 20-count light sets with
>> timer-transformer do.
>
>
> I'll keep an eye out.
>
> ...
>
>>> K, thanks for saving me the time to build it, make it weather-proof,
>>> then discover it doesn't help anyway.
>> Other than the voltage drop the cables are good, we've got some here
>> that are about 10 years old. The lamps break at times, the plastic gives
>> in under the permanent UV pelting. Becomes brittle, then comes a storm
>> and the pieces fly about.
>>
>> What is IMHO the pits are the Malibu timers. One of the plastic gears
>> gives out after very few years, sometimes less than two years. Of course
>> you can't get them individually. They didn't even respond to my request.
>> A typical case where they could command much higehr prices if they built
>> better stuff. But this way we only buy at rock bottom price.
>>
>>
>>
>
> ...
>
>> Make sure it's outdoor rated or have them in a protected location with
>> all the safety features around them.
>
>
> It's outdoor rated, but says to place it 1 foot above the ground. I
> don't have a magnetic levitation device handy, and I'm really
> reluctant to drill into my stucco just to accommodate this request.
> Are they expecting arcing between the transformer, through the
> plastic, to ground?
>
Maybe they don't want it to sit in a puddle after a rain storm. However,
looking at pictures from back east 1ft ain't much.
[...]
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/
"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
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Author: JoergDate: 18:42 12-06-08
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On Jun 12, 3:42 pm, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
wrote:
> mrdarr...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> > Anyone know where I can get LED landscape lights for cheap? At $4
> > each from a web vendor, I calculate breakeven time to be 3 years
> > electricity-wise. On the other hand, I won't have to worry about my
> > house burning down from hot lamps...
>
> You can get some really fancy one from
Lowes:http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=284364-...
>
> Her are some
more:http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&No=108&Ne=7000&cate...
>
> Of course, in a front yard this stuff might grow legs overnight and vanish.
>
> --
> Regards, Joerg
Yep, no kidding.
I was thinking of alternatives to these, at $4 each (for white):
http://www.superbrightleds.com/malibu.htm
I don't think Lowe's carries these, but I've been wrong before...
Regards,
Michael
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Author: Paul CarpenterDate: 20:19 12-06-08
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Author: JoergDate: 22:44 12-06-08
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mrdarrett@gmail.com wrote:
> On Jun 12, 3:42 pm, Joerg <notthisjoerg...@removethispacbell.net>
> wrote:
>> mrdarr...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>> [...]
>>
>>> Anyone know where I can get LED landscape lights for cheap? At $4
>>> each from a web vendor, I calculate breakeven time to be 3 years
>>> electricity-wise. On the other hand, I won't have to worry about my
>>> house burning down from hot lamps...
>> You can get some really fancy one from
Lowes:http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=284364-...
>>
>> Her are some
more:http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&No=108&Ne=7000&cate...
>>
>> Of course, in a front yard this stuff might grow legs overnight and vanish.
>>
>> --
>> Regards, Joerg
>
>
> Yep, no kidding.
>
> I was thinking of alternatives to these, at $4 each (for white):
> http://www.superbrightleds.com/malibu.htm
>
> I don't think Lowe's carries these, but I've been wrong before...
>
Well, I doubt they'd carry them at $4 a pop since people will then just
keep buying regular bulbs. Also, one would have to make sure that they
aren't run flat-out at 150% rating or so and that they don't all fry up
during a thunderstorm. Once they get to less than $1 I'd think Lowes
might carry them.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/
"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
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Author: Rich GriseDate: 16:19 19-06-08
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On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:56:41 -0700, mrdarrett wrote:
> On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
...
>> Anything less than 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the
>> maximum gauge for the
>> US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=>; gauge 10) would be
>> silly and even risky due to heating.
>
> The wire is 18 gauge I believe. Those Chinese vendors...
>
Toss the wire or recycle it (or find somebody to buy it - I hear copper
prices are getting pretty high these days), and get some #10 or #8 wire.
If you can get 10-3 or 8-3, then the loop is an excellent idea.
+V ---------o----------o----------o----------o----------o
| | | | |
[lamp] [lamp] [lamp] [lamp] [lamp]
| | | | |
o----------o----------o----------o----------o-------,
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0V -------------------------------------------------------------'
Good Luck!
Rich
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On Jun 19, 1:19=A0pm, Rich Grise <r...@example.net> wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:56:41 -0700, mrdarrett wrote:
> > On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
> ...
> >> Anything less than 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the
> >> maximum gauge for the
> >> US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=3D>; gauge 10) would=
be
> >> silly and even risky due to heating.
>
> > The wire is 18 gauge I believe. =A0Those Chinese vendors...
>
> Toss the wire or recycle it (or find somebody to buy it - I hear copper
> prices are getting pretty high these days), and get some #10 or #8 wire.
>
> If you can get 10-3 or 8-3, then the loop is an excellent idea.
>
> =A0 +V ---------o----------o----------o----------o----------o
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 | =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 [lamp] =A0 =A0 [lamp] =A0 =A0 [lamp] =A0 =A0 [lam=
p] =A0 =A0 [lamp]
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 | =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 o----------o----------o----------o----------o=
-------,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 |
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 |
> =A0 0V -------------------------------------------------------------'
>
> Good Luck!
> Rich
I just paralleled them into 3 separate loops. At first only 2, but
then one wire had to jump over the walkway: trip/fall issues. So I
split that one too...
No more than 6A on any wire, now. Wire doesn't even get warm. Works
great/bright lights.
Thanks,
Michael
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On Jun 19, 1:19=A0pm, Rich Grise <r...@example.net> wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:56:41 -0700, mrdarrett wrote:
> > On Jun 11, 12:29 pm, "Alvin Andries"
> ...
> >> Anything less than 2.5mm^2 (someone will have to convert this to the
> >> maximum gauge for the
> >> US,http://www.reade.com/Conversion/wire_gauge.html=3D>; gauge 10) would=
be
> >> silly and even risky due to heating.
>
> > The wire is 18 gauge I believe. =A0Those Chinese vendors...
>
> Toss the wire or recycle it (or find somebody to buy it - I hear copper
> prices are getting pretty high these days), and get some #10 or #8 wire.
>
> If you can get 10-3 or 8-3, then the loop is an excellent idea.
>
> =A0 +V ---------o----------o----------o----------o----------o
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 | =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 [lamp] =A0 =A0 [lamp] =A0 =A0 [lamp] =A0 =A0 [lam=
p] =A0 =A0 [lamp]
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 | =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0| =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0|
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 o----------o----------o----------o----------o=
-------,
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 |
> =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 |
> =A0 0V -------------------------------------------------------------'
>
> Good Luck!
> Rich
After thinking about it a bit, perhaps I should go for AWG10, or at
least AWG14.
http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
Thanks,
Michael
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