Poundland LED fairy lights versus cheap ebay ones. 

In America I think there's some unwritten rule that all Christmas lights must be crammed tightly into the box. I have never seen a set of Christmas lights that didn't fill the entire box and it's almost impossible to fit them back in. In fact we usually just wrap them up and put them all in a box together. Of course, it's also a scientific fact that no matter how neatly you pack them, they will be tangled when you take them out the next year.

So true that last sentence :-)

I'm very tempted to take it outside and do that....

Please do!

Fire extinguisher? Dead man's switch? Why not add a pink tutu for good measure. I want to see them in a completely dried christmas tree. But yeah outside.

Maybe not completely shorted, but a 2kw heater will probably do. ^_^

well i think that it's normal............ more or less, more less than more but...

Good move.

I may have to test this. (Outdoors.)

I bet the strands would snap under the slightest tug, much like most headphone cords.

I've found that many of these ebay electrical items have plated steel wire in them. I have only rarely found one with aluminum wire. All the cheap meter test leads and alligator jumpers I've ever found were steel. This means that you can identify crap leads with a magnet.

I was fully expecting a smoke test on the cheapie

I wonder what would happen if someone uses that chinese one as a extension cord for a kettle or waterheater.

Shops don't like stuff in small packages as it's not as visually dramatic on the shelves. Also small packages are easier to slip into a pocket and walk out without paying.

Also, the manufacturers likely use the same boxes for different numbers of lights.

I find that even though they only take up half the box when new I still can't get he bastards to fit back in once they've been used.

Why even bother putting them back in the original box? Just loop them around your forearm like the extension cable they're plugged into. It's just a rope with some lights on it. ;)

Yeah, once they are unraveled from that neat factory wrapping I think when you cool it your own way it’s impossible to put back in the box so I think that’s why now they have sized up the boxes a bit!

Brilliant! It's almost like you typed that directly from a set of Chinglish instructions. BRAVO!

thats scarily accurate. straight from aliexpress

whats an ungainly customer?

Fantastic! fluent chinglish.

Brilliant, I too speak Chinglish. We communicate via elephant conductor of maasage until mouse sanely enters viewing field and lustrate the pachyderm. Using conductor you provided with is safe in use unless entered forcefully when becomes harmful to person with screwdriver or spudger. Person so entering at own peril will discharge all life sign before rigour mortice ensues. No guarantee or return accepted for cadaver of any kind. This does not affect your statutory rights! (What the hell are "your statutory rights" anyway?)

It may well happen. But outdoors.

Be kind to it, just a nice kettle or fan heater. Do it outside of course because PVC smoke makes you cough.

Me!

bigclivedotcom yes please do it. I'm beginning to think the pie dish is being used to actually cook pies!

so tempted to suggest tat. ;-)

£1.50 ones will be more entertaining though than the boring £5 ones that dont do much. lol

Mikee Vee A.k.a. demo curse...

And stripping and soldering them.

You can get golden white ones here, and if they have a simple static supply they are flash/flicker free.

The Jutai supplies are awesome. Mass produced for one single purpose - running long strings of LEDs. The design has been optimised to the hilt for safety and cool running.

Do

May even install some spurs so I don’t have to use a multiway adapter for the maximum 32a of explosions

+Luke Den Hartog The 120v versions have much lower voltage to drop than the 240v ones.

It might be the capacitor failing if it uses standard circuitry.

Yes they do. Some use proprietary data protocols, but others are based on standard WS2812B style LEDs.

There are so many messaging systems that I sometimes lose track of where messages are, or they get buried fast.

That would seem to be a switchmode thingy then. Possibly its starting circuit has become marginal for some reason and only operates if either line voltage is high enough (indicating an out-of-spec dropper capacitor or resistor) or it isn't too cold (indicating a bad electrolytic). Do the tubes look like they have a lot of blackening at the ends, indicating lots of wear? That wouldn't help matters. (Also if just one end has darkened, either the driver or the tubes are shit, though some more mileage is likely to be had when turning te tubes around.) If the tubes are fine, you may be best off getting another suitable electronic starter, ideally one known to use a decent amount of preheating (like 2 seconds) and to be decent quality and reliable. That is assuming the fixture takes some standard-sized ones (I'm talking the ones with metal case and all), not some small proprietary job shoved in somewhere. Troubleshooting something like this at the component level could potentially turn into a _shocking_ experience.

In the UK they are selling golden white sets which have a very deep tungsten colour. The cheap sets are often best described as off-white and often very random.

That's nice to hear, I'll check around to see if there might be some on eBay. A local hardware store here has strings in "copper" color which I've decorated the house with, they're quite warm in the color and lean a tad bit towards pink, but by distance they look better.

Looks like a cable connection to me.

Spikey DaPikey was wondering if it was going to be something as stupidly simple as that lol. Looks like 2 wires and 4/5 out so prob is just a connector. Have to get a set or two of them.....if they sell them here.

It is just a splice box to allow whatever power supply is chosen to be connected to a standard string.

Don’t worry about dumb questions. Many, many people have the same one but are afraid to ask. Keep them coming.

There's no such thing as a stupid question. My science teacher once told me that. Mind you, the next class she hit me for asking too many questions :D Seriously though, I'm on a really crap internet connection and have to view YT on very low quality so I couldn't really see what that thing was. But going to get a couple of sets of these lights shortly. House is going to be visible from the ISS......all thanks to the stuff Clive reviews (which I then buy) lol

It was a skidmark from the "Super gay rainbow exploding USB power supply game"

bigclivedotcom Ah, quite some time ago. Call me childish, but always good when stuff explodes. You should so overload the Chinese Fairy Lights. ;)

Just a straight through connection to give the manufacturer options.

There's an awkward issue there. Most RCDs in common use are designed to detect a simple AC leakage fault and can be defeated by DC leakage, which is potentially what happens with strings of lights like these that use rectified AC to power the LEDs.

Although in fairness most sockets allow you to put a europlug in if you push a bit harder and simply snap off the shutters anyway

+Tom De Mulder It's hard to get the small red and yellow phosphor based LEDs. They seem to be specific to the Xmas lighting industry.

Just once in a while they come up on Banggood or AliExpress. That said last time I wanted some I bought a shedload of pound-land stuff and took it apart.

These are single colour led's. For a make-it-yourself flickering multi-coloured led lights then these work a treat. Site has a choice of Different LED lights for different applications. No extra circuitry required for flickering, just wire in parallel with enough ensure amperage and wire thickness for the distance required Received mine today and already soldering a cone skeleton-wire cyber-punk style brass tree. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ultra-Bright-Flashing-Flickering-LEDs-3mm-5mm-8mm-10mm-Multi-Colour-UK-Seller/361399365207?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=630752285961&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649.

I almost did....

I toyed with doing a spoof over-unity video like that.

Depends on how much you value your safety. £30 for a set of 144 fairy lights that should last you quite a few years and doesn't electrocute you sounds a reasonable deal.

Yes it was.

If they're mains voltage sets then it's not easy as all the LEDs are in series and you'd require about 3V per LED. It may be easier just to buy some battery operated strings.

You can get strings of LEDs designed to run from 5V so suitable for use with powerbanks.