There are two different techniques that are used to create blinking lights. One is crude and the other is sophisticated. The crude method involves the installation of a special blinker bulb at any position in the strand. A typical blinker bulb is shown here: 10 Worst Things Ever to Happen at Christmas 5 Tips for Properly Storing Christmas Decorations 10 Myths About Christmas The Krampus Gallery of Holiday Doom! The extra piece of metal at the top is a bi-metallic strip (see How Thermometers Work for details on bi-metallic strips). The current runs from the strip to the post to light the filament. When the filament gets hot, it causes the strip to bend, breaking the current and extinguishing the bulb. As the strip cools, it bends back, reconnects the post and re-lights the filament so the cycle repeats. Whenever this blinker bulb is not lit, the rest of the strand is not getting power, so the entire strand blinks in unison. Obviously, these bulbs don't have a shunt (if they did, the rest of the strand would not blink), so when the blinker bulb burns out, the rest of the strand will not light until the blinker bulb is replaced.

The more sophisticated light sets now come with 16-function controllers that can run the lights in all sorts of interesting patterns. In these systems, you typically find a controller box that is driving four separate strands of mini-bulbs. The four strands are interleaved rather than being one-after-the-other. If you ever take one of the controller boxes apart, you will find it is very simple. It contains an integrated circuit and four transistors or triacs -- one to drive each strand. The integrated circuit simply turns on a triac to light one of the four strands. By sequencing the triacs appropriately, you can create all kinds of effects! Patent 4,215,277 is a good one to read if you want to learn more about sequencers. If you hook a mini-light bulb up to a normal AA battery, the bulb will light just like a flashlight bulb. It will be dim, however, because the bulb expects 2.5 volts rather than the 1.5 volts the battery is generating. You can put two batteries together to create 3 volts, or you can hook the bulb up to a 9-volt battery as shown here.

Because you are driving the bulb at a significantly higher voltage than it expects, it will burn extremely brightly and will not last very long (perhaps 30 minutes or an hour). For more information on Christmas lights and all sorts of related topics, check out the links on the next page.Best Holiday Light Installers in New York, NY 2016 Holiday Lighting Professionals Ready to Help Do you need help putting up your Christmas lights? Jonathan is the right person for the job. This professional offers lighting repair, Christmas light installation, cabinet replacement and furniture assembly services. Christmas Tree Lighting Installation Consider RL Finish Interior if you are looking for kitchen renovation and residential building remodeling solutions. They also offer Christmas light installation services. Christmas Tree Light Installer With over 7 years of experience, you won't regret hiring a handyman like Maxim to fix your toilet. His services also include Christmas light installation, painting, tiling, and drywall hanging, to name a few.

Get the residential Christmas light installation services that you need with the help of this team. This crew of pros offers quality services to complete your honey do list fast. If you need help in hanging the holiday or Christmas lights, check out this trusted handyman. Teal Cheetah Print Seat CoversHe handles a wide range of home improvement jobs including art and light installation, and electrical maintenance.Used Washer And Dryer Orange Park Fl Holiday Lights Installation & Electrical ServicesThe Best Tire Gel This business provides professional electrical services. Hire them if you want quality Christmas light hanging, house rewiring, electrical repairs, panel service upgrade, and much more. Christmas Light Installation Business

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