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Powering a 200 LED Christmas light string

mickmazz

Oct 24, 2022
5
Joined
Oct 24, 2022
Messages
5
Hi!
I have a 200 LED Christmas light string with the colors of red,orange,green and blue. The control box is missing, though I know it looked very similar to the one on the images below. The board has been powered directly from mains.
The string has 3 cables and about half of the LEDs have a 200ohm resistor on them. On the string it appears there's 5 LED with them and then 5 without them. The wires are twisted, so I don't really know which one is going where.
I just simply want to power on the full string on a continuous glow, but not sure how it's best to do it. Does it need 220V DC or maybe just a 40V 2A adapter? Which cables should I attach it to? A 24V 3A adapter was the best I found at home but it didn't work no matter how I hooked it up to the cables.
Greets.



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kellys_eye

Jun 25, 2010
6,514
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Jun 25, 2010
Messages
6,514
As much as I hate to say it, those LED 'chains' are far too cheap to bother with making a lash-up to get them going. the cost of a power pack alone would be half of the price of the whole set new!

Additionally, many of those displays use (sort of) AC to drive the LEDs (via the switching triacs) so they can incorporate many effects that require changing the direction of the voltage. You could be on a hiding to nothing here!
 

mickmazz

Oct 24, 2022
5
Joined
Oct 24, 2022
Messages
5
Thanks for the advice!
It is really just a cheap led string, thought I could get it going somehow with some simple parts I have at home. But I had to find out it is just too much trouble and/or parts to buy to make it go. My best idea was to rewire the string and put all the leds in parallel, but this would take days to do:D
 

Keonte45

Aug 29, 2022
82
Joined
Aug 29, 2022
Messages
82
It sounds like you are trying to power a string of LED lights that originally had a control box but that control box is now missing. Without the control box, it may be difficult to determine the correct way to power the lights.

Based on the information you provided, it appears that the LED lights have a mix of resistors and non-resistors. It is not clear what the purpose of the resistors is in this case, as they are typically used to limit the current flowing through an LED to prevent it from being damaged.

It is not recommended to directly power LED lights from mains electricity as it can be dangerous and could potentially damage the LEDs. Instead, it is best to use a low voltage power source, such as a DC power supply or battery pack, to power the lights. The voltage and current requirements of the LED lights will depend on the specific characteristics of the LEDs and how they are wired.

Without knowing the specific details of your LED lights, it is difficult to provide specific advice on how to power them. It is possible that a 24V 3A power adapter may not be sufficient to properly power the lights, or it could be that the wires are not properly connected. It may be helpful to consult the manufacturer or a qualified electrician for more information on how to safely power the LED lights.
 
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