You can now buy me cake and things to take apart at:- https://www.patreon.com/bigclive
OK, I'm going to confess that I was really disappointed that my first set of meteor lights came with a "safe" power supply. But having found the tubes themselves quite pleasing I ordered a load more, and ironically the ones from the SAME supplier turned up with the deathtrap mains derived power supplies.
By deathtrap I mean that what looks like a harmless low voltage power supply actually contains a beefy capacitive dropper that will happily ruin your Christmas completely if you get between the output and ground.
A really annoying feature of these lights is that the tubes all run on DC and have no proper polarity protection. So it's a bit disappointing that while the plug has a polarity notch on it, the socket is not polarised or marked. This means you can plug an entire string (or more) of these lights in the wrong way round, and if the current source is capable then it may smoke all the little microcontrollers in the tubes.
A super plus note is that these tubes will run on voltages between around 3V and 5V with varying intensity and current draw. So they're just totally hackable into custom powered strings. Even for remote locations.
A link to the seller of the sets featured:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231419848646
OK, I'm going to confess that I was really disappointed that my first set of meteor lights came with a "safe" power supply. But having found the tubes themselves quite pleasing I ordered a load more, and ironically the ones from the SAME supplier turned up with the deathtrap mains derived power supplies.
By deathtrap I mean that what looks like a harmless low voltage power supply actually contains a beefy capacitive dropper that will happily ruin your Christmas completely if you get between the output and ground.
A really annoying feature of these lights is that the tubes all run on DC and have no proper polarity protection. So it's a bit disappointing that while the plug has a polarity notch on it, the socket is not polarised or marked. This means you can plug an entire string (or more) of these lights in the wrong way round, and if the current source is capable then it may smoke all the little microcontrollers in the tubes.
A super plus note is that these tubes will run on voltages between around 3V and 5V with varying intensity and current draw. So they're just totally hackable into custom powered strings. Even for remote locations.
A link to the seller of the sets featured:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231419848646
Can you show us how to stop them from flashing ,I would Love to mount them horizontally and repurpose them as "steady" under cabinet type lighting ,thanks . Love your videos by the way .
The larger package 6.2 volt zener is probably rated for 5 watts
these lights are driving me crazy, i bought 2 packs of ebay but the remote they sent me only has a mode button and a off button. the mode button doesnt seem to do anything or if it does i dont know. th eoff turns it off and the mode turns it on. so i started messing with the buttons and now one lasts 2 hours and the other lasts only 1 hour. somehow im messing with a timer but there is no instructions. the first day they lasted i think 4 hours. i daisy chained them and they only lasted a hour so i seperated them for more power and they are still on the same time. can anyone help me out
Wow. How did I end up in a math and schematic class when I just wanted to see some reviews of Christmas meteor lights
Actually a ton of useful tips in this one. Thanks man
Wao…how can i buy this light??
I think the LED is visible through the clear strain relief.
Hmmm, this video actually gave me an idea for an overvoltage protection incorporating just a zener and a relais🤔
Thanks for keeping me sharp on building my power supplies as safe as I can (get a classic transformer)😄
"B*zing being the sensation you get if you touch any of the lights." Cracked me up. Good one.
I have the US version of these. The big capacitor says "CL21" and below that it says "255J400V". The resistor across that capacitor is green brown yellow. The electrolytic capacitor on the low voltage side is 470uF, rated for 10V.
Every year, we put these up, plug them in, and if they don't work, we reverse the polarity. So it appears they are not harmed by plugging them in backwards.
Are they safe to use on outdoor outlet?
Nicely titled video and thank you for such a detailed assessment, very useful.
Can they be slowed down? I installed them in a restaurant window and ppl are complaining about possibly causing seizures. Help!!!