As we enter the last third of the year, which is one continuous Halloween and Christmas season, the local pound shops (UK dollar stores) have started introducing their seasonal stock.
In this case it includes this lovely LED string USB charging cable with an exciting new approach to driving LEDs. It's interesting to note that while these came from One Below, they're echoing the equally disastrous version sold by Poundland in previous years.
If you buy these lights, do it for the caps alone. They're easy to remove once the LEDs have melted the glue!
It's intriguing that the LEDs initially survived, but after some use their current dropped notably due to internal degradation.
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13 thoughts on “Pound shop xmas disaster”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Chuck Boyle says:

    Another wonderful holiday gift from the land of China…brilliant!

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dan Parden says:

    Whoa I don’t trust that calculator wheres the pink one lol

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars kjur18 says:

    Maybe that was designed to use flashing led's, they would work fine.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars rocketman221projects says:

    Maybe they were supposed to use grain of wheat bulbs and the manufacturer used LEDs instead of bulbs because they are cheaper.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars justin hetricck says:

    I have a set just like this. If you use them to actually charge your phone and not just plug the lights in by themselves they lights aren't nearly as bright because the electricity is mostly charging the phone. That's just my experience tho.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars T C says:

    I'm gonna guess they're normally 3v battery holder ones that someone somewhere just thought "lets wire these up to a charger".

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Google User says:

    I guess when the retail price is a pound, a few resistors even at pennies each, would eat into the margin considerably.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Oscar Sommerbo says:

    I assume, that the thinking was that the load of charging the phone will pull down the current.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Дмитрий Сысолетин says:

    Wow! I surprised that LEDs survived more than 1-2 seconds on 5V. Many years ago I tried to drive soviet LEDs (like АЛ-307) from 3AA cells – they died just in seconds :DDD

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Gary Rumain says:

    Can't wait for a shop called Pound Sand.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Home of The Inept Gamer says:

    the flickering is a feature Clive..

    besides you wont be cold this winter, granted after your house burns down it is an entirely different matter

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Paul Ste. Marie says:

    That calculator display is invisible, alas.

    Maybe they intended to use LEDs with built-in resistors or got ones rated for the wrong voltage? I would expect naked LEDs to simply pop when connected.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars SymetryrtemyS says:

    Unfortunately these things aren’t built to last. The manufacturers fully expect people to chuck them to landfill, whether or not they still work. Crazy manufacturing, crazy consumers.

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