This was on another forum and needs to be DONE !

[TERBObob]

Ok , first , let me say , I did not find this , but found this on another forum ,and me thinks , some of you electronics guru's could possibly do one of these , man , would this be a LIFE saver to a LOT of us here .

http://www.creativedecoratinginc.com/commercial-light-testers/commercial-light-tester.html

[gorehound]

I would flick em before I would pay that much to test em

Thanks,
Shane

[TERBObob]

I would flick em before I would pay that much to test em

thats why we need to find someone that could make one of these .:rolleyes:

And sometimes , "flick"ing them , is not as easy as said .
Think of "flick"ing some from a 30 ft mega tree during the middle of a snowy wintery day .

[jrock64]

You can find those as low as $150.

Easily worth it.
I wont even mess with a LKP anymore.

What if the lights are attached to a mini tree or other frame and cannot be easily removed. Or wrapped around pipes for sticks or arches.

Not so easy to just flick them anymore and worth the effort to repair in place.


JOel

[joneslights]

Wow, that is the same price I paid for 81,500 lights on sale last year. I think I'll just toss the bad ones...

[WWNF911]

I agree it's expensive. However, I agree with Bob. If we can make one that will do the same thing only cheaper,... yeah team!

If it can't be done I'm afraid it's LKP for me.

[rstehle]

I am hopeful that one of our resident geniuses could come up with a way to build a knock off of that idea, only much cheaper. Look what they managed to do with controllers...........!!:D

[gorehound]

thats why we need to find someone that could make one of these .:rolleyes:

And sometimes , "flick"ing them , is not as easy as said .
Think of "flick"ing some from a 30 ft mega tree during the middle of a snowy wintery day .

Point well stated. How do they work?

[joneslights]

And sometimes , "flick"ing them , is not as easy as said .
Think of "flick"ing some from a 30 ft mega tree during the middle of a snowy wintery day .


Eww... no fun. I see the point as well.

[gorehound]

I was looking at the commercial one and I have to question how loud the buzzing is though. It says just listen for the buzz and you found the bulb that's bad. How are you going to here it at the top of a 30' mega tree? I agree that it is a good idea and someone should try to design one but with out seeing (or hearing) this one I am not sure if it would be worth the 225. It seems that a different type of indicator might be better. I have no idea how this works though so I can't offer a DIY solution. :confused:

[disneynut]

If someone who has already purchased one could take a detailed picture of the inside, I might be able to assemble the schematic from my boss at work. He loves problem solving like this. And he is very electrical knowledged.

[jrock64]

First let me say again they are only $150

http://www.aachristmas.com/vpasp/shopexd.asp?id=618

Ill show you everything that is in mine.
Just a dual throw switch a high voltage coil and some parts that probably create the buzz.

<<edit the only identifying marks on the coil are the manufacturer. "LING.EN" edit>>

You can easily hear the buzz from four feet away.
If your lights were at the top of a 30ft tree you still need to replace the bad bulb some how.
However if it is only a bad bulb the high voltage will fuse the shunt and the strand will light when the button is released. Oh but you would still need to replace the bulb somehow.

What it usually finds are bad sockets that are not connecting at all as it can throw an arc a quarter inch that will bridge most gaps.

The only problem I have with it so far is I may need a stethoscope to localize the buzz on wrapped poles when 20 bulbs are located within four square inches.

JOel

Maybe you could start with the high voltage circuit from a tazer or cattle prod. I have no idea what that would do to the lights tho

[TERBObob]

will fuse the shunt

Yeah ... thats true , IF , the lights you have are the ones that claim on the box , that if one goes out , the rest stay lit . And after viewing the ones I have , well , mine do not have any shunts in them .
Which then makes me wonder , how many others have shunts in their mini's ?
For those that might not know , when you look inside a mini bulb , near the bottom of the glass , here will be a little sliver of metal going across from one side to the other ( filaments ) , this is the shunt that when the filament toasts , the shunt is supposed to get crossed and make connection , which also puts your bulbs at a higher voltage which , if not fixed ( switched out with a good one ) , could/would burn out a few more bulbs before too long .

see link below for a pic of shunt in a mini

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/clights-shunt.jpg

[jrock64]

Someone was still looking for a schematic of all the little parts, so here is my attempt.

She resistor is blue so it is hard to read the color codes.
What I thought was red, may be brown.
The middle band is definitely black, but I measured 148.9 with my meter so 150, but black would make that only 15???

No idea what the other blue mystery part is.

Have at it, maybe someone can make sense of it.

Joel

[DIY Guy]

there is a thread on this forum about these.. complete with picture of the inside of one.

[n1ist]

Ugh. That circuit looks like a mess at best. It appears that they are using an automotive ignition coil to create a high voltage spark across the burned out bulb, and counting on you to hear the spark. They are also hoping that the insulation doesn't break down, and that nobody is touching any of the lights since it is not isolated from the AC line.

The circuit on the back of the switch looks very similar to a regular light dimmer (BT137 is a triac, and the blue OB3 thing is likely a diac; I am betting they went that route since it is cheaper than a transformer to generate the 12V for the coil.

I can't recommend using this unit or building one as has rather major safety (shock, electrocution, and fire) issues.
/mike

[IdunBenhad]

Hi:
$179 for that? Guess there's one born every day. I can sure buy a lot of incans for $179.

Oh, I forgot. The labor to put it together. Very expensive, like maybe $10.00 here and $1.00 in China.

[kychristmas]

Hi:
$179 for that? Guess there's one born every day. I can sure buy a lot of incans for $179.

Oh, I forgot. The labor to put it together. Very expensive, like maybe $10.00 here and $1.00 in China.

You guys in the warm climates have no appreciation for the troubleshooting in cold climates. Replacing a string on an arch or megatree would be nearly impossible for me.

It don't think the value comes in saving a string of lights. Its saving the labor and pontential problems caused in replacing a string of lights.

[Entropy]

You guys in the warm climates have no appreciation for the troubleshooting in cold climates. Replacing a string on an arch or megatree would be nearly impossible for me.

It don't think the value comes in saving a string of lights. Its saving the labor and pontential problems caused in replacing a string of lights.

A more worthwhile investment would be in lights that are less likely to fail, such as CDI's LEDs.

Note: It has been implied, but this unit will NOT work for LED strands. Their failure modes are different, and this unit would most likely destroy any remaining good emitters in the strand outright.

[griffixdc]

i am just throwing this out there and may not work well enough for your application....but those light flicker pro's work really well (at least in my experience) just remove one of the non lit bulbs apply the trigger it should complete the circuit through the shunts if you have a burnt out light it will not light so then just replace the one that doesn't light......its very simple and only costs 20 retail and i got mine fore 8 on after sales...if anyone needs some around that price just PM me.

[kychristmas]

A more worthwhile investment would be in lights that are less likely to fail, such as CDI's LEDs.

Note: It has been implied, but this unit will NOT work for LED strands. Their failure modes are different, and this unit would most likely destroy any remaining good emitters in the strand outright.

I'm well aware of what these devices can and can't fix. I wasn't complaining about having to fix. I was responding to his point that its cheaper just to buy new strings.

I can use a Light Keeper Pro pretty well. This expensive tool may have helped with one of my failures that I couldn't fix with LKP, but it wouldn't be worth it to me either.

Whether they come from CDI, China directly or from a retailer. I do not like LEDs. Just don't like the looks. Even if I did like LEDs, to replace what I have would cost multiples of thousands of dollars.

I have read many posts on here about LED failures, so its certainly not like they are without problems. Maybe Paul's are better. When I finally turn and make the switch, I'm sure I will buy from him.

[IdunBenhad]

Hi:
BUDUDE makes a good point. Right now, trying to replace LEDS is just way too expensive.

KYCHRISTMAS' point about the outside temperatures and replacing strings that are so stiff they are more like railroad track is a good one. Glad I'm in Arizona.

I learned to use the LKP a few days ago and was able to repair some strings I had, but I was sitting inside a shed, the sun was shining and the temperature was about 65 degrees. Glad I'm in Arizona.

I am "El Cheapo Numero Uno" and when I found the LKP for $10.00 at Walmart, I was as happy as if I had good sense. (I might change my name to "El Cheapo.)

Once an LED gives it up, I think there is no way to repair them. A broken wire or bad connection is one thing, but working on a sealed LED is another. It would be like trying to get into an incan. and repair the filament.

Happy New Year.

[mikentn]

<snip>
I am "El Cheapo Numero Uno" and when I found the LKP for $10.00 at Walmart, I was as happy as if I had good sense. (I might change my name to "El Cheapo.)

Once an LED gives it up, I think there is no way to repair them. A broken wire or bad connection is one thing, but working on a sealed LED is another. It would be like trying to get into an incan. and repair the filament.

Happy New Year.</snip>

If you're "El Cheapo Numero Uno", then I'm "El Cheapo Numero Dos". ;)

With LED's, it all depends on if it's a sealed string or one with replaceable LED's. Sealed string, about your only option is to cut it out and solder in another one; replaceable, you just pop the old one out and put a new one in, of course. The problem comes in trying to find which LED has went to LED heaven, especially with a sealed string. Even with repleaceable LED's, it can be a hassle. I've come up with an idea for a tester, but it's not non-intrusive. Makes me wonder if the pulsating DC on a half-wave strand could be picked up by a LKP, or if the voltage is too low to induce enough into the LKP.

For the record, the only reason I went to LED's is power consumption (remember, I'm "El Cheapo Numero Dos" - I wouldn't pay the premium for LED's just to have LED's). I've got 4 15A duplex receptacles on the front of my house, and that gets used up pretty quickly when using incandescants.