Christmas Lights

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Davebones

Senior Member
One of employees ask me if I could recommend something for his Xmas lights that would turn them on and off . He wants them to fade on and then fade off and keep cycling like this . Any ideas as they are incadescent type .
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
One of employees ask me if I could recommend something for his Xmas lights that would turn them on and off . He wants them to fade on and then fade off and keep cycling like this . Any ideas as they are incadescent type .

He will spend less just going out and purchasing a set with a built in control than he will spend on something external to control an existing set with.
 

ggunn

PE (Electrical), NABCEP certified
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Occupation
Consulting Electrical Engineer - Photovoltaic Systems
One of employees ask me if I could recommend something for his Xmas lights that would turn them on and off . He wants them to fade on and then fade off and keep cycling like this . Any ideas as they are incandescent type .
The problem is the fade. Radio Shack has programmable timers that turn things on and off in 15 minute intervals.
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
Not a simple project. Also wonder how many branch circuits he's using (some people get pretty intense on their xmas lights). The issues are the interval and the fade. It could end up being a fun PLC project.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
A few years back I saw a packaged system with a audio interface, an assortment of timer program settings and, think at least 6 AC outputs. It did not dim, but you could set up chase sequences etc.
Have not seen it again after that first year.

Tapatalk...
 

Besoeker

Senior Member
Location
UK
One of employees ask me if I could recommend something for his Xmas lights that would turn them on and off . He wants them to fade on and then fade off and keep cycling like this . Any ideas as they are incadescent type .
Incandescent on a Christmas tree?
Unless I'm missing something, I'd do what others have suggested. Ditch them and buy a modern system.
We have about 300 LED units for our tree. Four strings of up to 120 units each. Each has a controller that can be set to permanent or other patterns. Fade on or off, run like a bandit in sequence round the tree, alternate between sequences....
 
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