newbie question

[STARMAN]

first a big hello to all its my first post so be nice 
i have recently bought a couple of sets of bubble lights from the good old u.s.a. celebration 7 in a string c7 bulbs,
now i bought a usa to uk voltage converter max load 45VA(watts) both worked when strung together, is this converter ok to use, it says on the american box that up to 60 can be strung together safely, thanxs in advance

[Chris W. Millinship]

Welcome! You`ll find we`re generally all nice in here so don`t worry

The total number of bulbs you can string together as stated on the box assumes they are being plugged in to a US wall outlet with loads and loads of power available. You will have a much lower amount of power, limited by your transformer unit. The 45VA rating can be equated to watts with a purely resistive load like light bulbs, but watch that you don`t exceed it. Some of those units are actualy only rated intermittantly and will overheat if left running with a full load for extended periods of time.

Anyway, modern day USA bubble lights consume around 4 watts per bulb and the old vintage ones could be anywhere from 5-8. Assuming modern 4 watt bulbs, that means no more than 11 bulbs from that power unit. Note that they are wired in paralell these days so in theory you can unscrew three from the start or end of one string and be within the power limits. Only problem is, it leaves open lamp holders that are conveniently finger-sized, so that might not be so safe. Best to stick to one string on at once, or of course, invest in another/bigger power supply.

[STARMAN]

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31899&criteria=usa%20to%20uk%20voltage%20converter&doy=17m5 would this be good enough for 2 sets?

[Christmas Lamp]

Starman, I'm in the UK too, I'm running my Bubblers though a Converter too, I Have one Full set and and 2 Night Lights

Please see Link for the Disscussion

http://bulbcollector.com/forum/index.php?topic=739.0

Thanks

[STARMAN]

well i would say these are the modern bubble from celebration so its probably 28 watts in all so 2 sets = 56 watts i had both sets working alright on my 45 watt converter but because of what has been posted turned them off after 10 mins just wanted to see them bubbling, only may? wish it was november? will just have to invest in a bigger 100 watt converter by whats been posted

[Chris W. Millinship]

Yep, that 100 watt unit would run two sets all night by the looks of it. Short term, minor "overloads" just for testing shouldn`t do much harm, the heat builds up over time so it only becomes a real problem if left on for any significant length of time.

Don`t let the fact that it`s May stop you from getting some festive lighting out if you feel like it. One of this week`s airings of Futurama was based at "X-mas" and DIY-SOS thought it was christmas time the other night too. So if it`s good enough for them.....

[Christmas Lamp]

Don`t let the fact that it`s May stop you from getting some festive lighting out if you feel like it. One of this week`s airings of Futurama was based at "X-mas" and DIY-SOS thought it was christmas time the other night too. So if it`s good enough for them.....

Hear Hear Chris... 
I get my Bubbler Night light out when I feel like it too, I had it running the other night...

[STARMAN]

christmas lamp mine are exactly the same. when i was much younger my mum & dad  had 2 sets of kingston chrstalittes on our tree, no one and i mean no one in my area had these people used to be amazed by them, i wonder will they (bubblers) catch on again the u.k.?

[Christmas Lamp]

I SO Hope So Starman...

*Thank You Tim for Adding my Photo*

[STARMAN]

i see an old set of kingston on ebay at the moment ?30 odds, not even working 

[Chris W. Millinship]

They show up now and then in various conditions and can fetch loads and loads in the right condition. You don`t want to know how much I paid for my working) set of Crystalites a few years ago . The ones to *really* watch out for though, are Telsen sets. Rare as anything, I saw one of those sell for over ?500 once

[Christmas Lamp]

Chris, how did you manage to take that Brilliant Photo of your Bubblers? I'd like to try and take one of my set {Picutered} Bubbling away... But I'm not sure how to do it... Please will you give me some Pointers?
Thanks

[Chris W. Millinship]

Not too easy to describe. It requires a camera that lets you manually control the settings, and a lot of prior experimenting and messing about to see just how the thing works.

That shot used a fairly wide aperture (the "F" number - lower numbers mean a wider aperture) to give that narrow range in which the lights are in focus (called "depth of field"). The camera was positioned near the left end of the display stand but not right next to it, and I think I used the zoom to close in so only the lights were in view. The advantage of a wide aperture is that the exposure time was kept quite low, meaning the bubbles were sharper. Longer exposures would lead to less detail - the bubbles would end up just as a blur inside the tube. That picture up there was re-sized from the full resolution and I think I sharpened it a little following the shrinkage, but nothing else.

Your best bet would be to just experiment with different settings (if your cam will allow you to manually set things) and different angles, etc., see what works and what doesn`t. The nice thing about digital photography is you can take as many shots as you want and just delete the ones that don`t work.

[Christmas Lamp]

Thanks Chris, I'll have a Play around Session later... Well, it's a good excuse to get the set out and Working, Right?

[Hemingray]

Yep, that 100 watt unit would run two sets all night by the looks of it. Short term, minor "overloads" just for testing shouldn`t do much harm, the heat builds up over time so it only becomes a real problem if left on for any significant length of time.

Don`t let the fact that it`s May stop you from getting some festive lighting out if you feel like it. One of this week`s airings of Futurama was based at "X-mas" and DIY-SOS thought it was christmas time the other night too. So if it`s good enough for them.....

I keep a long string of the old C6 type lamps over my bedroom and closet doors, and have them on from the time I get up, to the time I go to bed for the night. In my workshop, is a random stringing of C7 and C9 lamps.