How Do Christmas Lights Work?
The holidays are soon here, and what you might be thinking of is how you’ll decorate your home. What comes into mind is Christmas lights and how to install them. There is a lot about Christmas lights you should be aware of. Here we give you an insight into how Christmas Lights work.
The Basic Physics of Christmas LightsÂ
If you want to know how Christmas lights work, you should know how the basic circuit functions. Let’s take an example of a simple setup with one LED light bulb. The electricity will run in the circuit through the copper wire right to the anode of the LED bulb.
The anode is a positively charged and long protrusion at the bottom of the LED light bulb. From this point, the electric current will pass through the bulb and proceed to the negatively charged cathode and out to another wire, leading to the other negatively charged end of the battery. The circuit or loop is complete at this point, and the electrical currents will move the electrons which collide with the LED from light.
Each LED light bulb will always come with a resistor. A resistor is responsible for regulating the amount of current that goes inside the bulb to collide and form light. That means any small change in the current inside the bulb can increase the light and potentially blow out the bulb.
Therefore, to ensure the bulb is protected from high voltage variation, you place it in the relationship between the current and the voltage. It means when there is a small change in the voltage there will be a small change in the current, reducing the risk of the LED light bulb burning out.
There are two main circuit setups for most Christmas LED lights you should know.
1. Series connection
Series light bulb connection is one of the most common. In this circuit, all the lightbulbs are connected in a straight path next to each other. To get a true picture of how this looks, you can think of two bulbs in a circuit.
The positive end of the battery will connect to one end of the first bulb. A wire is passed through the first and second bulb connecting the negative end of the battery.
2. Parallel light connection
You can also have your Christmas bulbs in a parallel connection. In this kind of arrangement, each bulb has a unique circuit.
If you intend to switch on two lightbulbs in the connection, you will need two wires connected to the positive end of the battery, each going to one of the lightbulbs. The two lightbulbs should have a wire connecting to the negative side of the battery, which gives them contact with the two wires.
How do you connect Christmas lights?
Christmas lights are usually connected in strings or series. When one of the bulbs blows out, the LED light bulbs will short circuit. If one of the bulbs goes out, it becomes the low-resistance path through which electricity can travel. If the connection fails, the cause of the problem is normally found in other places like blown fuses and wire breaks.
You should always hire a professional Christmas lights installer such as American Holiday Lights, MK Illumination, Christmas Decor London, etc. to have holiday lights installed in your home.
In most cases, Christmas lights have a lifespan of less than a year. They are energy-efficient and long-lasting but will break down with time. Your Christmas lights will last longer if they are installed properly.
If you want to install Christmas lights this holiday, you can reach out to your local light installers for a quotation. They will help you install quality LED Christmas lights in your home and give value for your money.
