<VV> Christmas Lights

[JVHRoberts at aol.com]

Ah, got it now. Reminds me of a constant lighting setup for my Dad's train  
layout. Same deal, except TO 220 transistors operating in a square wave  
configuration at about 150 kHz. This was pumped into the rails, and the lamps in  
the trains were coupled to the trucks through capacitors. The lamps stayed on  
even when the train was stopped, and at 150kHz, the motors looked like near 
open  circuits!! 
 
Anyhow, sounds like fun!
 
John
 
In a message dated 12/1/2006 8:33:29 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
n3lkz at yahoo.com writes:

I  guess I didn't express the Christmas lights scheme clearly enough, so 
here's  another try:

The power source is a fully charged 12  volt battery separate from the 
Corvair electrical system. It's nestled in the  well of the luggage compartment in 
its own battery box. No attachment to the  car's alternator.

Attached to it is a homebuilt  inverter using a pair of TO-25 transistors on 
a huge heat sink. It puts out a  square wave waveform @ 110 volts and will 
allow a current draw of about 500  watts. 

The chaser lights don't give a fig about  the square waves. only rotating 
armature devices care. 

The inverter is inefficient....it draws about two amps to create  about a 
half amp of AC. Yes, the battery will run down, but since it's a  separate 
battery  the only downside is that I'll haul a dead battery  home. There are no 
circuit breakers in this system, just brute force. I know  better than to ask it 
to deliver more current than it's designed for and the  best load tester is a 
hand on the heat sink

I'm  sure the 110 VAC output could be dangerous to an old man with a bad 
heart  standing in a puddle of salt water with a wire in each hand, but I was 
taught  practical electricity by Harry Thomas who always checked if a light socket 
was  'live' by sticking his finger into it. Yes, you get a shock, but the  
electricity only flows from the tip of your finger to about the second  
phalange, not across your chest.

The system has  been tested --- clip inverter to battery, plug in lights, 
flip switch, watch  chaser lights --- chase.

You could probably do the  same thing with a store-bought inverter, but it 
would cost a lot more and be  plagued with circuit breakers because the average 
bozo who buy 'em figures he  can just plug in his sump pump and worry no more.

hope that explains what is a decent, simple, kluge it is.

Arjay