HelloJust fitted some small low voltage (24v) outside lights to a tree. Thelights are on a single loom and seem to be wired in 4 different circuitswith a "twinkle" bulb in each circuit (distinguished by having a red base).Tested the bulbs before assembling and they al twinkled fine - takes about30secs for them to get going.In order to get the lights in place I needed to splice in an extensionwire - crimped and taped connections. The problem now is that I've lost mytwinkle in all but one circuit. I've tried checking my joints and changingthe twinkle bulbs but all to no avail - the bulbs mostly just staypermanently on.All I can think is that I've somegow introduced too much resistance and thetwinkle bulbs are no longer getting a large enough current through them toheat them to the magical twinkle point ;-)Anyone know how I can get my twinkle back?Pete

Some twinkle bulbs don't twinkle if they're too cold.

Where's me twinkle gone?

Dec 15, 2003 21 Replies

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Abdullah Eyles 22 years ago

Try

AFAIK, the bulb has a 'bimetal' strip which carries the current. When this warms up, it bends, opening the circuit, causing the whole string to go out. When it cools, it comes back into contact again, voila, the string lights up...

That's why it worked indoors, but when you put it outside, they couldn't warm up enough to open the circuit...

If you put two in series, AFAIK, it won't work at all... when one is warming up, the other will be cooling down... (or something like that)

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geoff 22 years ago

In message , Abdullah Eyles writes

Surely, which ever bimetallic strip breaks contact the fastest will dominate and work as though the other one wasn't in circuit

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