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electrifying my dollhouse ???


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I'm building a 1" Rosedale dollhouse (progress here). I've got the main structure up, and I want to think about adding electricity before I go further with trim and decoration. I've read it's a good idea to plan early if you want to hide wiring.

So I started reading about different ways to add electricity to a dollhouse, and immediately got massively confused. As far as I can tell, there are two kinds of AC wiring for incandescent bulbs - copper tape and socket strip, and then there is DC wiring for LED bulbs. I have some battery-powered LED bulbs, but they don't put out enough light - need more power.

Some of the fixtures I've already bought use 12 volt AC power, like this pair of Kummerow "Tiffany" lamps. I have another fixture that uses 12 volt AC power. But I've read that LED lighting is easier, more flexible, and lasts longer. However, AC power will destroy LED bulbs.

So what do I do?? Is it possible to rewire these Kummerow lamps? Should I try? Should I install both AC and DC wiring (or is that insane)? If I do AC wiring, which method should I use?

Thanks for any help or advice you can give me!

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Morning,

I've been out of the electrical side of building for a while so there could be new supplies out there.

However for what it's worth.

Babies house is all 12v dc switch mode power supply. Total overkill but provides 60 watts.

I have a mix of wired and copper strip. Doesn't matter which or both you use as it's nothing more than a means of getting ergs to your lights. (or in my case dc motors for the garage doors and ac converters for the fluorescent lights I put in the garage.) To the best of my knowledge (someone might correct me) incandescent bulbs will work on either ac or dc as long as it's the right voltage. ie house lights are 240V AC incandescent bulbs and your car lights are 12v dc incandescent bulbs. All my down lights are grain of wheat etc etc.

To my mind the big thing is to make sure your power supply is big enough to drive everything you want.

I doubt you need to re wire your tiffany lamps for dc. The big difference between ac and dc is efficiency and who worries for a little doll house?

1lights.jpg

IMG_1135.jpg

Cheers

Glen

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Thanks so much for the advice, Glen! I really feel so at sea with this.

I have a mix of wired and copper strip.

Pardon my ignorance, but what does this mean, exactly? I know there are two types of AC wiring, but I only know of one way to do DC wiring.

Doesn't matter which or both you use as it's nothing more than a means of getting ergs to your lights. (or in my case dc motors for the garage doors and ac converters for the fluorescent lights I put in the garage.) To the best of my knowledge (someone might correct me) incandescent bulbs will work on either ac or dc as long as it's the right voltage. ie house lights are 240V AC incandescent bulbs and your car lights are 12v dc incandescent bulbs. All my down lights are grain of wheat etc etc.

I found a series of blog posts about wiring a dollhouse for LED bulbs (requires DC power), and she says in there that AC power will damage LED light bulbs. I'm going to have trouble finding exactly where she said it, but here's the beginning of the series:

http://judyry.blogspot.com/2012/10/my-initial-plan.html

I don't know why AC power harms LED bulbs, and she doesn't say whether the reverse is true (whether DC power would harm incandescent light bulbs). Have you tried it?

She gets her LED wiring equipment from a model train site.

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I feel intimidated by lighting, too, but it really makes a difference. My sister electrified her dollhouse, and it's marvelous. She made her own refrigerator, and there's a light in it. The lamps in the living room work. It's really great. I want that for my dollhouse, so I'm persevering. Maybe we can figure it out together! The more I learn, the less scary it seems. I'm stalled in moving forward with my dollhouse now because I don't want to get so far along that I can't electrify it easily.

I just found some additional information about AC versus DC (from http://miniatures.about.com/od/dollhouseminiatures/ht/choosetransform.htm):

10. Does AC or DC current make a difference? The only practical difference in a 12 volt system is that DC (direct current) only flows one way, it has polarity. Light Emitting Diode lights (LEDs) must be purchased according to whether they are AC or DC. DC ones will run from a battery source. If you plan on using a lot of lighting built for railway items so that you can adapt it to a quarter scale dolls house, you may want to have a DC transformer, as railroad lights are usually (but not always) powered by DC current, and if they use LED's they will only work on the current they were designed for.

That's why the series of articles I was reading on LED wiring said that an AC transformer would damage LEDs - she is using a model train supplier, and they use LED bulbs that take DC current. But not ALL LEDs require DC current.

The implication in this quote (though she doesn't quite say it) is that incandescent bulbs can be powered by either AC or DC, as Glen said. I'll google around to verify that.

Of those here who have electrified your dollhouses... Do you recommend a particular supplier or kit?

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If you have a look on the right hand side of the garage photo you can see the copper strip power supply, but you'll also see wires attached to the copper strip. It doesn't matter what you use to get the power where you want it.

however you cannot use ac power with LED's They have (all lights have) very specific power/voltage needs. You may have to run the led's in series or with a resistor to make them work with the dc power supply. They also need to be set up with the right polarity.. Check your lights to make sure they are 12V each. Pretty sure you'll find they all are if they are made for the dollhouse. On the left of the garage photo you can see the ac converters to run the fluorescent lights.

I know it all sounds complicated but odds are you can just wire it all up. Plug it in and everything will work perfectly. If in doubt just plug them together on the table and try them. Worst case scenario is you ruin a 20cent bulb.

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Don't worry about led's. Don't mean to tell anyone how to suck eggs but led simply stands for light emitting diode.

a diode is just an electrical thing that lets power go through it in one direction but not in the other.

That's why a light emitting diode works if connected to DC power in the right direction but don't work of connected backwards. Not broken. just doing what they are designed to do.

When connected to AC (alternating current) in basic theory they simply work for about 50% of the time and turn off for 50% of the time as the current keeps reversing direction. no big deal

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I see, thanks for explaining. That's why that Web site I posted a link to (with the nice LED dollhouse fixtures) says that they work with either an AC or DC transformer, but work better with DC.

There are advantages to LEDs over incandescents in dollhouses (just as in full-size houses). They last a very long time so you could keep your dollhouse lit all the time and the LEDs would last 10 years before burning out. I use LEDs in my bathroom so I don't have to climb up on a ladder to change the bulbs all the time. Also, they don't get hot like incandescents, so there is much less chance of fire. You can use them in materials that would be unsafe with incandescents due to flammability.

I'm not going to rewire my existing lamps to make them LEDs, but I might buy some LEDs for other parts of the dollhouse (now that I've confirmed that incandescents work fine with DC power). I really like the fixtures on that Web site (they just cost too much!).

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Of those here who have electrified your dollhouses... Do you recommend a particular supplier or kit?

Take a look at the Cir-Kit Concepts website. They have some good educational links and sell any hardware you might need as well as kits that contain everything to get started. They have a good chart that tells you what size transformer you need (to transform the power from AC to DC). In choosing a transformer, you need to know how many bulbs it will serve -- individual bulbs, not light fixtures. A single chandelier with 6 bulbs counts as 6 bulbs, not one fixture, a 2-bulb wall sconce counts as 2 bulbs, etc.

They also sell miniature lighting fixtures. Whether or not you buy your supplies here, it is a good place to get an overall picture of how dollhouse lighting works. If you do buy from them, you'll find they are very helpful if you call them with questions during installation.

You can find miniature lighting fixtures many places, in a wide range of prices. Hobby Builders Supply (HBS) has a large selection, as do other on-line shops. Once you are comfortable with the concept, you may want to build your own light fixtures. Several members here have done so, with remarkable results.

I made a quilt shop room box that used both incandescent and LED light strips and a combination of round wire and tape wire. You can see how I did it here. (click on the photos to enlarge them)

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Not specific to your challenge, but just want to say that one of the main presenters on dollshouse.tv is the man who wrote the instructions for cir kit concepts products, there are segments about how to light your dollhouse, watching them it all makes sense for the first time. ( tape wiring) so, just in General wanted to recommend to anyone considering electrifying to consider a dollshouse.tv subscription :)

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KathyB - thanks so much for this info. Your blog post is very helpful. I read in one of the articles about electrifying on miniatures.about.com that the white strips are cheap and bad and not to use them - you have explained why! There is an alternative to these from a British company called "Small World Products". You can see their power center strips in this PDF:

http://www.smallworldproducts.com/easywire.pdf

What kind of soldering iron do you recommend? What wattage? How fine does the tip have to be? Also, when I buy a soldering iron, what else do I need to buy with it? For example, do I need solder - if so, what kind? Do I need to buy something-or-other to clean the tip? Do I need a stand - if so, what kind should I get? Is there anything else I should get with the iron? I've never soldered anything before!

Thanks for your advice!!

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KathyB - thanks so much for this info. Your blog post is very helpful. I read in one of the articles about electrifying on miniatures.about.com that the white strips are cheap and bad and not to use them - you have explained why! There is an alternative to these from a British company called "Small World Products". You can see their power center strips in this PDF:

http://www.smallworldproducts.com/easywire.pdf

What kind of soldering iron do you recommend? What wattage? How fine does the tip have to be? Also, when I buy a soldering iron, what else do I need to buy with it? For example, do I need solder - if so, what kind? Do I need to buy something-or-other to clean the tip? Do I need a stand - if so, what kind should I get? Is there anything else I should get with the iron? I've never soldered anything before!

Thanks for your advice!!

I got my soldering stuff (iron, stand, solder, tips, etc) at Radio Shack.

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Soldering iron - go to an electronics store like Radio Shack and ask about the soldering irons they sell for electronics. They'll recommend one in the 20- to 30-watt range with a delicately pointed tip. Soldering irons usually come with a stand. Radio Shack will also have the rosin core solder you'll need. Many irons come with an operational manual that will give you the basics.

I looked on line for a set of illustrated instructions for you, but all the sites I found had way too much information that don't apply to what you want to do. Personally, I found them confusing, and I've been soldering for years! Read the manual that comes with the iron and practice on a scrap piece of tape wire until you get the hang of it.

A couple of hints:

  1. "Tin" the tip of the soldering gun by holding the tip of the solder wire against it until it is coated with a layer of solder. (This keeps the residue of the rosin core solder from reaching the tip. A build-up of rosin on the tip serves to insulate it and reduces the amount of heat available to melt the solder.) Tin it again if you notice it wearing off or after cleaning the tip with a rough cloth or steel wool (when it's cool, of course!).
  2. Don't use too much solder. No need to use great blobs of it. If you "tin" the tip of the wire and "tin" the spot on the tape wire that you want to solder it to, you can avoid adding too big a blob and the awkwardness of having to hold the soldering iron, the wire, and the coil of solder to the joint at the same time. Place the tinned wire on the tinned spot on the tape wire and gently press the tip of the soldering iron to the joint to melt the solder and fuse the joint.

As the Nike ads say, just do it. One thing we all learn early on in our miniatures education is that there is no error that can be made in miniature that can't be overcome one way or another. If you meet a challenge, ask here -- someone will have experienced the same challenge and will be able to guide you past it. :)

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Also you tube has lots of beginner tutorials for soldering and they go over supplies needed. The ones I was looking at (videos) were for jewelry making.

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As the Nike ads say, just do it. One thing we all learn early on in our miniatures education is that there is no error that can be made in miniature that can't be overcome one way or another.

So true! I bought my Rosedale kit months ago, but stalled in building it because I was so afraid of making mistakes. Finally I said to myself I was just going to build it as fast as possible, and if I screwed it up, fine. I'd make another dollhouse. That got me unstuck, and it's turning out fine. I'm thinking about modifications I want to make, and how to make it really nice - my dream dollhouse.

If you meet a challenge, ask here -- someone will have experienced the same challenge and will be able to guide you past it. :)

Yes, this is a really wonderful community. People here are incredibly knowledgeable, and generous in sharing what they know. I hope that one day I know enough to help someone else. I've been taking pictures of what I'm doing every step of the way, and if I end up making something worth looking at, I will start a blog to share it with others.

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Don't wait for something "worthwhile". Go ahead and blog the build, if only for your own reference years from now. I have some pretty simple stuff in my albums and blogs, but I find my self looking back at work I did five or ten years ago and am amazed at how much I've forgotten! It's good to be able to look back and see the journey.

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Is a hair dryer hot enough to shrink tubing around wires?

Haven't tried using the shrink tubes. I use bits of real life electrician's tape to wrap the joins. It's black, rubbery, and very sticky.

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