Convert electrical to battery-operated?


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Old 10-24-07, 05:36 AM
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Question Convert electrical to battery-operated?

I need to make a strand of christmas lights that plug in to the wall become battery-operated ASAP. The battery has to be light enough to carry around all day and strong enough to last all day. Is this possible? If so, what exactly, in lamens terms, do I need?
 

Last edited by lgrearly; 10-24-07 at 05:51 AM. Reason: forgot a few specifics
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Old 10-24-07, 06:05 AM
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My advice is to buy a set of LED lights and modify them to work with a small number of batteries, and then use the appropriate number of 9 volt batteries.
 
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Old 10-24-07, 06:05 AM
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Sure, but the converter will weigh about 4 lbs, the bulbs will have to be changed to 12 volt bulbs, and the batteries will be the size of car batteries, so there is a trade off. Why not buy battery operated Christmas lights?
 
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Old 10-24-07, 06:08 AM
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are you headed to a costume ball?

The safest way is to find a 12v string of lights. Since 99.9% of lights are designed for 120volts, and you said ASAP, then you are looking at using 10, 12volt batteries in series. Since you need to carry these all day (long party?), then that means lead acid is out. You didn't say anything about $$, so simply run to radio shack and get 10 replacement laptop batteries and wire them in series. Watch out at the wires, however, since contact may be fatal.
do you need to do this for more than one day? Then we are talking recharging. Let us know... And, how many lamps, +/- ??
 
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Old 10-24-07, 08:03 AM
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Get yourself a string of battery powered lights. The ones I've used runs off 2 "C" batteries, and will run for much of the day (I've never actually run it for more than a few hours).

It's not even worth trying to power a 120v string off a battery. I think if I recall, a 50-light strand is about 25 watts.

Interesting page - may help you find your solution. (I just stumbled across it and skimmed it - I can't vouch for it's accuracy)

http://michaelbluejay.com/electricit...as-lights.html
 
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Old 10-24-07, 01:01 PM
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There are (along the lines of RACRAFT's reply) battery operated LED strings available. In our last Christmas parade ("parade of lights" - everyone and everything has to be lit up), the LED strings were the only ones still bright by the end. They also use double A batteries instead of C or D so are lighter to carry. They come in mult-color or white.

Doug M.
 
 

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