THL (The Holiday Light) - Non Xmas Lights

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	`Custom Lights Section Home`
`Modify Mini Lights`
`LEDs As Holiday Lights`
`Regular Lights As Decorations`

`Fluorescent`
If you want to make some sort of Christmas sign, and don't want to drill a bunch of holes in wood to place bulbs through or if you want something bright, fluorescent lights may be the way to go. I have found that you can make decorations fairly easily (and cheaply) this way: Pre-made Light Fixtures Try to get hold of some of those fixtures they use in offices (make sure they are for 120 volts, not 277v) - go to the flea market, garage sales, etc. Alternately you can build your own fixture out of wood (or metal). Also avoid anything that doesn't use at least 2 standard 48" bulbs The pre-made light fixtures are good because it gives you a good frame to start with, and already has all the electrical in place, plus has a nice plastic cover/door (but the bad points are that many have multiple holes that will need to be covered Assuming you go this way continue reading, if building your own fixture jump down to Build Your Own.. Once you have the light, get some 1/8" hardboard or Plywood (try to avoid cardboard or other paper products). Cut the board to fit inside the light's plastic. After that cut out whatever design or words in the board that you want paint it a dark color then place it in the light. If its going to be outside you should hide/protect the metal fixture from weather. The important thing is to Make sure any holes are blocked/sealed, The internal electrical parts must never get wet Remember you are dealing with high voltage! It may be easiest to build a simple wood frame over the fixture Build Your Own Light Fixture The advantage here is that you can make your own shape/size but remember use 48" bulbs, and rectangle box/fixture is much easier to build & weatherproof than some odd shape The important thing to remember is the internal electrical parts must never get wet Remember you are dealing with high voltage! Decide what size 'fixture' you need, then get whatever materials you prefer to work with (wood/metal/plastic/cementboard/etc). For the electrical part you have a couple choices - get a shoplight & mount it inside (easy, but will limit where the light is), Or get A Ballast & Sockets which is harder but you have the ability to place the bulbs where you want/need them (if you live where it gets cold, whichever way you go make sure you use an Electronic Ballast. For the front panel you can use Plexiglas (don't use real glass) or the plastic light panels meant for lights in grid ceilings Cut your words/designs into place a piece of 1/8" hardboard or Plywood sized to fit behind the Plexiglas/plastic front Bulbs/Notes To make 'colored bulbs' go to a local hobby or craft store and pick up a roll of transparent colored plastic. Cover the bulbs with one or more layers of the plastic to get the desired color. The other (expensive but safer & longer lasting) way is to get colored plastic panels (or something like 'stage gels' (i believe that's what they call the colored pieces used for covering stage lighting) Notes: If it gets below zero, the thing probably will not light... to help prevent this, do not use 'energy saver' bulbs, and try to turn it on while the sun is up. Or if you can get a deal on one, use a light with an electronic ballast Make sure to protect the electrical parts from getting wet- if you are in a place that gets allot of rain or wet snow place it inside. In most places you should be able to place the light outside as long as all holes in it have been blocked. Be careful with fluorescent type lights - when on they can generate up to 850 volts -- easily enough to kill or start a fire. In some cases you may have to ground the fixture to make it light (I don't know why) this is the 'happy' from 'happy new year' These didn't turn out real good it's tough to get a good image of a light. It will look closer to the bottom one at night Warning! Danger! High Voltage Electrical safety is not to be taken lightly especially when dealing with high voltages The purpose of Fluorescent Ballasts is to do 2 things: (1) Provide a high voltage to light the bulbs (2) Once on, limit current through the bulbs (otherwise they would blow almost instantly. Don't be fooled, just because it limits current does not mean it can't harm you... There is easily enough current there and with the high voltage A Ballast can kill you easily - or at least give severe electrical burns (which i'm told are much worse/more painful than fire burns... this is especially true for Electronic Ballasts, which are far more dangerous than standard ones because they operate at even higher voltages, and can deliver it instantly. As stated in the building section above, the electrical parts can NOT get wet - with the high voltages they operate at, even alittle water can cause a big problem. If you live in a place that gets lots of rain (esp heavy rain) place the entire fixture somewhere where it will not even get rained on. -More warnings at bottom of page-

`StrobeLight`
Want some really bright Xmas Lights? Buy (or build) a strobe light. This can give quite a nice effect Instead of putting a star on top of the tree, install a colored strobe there. or maybe at the corners of the house? there are quite a few places where you could put something like that...and you will have the brightest Christmas lights around! one thing that would really impressive would be to put a bunch of different colored strobes in a large tree...but it would also be very expensive (way too expensive) Warning! A strobelight uses at least 4000 volts to make the flash, be careful that it is in a weatherproof enclosure if you put it outside It's probably best not to use this type of light if you are right near a busy road or intersection

`Disclaimer:`
All info here is provided as is without warranty of any sort I can not be held responsible for any problems/damages/injuries/ etc caused by the use or misuse of this info Warning: read all the following before you continue. The info on these pages can be DANGEROUS. Electricity can KILL or INJURE you, be careful and treat it with full respect. Electricity can also cause FIRES, again be careful with it. Fluorescent Light Ballasts increase the 120volts input to 600 or more volts... while 120volts is easily enough to cause death, this increased voltage is much more dangerous... A Electronic Ballast is even more likely to cause serious burns or DEATH. A Fluorescent Light should be considered ARMED and DANGEROUS whenever it is on (whether there are bulbs in it or not) Fluorescent Lights can also hold a charge even after being unplugged, (especially if turned on with no bulbs in it). I Can't stress enough, be extremely careful - a Fluorescent Light Ballast burn or even can kill you A note to anyone who may be coming here looking for some weird stuff like Suicide by Fluorescent Light ... don't even try it, the most likely thing that will happen is you will end up with is an extremely painful electrical burn. Never work on any electric product plugged in. If you don't know anything about electricity / electric products, don't even try any of these. There is no guarantee that this actually will work - build at your own risk. Always have someone double check your work before connecting power to anything you've worked on. Electricity and Water do not mix. Avoid working in any area where flammable products (such as gas/ paint/etc) are stored or used Do not work with electric items when you are tired, being tired will only increase the chance of mistakes Avoid working on electric products if you have consumed any alcoholic beverages or drugs (medical or otherwise) as these will impair your ability to concentrate on your work if you become frustrated while working on something, set it down and walk away (turn off / unplug any equipment you have on) Keep your work area clean and organized. If you work in a room/ area without windows (or work at night) install a automatic backup light... that way when you blow a circuitbreaker/fuse you will not be in the dark. Do not overload Circuits/Extension cords/Lightsets/ Etc Modifying any electric product WILL VOID any warranty on it Using any electric product for other than its intended use WILL VOID any warranty on it In addition there is a chance you will void your insurance by using modified electric items, if that item causes a problem such as a fire This is only a partial list of the cautions/dangers there are many more not listed here (but still apply) Always remember... Be safe! It is not worth risking your life or home over an electric item!

Custom Lights Section Home Modify Mini Lights LEDs As Holiday Lights Regular Lights As Decorations [under construction] Fluorescent If you want to make some sort of Christmas sign, and don't want to drill a bunch of holes in wood to place bulbs through or if you want something bright, fluorescent lights may be the way to go. I have found that you can make decorations fairly easily (and cheaply) this way: Pre-made Light Fixtures Try to get hold of some of those fixtures they use in offices (make sure they are for 120 volts, not 277v) - go to the flea market, garage sales, etc. Alternately you can build your own fixture out of wood (or metal). Also avoid anything that doesn't use at least 2 standard 48" bulbs The pre-made light fixtures are good because it gives you a good frame to start with, and already has all the electrical in place, plus has a nice plastic cover/door (but the bad points are that many have multiple holes that will need to be covered Assuming you go this way continue reading, if building your own fixture jump down to Build Your Own.. Once you have the light, get some 1/8" hardboard or Plywood (try to avoid cardboard or other paper products). Cut the board to fit inside the light's plastic. After that cut out whatever design or words in the board that you want paint it a dark color then place it in the light. If its going to be outside you should hide/protect the metal fixture from weather. The important thing is to Make sure any holes are blocked/sealed, The internal electrical parts must never get wet Remember you are dealing with high voltage! It may be easiest to build a simple wood frame over the fixture Build Your Own Light Fixture The advantage here is that you can make your own shape/size but remember use 48" bulbs, and rectangle box/fixture is much easier to build & weatherproof than some odd shape The important thing to remember is the internal electrical parts must never get wet Remember you are dealing with high voltage! Decide what size 'fixture' you need, then get whatever materials you prefer to work with (wood/metal/plastic/cementboard/etc). For the electrical part you have a couple choices - get a shoplight & mount it inside (easy, but will limit where the light is), Or get A Ballast & Sockets which is harder but you have the ability to place the bulbs where you want/need them (if you live where it gets cold, whichever way you go make sure you use an Electronic Ballast. For the front panel you can use Plexiglas (don't use real glass) or the plastic light panels meant for lights in grid ceilings Cut your words/designs into place a piece of 1/8" hardboard or Plywood sized to fit behind the Plexiglas/plastic front Bulbs/Notes To make 'colored bulbs' go to a local hobby or craft store and pick up a roll of transparent colored plastic. Cover the bulbs with one or more layers of the plastic to get the desired color. The other (expensive but safer & longer lasting) way is to get colored plastic panels (or something like 'stage gels' (i believe that's what they call the colored pieces used for covering stage lighting) Notes: If it gets below zero, the thing probably will not light... to help prevent this, do not use 'energy saver' bulbs, and try to turn it on while the sun is up. Or if you can get a deal on one, use a light with an electronic ballast Make sure to protect the electrical parts from getting wet- if you are in a place that gets allot of rain or wet snow place it inside. In most places you should be able to place the light outside as long as all holes in it have been blocked. Be careful with fluorescent type lights - when on they can generate up to 850 volts -- easily enough to kill or start a fire. In some cases you may have to ground the fixture to make it light (I don't know why) this is the 'happy' from 'happy new year' These didn't turn out real good it's tough to get a good image of a light. It will look closer to the bottom one at night Warning! Danger! High Voltage Electrical safety is not to be taken lightly especially when dealing with high voltages The purpose of Fluorescent Ballasts is to do 2 things: (1) Provide a high voltage to light the bulbs (2) Once on, limit current through the bulbs (otherwise they would blow almost instantly. Don't be fooled, just because it limits current does not mean it can't harm you... There is easily enough current there and with the high voltage A Ballast can kill you easily - or at least give severe electrical burns (which i'm told are much worse/more painful than fire burns... this is especially true for Electronic Ballasts, which are far more dangerous than standard ones because they operate at even higher voltages, and can deliver it instantly. As stated in the building section above, the electrical parts can NOT get wet - with the high voltages they operate at, even alittle water can cause a big problem. If you live in a place that gets lots of rain (esp heavy rain) place the entire fixture somewhere where it will not even get rained on. -More warnings at bottom of page- StrobeLight Want some really bright Xmas Lights? Buy (or build) a strobe light. This can give quite a nice effect Instead of putting a star on top of the tree, install a colored strobe there. or maybe at the corners of the house? there are quite a few places where you could put something like that...and you will have the brightest Christmas lights around! one thing that would really impressive would be to put a bunch of different colored strobes in a large tree...but it would also be very expensive (way too expensive) Warning! A strobelight uses at least 4000 volts to make the flash, be careful that it is in a weatherproof enclosure if you put it outside It's probably best not to use this type of light if you are right near a busy road or intersection Disclaimer: All info here is provided as is without warranty of any sort I can not be held responsible for any problems/damages/injuries/ etc caused by the use or misuse of this info Warning: read all the following before you continue. The info on these pages can be DANGEROUS. Electricity can KILL or INJURE you, be careful and treat it with full respect. Electricity can also cause FIRES, again be careful with it. Fluorescent Light Ballasts increase the 120volts input to 600 or more volts... while 120volts is easily enough to cause death, this increased voltage is much more dangerous... A Electronic Ballast is even more likely to cause serious burns or DEATH. A Fluorescent Light should be considered ARMED and DANGEROUS whenever it is on (whether there are bulbs in it or not) Fluorescent Lights can also hold a charge even after being unplugged, (especially if turned on with no bulbs in it). I Can't stress enough, be extremely careful - a Fluorescent Light Ballast burn or even can kill you A note to anyone who may be coming here looking for some weird stuff like Suicide by Fluorescent Light ... don't even try it, the most likely thing that will happen is you will end up with is an extremely painful electrical burn. Never work on any electric product plugged in. If you don't know anything about electricity / electric products, don't even try any of these. There is no guarantee that this actually will work - build at your own risk. Always have someone double check your work before connecting power to anything you've worked on. Electricity and Water do not mix. Avoid working in any area where flammable products (such as gas/ paint/etc) are stored or used Do not work with electric items when you are tired, being tired will only increase the chance of mistakes Avoid working on electric products if you have consumed any alcoholic beverages or drugs (medical or otherwise) as these will impair your ability to concentrate on your work if you become frustrated while working on something, set it down and walk away (turn off / unplug any equipment you have on) Keep your work area clean and organized. If you work in a room/ area without windows (or work at night) install a automatic backup light... that way when you blow a circuitbreaker/fuse you will not be in the dark. Do not overload Circuits/Extension cords/Lightsets/ Etc Modifying any electric product WILL VOID any warranty on it Using any electric product for other than its intended use WILL VOID any warranty on it In addition there is a chance you will void your insurance by using modified electric items, if that item causes a problem such as a fire This is only a partial list of the cautions/dangers there are many more not listed here (but still apply) Always remember... Be safe! It is not worth risking your life or home over an electric item! This page and the images on it (c) 1999 - 2007 James K