Christmas lights
Discussion
So the one thing that has caused most grief this Christmas is the bloody tree lights.
They have their own built in timer that if used with a normal household timer switch defaults to a silly lighting pattern. The built in 8 hour timer doesn’t work. So you’re back to switching them on when you want them on, and cycling through 8 different lighting settings, one of which triggers epilepsy in passing dogs.
How is that progress? I just want to have my bloody tree lights on from 1600 to 2300, and use the occasional over ride if I’m feeling festive.
They have their own built in timer that if used with a normal household timer switch defaults to a silly lighting pattern. The built in 8 hour timer doesn’t work. So you’re back to switching them on when you want them on, and cycling through 8 different lighting settings, one of which triggers epilepsy in passing dogs.
How is that progress? I just want to have my bloody tree lights on from 1600 to 2300, and use the occasional over ride if I’m feeling festive.
The problem with both of the previous suggestions is that when the smart plug, or external timer switches on the power, a great many Christmas lights sets (as mentioned by the OP) default to some stupidly fast flashing mode. When then changed to a more pleasing gradual colour change mode, which is what is actually required, this setting is "forgotten" as soon as the smart switch turns the lights off, and when they come back on, they'll be madly flashing away again.
I've had the same issue with quite a few different sets of lights, and have basically given up trying to find ones that maintain the set pattern after a power cycle.
I've had the same issue with quite a few different sets of lights, and have basically given up trying to find ones that maintain the set pattern after a power cycle.
C n C said:
The problem with both of the previous suggestions is that when the smart plug, or external timer switches on the power, a great many Christmas lights sets (as mentioned by the OP) default to some stupidly fast flashing mode. When then changed to a more pleasing gradual colour change mode, which is what is actually required, this setting is "forgotten" as soon as the smart switch turns the lights off, and when they come back on, they'll be madly flashing away again.
I've had the same issue with quite a few different sets of lights, and have basically given up trying to find ones that maintain the set pattern after a power cycle.
Strangely the setup I suggested is exactly what I have and it works perfectlyI've had the same issue with quite a few different sets of lights, and have basically given up trying to find ones that maintain the set pattern after a power cycle.
Steady on when the timer turns it on at all times.
Any half tidy set of LED lights these days will remember what the last setting was.
Our current lights are LED ones bought from B&Q, probably 5 years ago, they are plugged into grouped smart sockets (the wife has 2 different trees and other lights) and they come back on with the last setting- the only one the wife likes from a selection of about 10 - 100% reliably, even after having been in the loft for 11 months.
Our current lights are LED ones bought from B&Q, probably 5 years ago, they are plugged into grouped smart sockets (the wife has 2 different trees and other lights) and they come back on with the last setting- the only one the wife likes from a selection of about 10 - 100% reliably, even after having been in the loft for 11 months.
@Sherman and @Motorman - I guess I've just been unlucky with getting several LED sets of lights over the past 10 years (mostly from B&Q funnily enough) which don't seem to behave properly.
I did get one set which worked for one Christmas, but then reverted to the aforementioned behaviour the following year.
I did get one set which worked for one Christmas, but then reverted to the aforementioned behaviour the following year.
C n C said:
@Sherman and @Motorman - I guess I've just been unlucky with getting several LED sets of lights over the past 10 years (mostly from B&Q funnily enough) which don't seem to behave properly.
I did get one set which worked for one Christmas, but then reverted to the aforementioned behaviour the following year.
Buy the decent ones not B&Q Verve own brand.I did get one set which worked for one Christmas, but then reverted to the aforementioned behaviour the following year.
Because of kids / wife we have a fairly complex set of lights which I had smart plugged over the years
We purchased 4 identical sets, 2 are random when you turn them on, two remeber the last setting. Chinesium I guess
The ones that don’t remember the setting I now just leave on (on our gutters) as they are so low powered I’m guessing they probably only cost 50p for the month
I am being asked to investigate rgb programable lights so you can animate them, but it’s just another faff I’d rather not enrol into
We purchased 4 identical sets, 2 are random when you turn them on, two remeber the last setting. Chinesium I guess
The ones that don’t remember the setting I now just leave on (on our gutters) as they are so low powered I’m guessing they probably only cost 50p for the month
I am being asked to investigate rgb programable lights so you can animate them, but it’s just another faff I’d rather not enrol into
sherman said:
C n C said:
@Sherman and @Motorman - I guess I've just been unlucky with getting several LED sets of lights over the past 10 years (mostly from B&Q funnily enough) which don't seem to behave properly.
I did get one set which worked for one Christmas, but then reverted to the aforementioned behaviour the following year.
Buy the decent ones not B&Q Verve own brand.I did get one set which worked for one Christmas, but then reverted to the aforementioned behaviour the following year.
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