Combining 12v and LED lights?

[jbnmini]

Is it possible to combine 12v lights and LED lights onto the same tape wire system?

[Vickid]

I’m interested in the answer to this question also. 
I’m working on the Garfield and was thinking of either the attic rooms or the had to reach areas for the LED and the rest for the 12 v

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by Vickid
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[Mid-life madness]

Yes, Check out Creative reproductions to scale. Also, he is very responsive to email, so ask him if none of the videos help you. (Sending good electrical mojo your way!)

Video library CR2scale

CR2scale website

 

[_Roxy_]

You can use basic resistors with any regular led (there are a lot of online calculators that will tell you which resistor value you need depending on the led's color), but this is a little "bad" because it convert the excess voltage in heat. It does not get really hot, except to the touch, but it's less energy efficient. If you only use a few it'll work fine.

You can also find little IC / already-made converters, in this case "buck-down converters" that will take your 12V and turn in to 3V. It's better regarding energy consumption and the resistors won't get warm ; but it takes space* and you'll need a separate tape for leds, which I'm guessing you don't want. (*I'm going to test one that's about as big as a fingernail soon ; easy to hide in furniture but not behind the wallpaper for example).

So if you use the 1st solution, my suggestion is to oversize the resistors a little ; the led will be dimmer but shine longer. Also, make sure your resistors are 1/4W or 1/2W rated, depending on your power calculations. That way they won't risk burning and causing a fire !

Oh, and now that I think about it, a lot of the decorative led strips people put in gaming computers / under kitchen counters are 12V ! I guess you could do fun stuff with it if you can diffuse the individual led spots, or make it work with your aesthetic.

[Husband of Adobe Dollhouse]

Absolutely, you can. I'm a retired EE with a Master's degree. If you have questions about the electrical stuff, I'll be glad to help. PM me.

I did the the electrical connection for my wife's dollhouse although it had regular wiring (rather than tape - makes no difference) and I intermixed 12V incandescent bulbs and LEDs. I even put in a couple of circuits like these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/165421009013?epid=1402279667&hash=item2683dc4875:g:SDwAAOSwgKdiTeGu

so that things that needed lower voltages could be connected to a 12V supply (like 3V battery powered lights).

 

Incandescent 12V bulbs are bidirectional i.e. doesn't matter which end is connected to positive or negative.

LED lights are unidirectional i.e. they will only light if connected correctly. It does NOT hurt the LED to be connected backwards if the voltage is low enough - it just won't light up. The only rule is that LEDs have a maximum reverse voltage. If you exceed that reverse voltage, it will blow out the LED. If you don't know the maximum reverse voltage of your LED, don't connect it backwards.

LEDs also need a current limiter like a resistor or they are toast. LEDs that give a voltage (12V, 5V, 120V) have built-in resistors or circuits already).

You can make or buy a "full wave rectifier". Then it won't matter which way the LED is connected (but it still must have a current limiter already or you need to add one. Here is one type you can purchase:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/303119085566?hash=item46934e2ffe:g:uMwAAOSwuopcqPwX

Or you can build your own with four regular diodes

Edited April 14, 2022 by Husband of Adobe Dollhouse
Correct error

[My Miniature Madness]

I have both LEDs and 12 volt fixtures/bulbs in my Beachside Bungalow. Evan Designs has a transformer that is 5 -12 volts so works for both. I have a blog post about it that shows the product numbers and links here: http://my-miniaturemadness.blogspot.com/2021/07/beachside-bungalow-glued.html

[old goodie]

 I am wondering the same thing.   The cr2s video on led string connectors never answered this question.   I have a 2 light led strip thatI am trying trying to connect to a flat wire with kainer(?) wire.   The connection is good everywhere, but I can't get it to light.   Any ideas would be Helpful.   Thanks.

[My Miniature Madness]

20 hours ago, old goodie said:

 I am wondering the same thing.   The cr2s video on led string connectors never answered this question.   I have a 2 light led strip thatI am trying trying to connect to a flat wire with kainer(?) wire.   The connection is good everywhere, but I can't get it to light.   Any ideas would be Helpful.   Thanks.

Hi OG. I don't have any familiarity with Cr2 products, but my experience is with using Evan Designs 5-12 volt LEDs and traditional 12 volt dollhouse lighting. As long as your LEDs don't exceed 12 volts, and your transformer supports up to 12 volts, you should be able to run the combination together. Keep in mind that LED lights, unlike 12 volt dollhouse lights, have a positive and a negative wire. You have to identify the positive and negative wires/plugs on your transformer to make sure you are connecting them correctly. You do this by testing. If you have the negative wire running to the positive power source, your LEDs won't light. Hope that helps!