Thanks for moving this thread to the right forum. Here’s the project that I need help with.
We have an heirloom dollhouse built 60 years ago. It’s an amazing piece of work with incredible detail. It’s all in pretty good shape except for the lighting system. There is a little light bulb in the ceiling of each room and hallway. Most of the bulbs are burned out. I could only get one to work, and that was very dim. I spent a little time trying to see if I could get the other light to work without success. I ended up fixing up the rest of the dollhouse and giving it to my granddaughter for Christmas. I told her that I would fix the light later.
So now that’s what I’d like to do. I’ll first describe what I know about the current wiring, then explain what I propose to do. I would appreciate any suggestions or help in getting it right.
There are markings on the bulb bases, but they are almost impossible to read. As best I can tell, they say 2.5V and 0.3A. One says "GE50". Here are a couple of photos:
Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting &
Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting. After doing a little research, I believe them to be #14 bulbs with an E10 base like these: **broken link removed**. I tried to get a voltage reading at the light sockets, but there is barely enough space for the probes and my hands and I can’t see into the sockets. All of the sockets seem to be hot, but the readings were all over the place.
On one side of the house, there is a hole through which extends one of those very old cloth-covered 110VAC power cords. The cord does not appear to be damaged at all, but there is no strain relief around the hole.
The power cord goes into a sealed box underneath the house about 6" x 8" x 1". I assume it contains a transformer of some type. It is glued shut, probably to keep small fingers out. I haven’t broken into it yet. On the back wall of the transformer housing are 4 very old push-button style switches. I forgot to take a photo and I cannot find anything similar. They are black, with a round base, and a button that looks more like one of twist heat controls on old toasters. They are also loose. But they seem to work.
I would like to replace the power cord and the transformer with a battery pack (first choice) or one of those 12V wall wart transformers. I’d really prefer the battery pack to eliminate 100V entirely and then there would be no cord to trip over. Then I’d replace the #14 bulbs with E10 base LEDs.
I found the LEDs at LEDLight.com. A sales rep was very helpful. They make several versions. He said that the flat and concave models spread the light better. The round ones are more for flashlights. Here are the links:
And they come in 4-5 colors, which could be fin for the child.
They also sell battery packs. Most of them hold 4 AA or AAA (1.5V) batteries in series for a 6V power source. Here are a couple:
Will this work? How many bulbs can I power with one setup using 8 AA batteries in series? The house has about 12 light fixtures in all. Can it handle a variable number of lights being on at the same time?
Is there a better way that doesn’t require 8 batteries? I have a little pocket flashlight with 9 LEDs that uses three AAAs and is so bright I cannot look directly at it. I also have a little keychain flashlight with one LED that runs on 1 AAA battery, also very bright. I see 1.5V LEDs from many sources, but none with E10 bases.
The other alternative is to use a wall wart transformer. LEDLight.com sells one for $15. Here’s the link:
Power Supply LED Light 12 VDC 25 Watt - Low Voltage LED Lights - LEDLight. The sales rep said is it intended for LEDs. This doesn’t get rid of the power cord, but it does eliminate the need to replace batteries.
So, I’d appreciate suggestions for the best solution. The dollhouse is currently clear across the country, but we will be visiting in a few months. My plan is to make a bench top model and get it all working, then take it to install at the next visit.
What’s the vote: batteries or wall wart?
One final question. Is there some way to wire up 9V batteries to get close enough to 12V to light the LEDs?
Thanks in advance.