2011 Big W Lights Starting to Appear on Shelves

[aussiexmas]

Visited our local Big W this morning and there were a few lights on the shelf. Didn't buy any yet so I can't vouch for their 2011 characteristics.
 
This years lights appear the same (or similar) to those from 2010. Starter packs of 200 have clear wire and include transformer & controller at a price just under $20. Extension packs are 100 lights at just under $13. (Still cheaper to buy starter packs and throw the unwanted bits away.) From the shelf labelling, colours and forms (string/icicle) seem to be same as 2010 but with the addition of a multi colour sets labelled "candy" which looks like a pastel or softer version of the standard multi colour lights.
 
When some of the colours that I need appear, I will buy same and provide test results.
 
Regards  Geoff

[Beacy]

Great news I was at Big W Fountain Gate on Tuesday and noticed there were empty shelves -  obviously for lights-
Thanks in advance your testing I look forward to it

[marquisite]

Is it just the extendable strings out at the moment, or have other items like LED rope lights, odd shaped lights, stakes, etc started appearing too?

[aussiexmas]

After checking some of my old lights yesterday and finding several LED sets had expired after last season rains (None were Big W), I purchased a number of Big W sets to use as replacements. (blue icicles & red, green, warm white strings).
 
Testing has shown them to be close to identical to the comparable 2010 set characteristics. I will be running mine from 30V DC.
 
While there were a few other light styles on the shelves apart from the standard strings and icicles, there were still many empty spaces yet to be filled. Only time will tell what else will be sold this year.

[coobyking]

 could'nt help myself, just purchased 24 sets for my mega tree

[Mike]

Not here in WA yet.

I have emailed BigW though hopefully get an answer soon

[DougieB]

They have appeared on the shelf in Gladstone, not much variety and only starter packs. The girls looked at me strangely when I asked if they were getting any extension sets in. Took my number and said they would check. I will be bugging you gus soon on how to mod them for LOR 
Doug

[justinj]

BigW fountain gate has a bunch of their Christmas stuff out too.  I purchased a couple of sets, but it appears as if their big strings (Non extendable) have changed, and instead of being clear coloured LEDs that light up in varying colours, it appears they are going the cheaper route and using white LEDs with coloured plastic.  Makes it look a lot more washed out, so I can only hope they haven't discontinued the clear-coloured ones and they're on backorder or something.

[marquisite]

Big W Elizabeth, SA was putting out their Christmas items when I was there. They had a lot of boxes full of things to put up still. Most of the rope light things were already up so I took a photo of them with prices. Here's a photo to potentially stretch your light budgets...

(Sorry, but you are not allowed to access the gallery)

In terms of led strings, some extension sets were about but looked to be the same as previous years (prices and lengths). The starter sets were no where to be seen.

[coobyking]

just been to Kmart and they are starting to put ther lights out too

[Mike]

Yep Just went to Mandurah here in WA

They have heaps out the back waiting to be stocked and had a decent ammount on the shelves
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Please note the whole empty box on the 3rd shelf. That was red and now they are all gone
Although I needed one more packet 

Kmart was also starting to put stuff out today. only a few xmas trees and ball balls pppfffttt who needs them



Edit: just finished checking all 12 packs of lights and no failures seems better than last year already. Im just wondering if its because the packaging is a bit bigger and the lights arent so squashed/mangled in there.

[David_AVD]

I bought a couple of the multi-coloured sets yesterday to put on the back yard fence line.

It is odd how the 100 LED extensions are $13 while the 200 LED starter kits (with transformer and controller) are $20.  I simply plugged the 200 LED string from the 2nd starter kit into the end of the 200 LED string from the first starter kit and it works fine.  Maybe they are banking on people wanting 100 LED extensions specifically, hence the high price?

The plug pack is 22V AC and rated for 10VA.  The controller employs a full wave (bridge) rectifier so the LEDs are driven at 100 Hz via doubled up SCRs.

I've added the 3 pin connector photo and pinout to the wiki for those interested in hacking these.

[Mike]

Its done to confuse people and they think they need the extension sets. I have talked a few people out of it while I have been buying lights.

Edit: thought I would share with people what I ran them at last year too. 31v DC

I had no failures apart from around 3 sections (total of 30 LEDS) But that looked like it was due to either being pulled or water ingress. Not over volting.

[David_AVD]

I just did a little investigation on the Big W 200 count cool white LED strings I got the other day.

They are arranged as 20 segments of 10 LEDs each.  There is a 200 Ohm series resistor for each segment.

Powering them from 29.8V DC (as high as the bench supply goes), they draw approx 80mA per channel.  ie 160mA for the whole string.  That equates to 8mA per LED and should give a good life.  I think they are bright enough at that current.

When the supply voltage was dropped to 24V DC, the light output died almost completely, so that rules out using them on 24V DC.

[kel]

Would you mind suggesting a PSU for this, pls?