Scott=A0Evans wrote: I will be doing some interior lighting soon in some model RR structures, and have available to me a bunch of old wall-wart type of transformers. Most of these put out AC voltage, but I could easily put a rectifier/capacitor on the output to make smooth DC. Because of the lighting I'm doing, longevity of the bulbs is important as I don't want to be having to replace hard-to-reach bulbs very often, if at all, as I would like to be able to hard-wire and glue the bulbs in place. Assuming I run these lights at about 80-90% of rated voltage and the intensity on AC or DC is similar, does anyone have any real-life experience on whether DC really helps the bulbs last longer, or whether it really doesn't make significant difference? In theory, DC would be better, but has that been proven in real-life experience?
--------------------------------------------------- I've always used DC for my lights. I power the lights at about 65-75% of the rated voltage.
"They" say AC is easier on the lights. What I do is change the polarity occasionally. Many of the lights I use are miniature Christmas tree lamps.
The only "burnout" I've had is one of the Christmas tree lamps and that was in the second most inaccessible place on my layout.
You could place two lights on the most inaccessible structures so that if one goes, the other will still be on.
The lights should last almost forever if you power them at a reduced voltage. The more you reduce the voltage, the longer they'll last. I like 65-75%.
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