Worry Free Wiring: A question about hidden wiring problems. . My solution: Run solid, break free sections of wire beneath siding and where it's not available in the finished wall or floor. Solder all joins. Coat them with Silicon Sealer (aquarium sealer). This will take a long time because you have to let this sealer cure or dry overnight. The wait will be worth it. You can now go on and dress the rest of the house without worry about wiring. I often run wires out the side beneath a hollow chimney or wood box or some exterior feature. Then hinge the feature to allow access to this junction. Very like a fuse box for a real house. How else to access the wiring. Maybe you can make a real looking fuse box to contain your wire junctions if the period allows.

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Street Gas Lamps: we make a couple of street gas lamps - one that is a wall fitting, the other is the traditional standard street light - but as we make them our selves we can make them to any height required - you only have to ask - not extra charge for special heights! Check out our web site - http://www.grandadsplayroom.com

David & Joyce Betts

Wiring a House: I started mine on the side right near the back edge. I put my little connector piece on the base of the dollhouse, which meant splicing right away, but I imagine you could start up higher so you wouldn't have to do that. I started out by running wire tape all along the wall about an inch to 1 1/2" above the floor. (Remember you will put in baseboards and you don't want to cover your tape with them.) I went up and over the doorway and on around. Then I went up the wall (where you may want a wall light on either side of the wall) over to the back edge near the side, around the wall again and so on. If you want a ceiling light in, say the kitchen, run a tape from the wall in the room above to the center of the floor and make a hole and bring the wire from the ceiling lamp below up and fasten it to the electric system above. Much easier. Cover floor with carpet or whatever you choose. Just don't fasten it down permanently in case you ever have an electrical problem with your light. Where I wall papered over light connections, I cut a piece of wallpaper to go over that connection that can be peeled off without destroying the rest of my wallpaper job. I stuck that one little strip of wallpaper on with the tacky stuff. Good way to go for porch lights and sconces. I wired them on the opposite side of the wall they were mounted on and did the wallpaper trick in the room where the wire was. If you are going to paint your walls before you wallpaper, you can paint first then wire. If you are leaving your walls painted, then wire first, then paint. You will have to think of other ways to hide any wiring of lights on the wall then if they are up high, like hanging a wall hanging or picture or mirror over them. When you have to splice, just cut your wire tape, lay the other piece on it and put your brads in, taking care to make sure the outside wire is matched with the outside wire on the other piece. I used Cir-cut. The wires (tapes) are different colors now, which helps. When I did it, they weren't. Used two brads on the connections as the instructions say. Keep using your tester whenever you join two tapes. I kept testing and testing. Otherwise, when you get done and it doesn't work, you won't know where to begin to look. Just go slow and think about where you want your lights.

Linda

Battery Operated Lights: I have done several projects with battery operated lights. I usually get my hubby involved, but I have done some myself now. Here is how it works. First thing you need to know and applies to all electricity, is the voltage of the bulb versus the source. The battery can be less, but never more as it will blow the light. Multiple lights usually require multiple batteries. I highly recommend soldering the wires together whenever possible. It eliminates the possibility of coming apart. There are some sources of pre-made battery holders that can be found at places like Radio Shack. This includes the 9 Volt tab top. This would power a single 12 volt light, but it would not burn brightly (then the bulb lasts longer too).

If you want to go small such as the watch battery size. Then you will need to create a housing, cardboard is OK. Watch batteries have a positive and negative side, one wire to the light goes to one and the other to the other. (Yes, it is really that simple.) You just have to figure out how to keep it that way. Tape, such as a medical cloth tape is good for wire to battery. When designing your battery housing also keep in mind, that it such be out of site, but easy to access to replace them. If you can't accomplish this you may want to just plug it in instead.

To add a switch is the best way to turn on for limited amounts of time. This could be added in by cutting into one light wire at some point. Then create a "jumper" from the switch to the battery. If you cut into a wire from the light, then use the cut off portion for the "jumper". Otherwise you would need to add another wire for a "jumper". Radio Shack carries some very small switches that would even work for 1/144th scale, if mounted to a base. These are push button and some you have to push and hold on to be on. This is what I'd recommend for a small project. The actual mounting of this button is up to you. Once you see one you will understand this part. There are many other switches available at Radio Shack. I have purchased several different kinds. I use them in both battery operated and regular, as I like to leave the power source plugged in to the socket, but turn off the lights.

I created a mini pin once using battery power. It was using a matchbox and the on/off switch was the sliding in/out of the box. We used a metal tape as the switch in the case. This metal tape can be soldered to. It is also a good way to connect to the battery also. This pin was a great idea, which works best for viewing in a dim or no light room. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

Also don't think a miniature store (on or off line) is your only source of mini lighting. I highly recommend that you support the mini industry, however, I have not always found what I need and Radio Shack had it. (I'm sure there are other stores like them, I just can't think of any that most people will recognize.) I don't recommend batteries for a big project like a house, too many lights, I'd hard wire instead. The battery option is great for a simple vignette, such as in a bag, or other container.

Preble in GA

Lighting: In choosing lighting fixtures with glass shades, take into account whether the glass is frosted or clear. Frosted glass will give a diffuse, flat, general light. This would be appropriate for kitchens, bathrooms, etc. Clear glass allows the interior to sparkle (if you have anything that shines: glass, gold or silver finishes, etc.) It is also more dramatic, creating more light and shadow. This also applies to unshielded lights, such as electric candelabras. Caution: too much "clear light" can cause glare. Also take into account whether or not the light will be reflected in a mirror. (Old designer's trick to reflect light in a mirror to increase light in a room.) If you are lighting the interior from a dollhouse or room box frame, for example putting a row of lights hidden by the front aspect of the frame in a room box- light that is not part of the mini scene but light that allows you to see into the box, then be careful about placement of mirrors or it will reflect the fixtures you are trying to hide.

I have see mini track lights and surface mounted cans. On some, the light bulb is allowed to extend past the can. If you choose these directional lights for accent lighting, the can, which is supposed to surround the light and punch it out in a given direction, will not do the job. The light will be distributed in all directions just as in general lighting. Other designs have the light bulb recessed into the can where it should be, but the inside of the can is painted black and absorbs most of the light, so little light is allowed to get out. Do not paint the interior of any existing cans that you may have. The paint has to be special heat resistant paint! If you use a picture light on a picture frame- use it with matte finished pictures. Glass framed pictures will reflect the light source. Stained glass: Whether is on doors, skylights or table lamps, be aware that whatever colors are in the stained glass will be cast onto the interior. Be sure it doesn't alter your interior color scheme.

Kathy from Tustin

I'm Wired! Or at least my shop is...I just finished my first wiring, and it all works! I thought it might be useful to share my experience as it seems lots of us are intimidated by the thought of electrifying our houses. First of all, my project is a RGT Front Opening shop, made of 3/8" plywood, basically one big open room with a balcony above, so plenty of room to maneuver. I primed all the walls with a regular latex paint first. I did the wiring without the front doors or the roof attached. I used tapewire as it seems simpler to install. I also had and referred to Cir-kit's "Tapewire instruction book" and Tom Berkner's wiring instructions from http://www.dollhouse-miniatures.com/toms-tips/electical.html

As a result of Digest tips I first made paper templates of all the surfaces I plan to paper or apply flooring to. This is to avoid having to trim wallpaper in situ and running the risk of cutting through wiring.

I decided to put my junction splice inside my shop, tucked away in a back corner so that it will be hidden behind the stairs and furniture. That way the outside of my shop doesn't have anything on it except the transformer lead-in wire coming out of a back corner. Taking account of cautions to wire for every eventual need at the start, I ran tape for both wall sockets, sconces and ceiling lights. I ran the downstairs wall socket run first, then drilled a hole through the back wall for the lead-in wire to come in, just below the tape run. This hole needs to be wide enough for the bifurcated lugs to pass through, and I filed and sanded it down so that wood splinters would not damage the wire. In order to thread the lead-in wire through this hole I took off the on/off switch from the wire (a single screw job), then reinserted it after the wire was through the hole. I then installed the junction splice on the right hand wall allowing room behind it for the lead-in wire plug to be inserted and removed.

Two learning experiences here:

1) If you do not buy a wiring kit with everything in it but buy the bits separately, make sure that you get the right lead-in wire. I first got one with bifurcated lugs (the horseshoe shaped contacts) on both ends, whereas what I actually needed was one with the lugs on one end but a two pin plug for the junction splice on the other end.

2) To install the junction splice into the tape you really do have to hit it hard! The Cir-kit book says to pound it, Tom says to hammer it, and they are right. I was very nervous about the amount of force I had to use to get the thing seated properly. I used a rubber mallet; I don't know how it would stand up to hammering with a metal hammer. I also was able to upend my shop so that the side wall I was hammering the splice into was against a firm surface; I would not like to do it on an unsupported wall. I also don't know how it could be hammered hard enough in a confined space; perhaps that is why the instructions are for installation on the house exterior. I also was unable to screw the securing wood screw for the splice fully in; my husband reckons this may be because I did not think to make a pilot hole for the screw first. All in all installing the junction splice was the hardest part of the whole exercise.

Once the junction splice was installed I tested the first tape run using the dinky little test probe from Cir-kit, and it worked! I then methodically added all the rest of the tape layout, testing after doing every junction. Having read Tom's archived tips about brads and eyelets, I went with using eyelets. I do not have Tom's special punch but do have an EZ Punch from Real Good Toys, which seemed to work well. I used four eyelets at each junction, making a small pilot dent with the punch for each eyelet.

I thought that I had successfully finished the wiring, until my husband helpfully asked why I didn't want to be able to put a light above the shop door. To give him credit, he did then help me work out how to extend the wire circuit through the hinges to the front door. And that circuit worked too!

So, the shell is now wired, has another coat of paint and is ready for papering everywhere. Oh yes, one other thing. If you make a mistake with placing the tape and peel it off to try again, the tape will have wrinkles in it, so you may want to use a fresh length even though the removed length is still sticky. Overall, I found the experience much easier and straight forward than I had feared, as long as you plan out your layout first and go about it steadily.

Wendy in Clinton, NJ

Lighting: Beth Ann asked about the tape and round wire lighting systems. I know this is a recurrent subject, so please excuse me if you feel this has been discussed too much. I just think lighting is one of the key points when building a dollhouse, that's why I'm adding my two cents.

I was decided to use tape in my house because it looks easy and clean (no tools, no dust...). Then, I started hearing remarks about dim lights, installations failing and difficult to repair and that it was a very expensive system. I became scared. I was planning a big house and did not want it ruined by a bad electrical installation. So I began paying attention to the round wire system and found it is not as hard to install as I had thought.
Now I'm definitely using round wire. I believe the pros of tape are:

- - Easy to install, there's no need of using drills or soldering irons
- - If you get all the walls taped with two horizontal strips, one near the ceiling and one near the floor, it will be very easy in the future to add new fixtures or change their position.
But the cons comparing to round wire are:
- - It is much more expensive. You must buy the tape itself, plus the eyelets to make connections and the what's-its-name thing to push these eyelets, plus one adapter for every lamp. With round wire I only had to buy plastic tube to conduct the wires and copper tape to make the circuit on the back panel of the house.
- - Maintenance can become difficult. The tape is under the wallpaper. If it fails, you have to try the circuit in different places with the test bulb, to locate the failing section, and then replace the strip of tape, removing the decoration and possibly ruining the wallpaper.
- - Depending on what type of wallpaper or paint you are using, tape can be visible under it. Wire runs trough grooves in the wall, completely invisible. Opening the grooves seems frightening, but the appropriate Dremel bit can do the trick, or even with a craft knife and some patience it can be achieved.
I think the big difference between tape and wire is that with tape the electrical installation is ON the house, but with wire the house has only a preinstallation, the actual wiring belongs to the lamps. So I find it easier to maintain.
Please keep in mind this is only my humble opinion from personal experience.

Alicia from Spain

Extra Transformer: You can use 2 transformers on one tape wiring system and you can either splice or use a "bridging cord". I have 3 transformers on my large house but I used separate wiring systems for each.

Carol

Extra Transformer: My DH wired my dh. He ran three lots of wires so that at a switch only the fireplaces flickered. Another switch turned every light on in the dh, and the third switch turned on the lights as if the occupants were away - porch lights, hall lights, dimmed lights in the bedrooms etc. I purchased a transformer that would take up to 30 lights which I thought was huge and would 'do the trick' - Wrong:) When DH discarded it out as too small for the job, I suggested simply adding another transformer to one of the switches but he reckoned it was not worth the risk. So instead we brought a much larger transformer which works beautifully:) My advice is to be very careful in simply adding additional transformers to one outlet, DH reckons it is not worth the risk of the small one overheating.

Kim from Oz

Extra Transformer: Sandra asked if you could use two transformers on a dollhouse without splitting the circuit into 2 circuits. The answer is yes, BUT you must know what you are doing. The two transformers are wired in parallel, and they MUST be phased. If you do not know what it means to wire in parallel or how to phase 2 transformers, don't do it. You can destroy the transformers very easily if they are not in phase, and then they would be "fighting" against each other.

Barb Jones

Extra Transformer: If you are using Tape wire, the 40watt output transformer is the largest size you should use. Vern Skaar (owner of Cir-Kit) told me that the tape wire is not designed to carry more current that this provides. Having said that, you can double the capability by using an unusual wiring technique. I won't post it here, 'cause I don't want you getting into trouble. If you really think you need to do this, and know something about wiring, contact me and I will explain it to you. Because the transformers aren't matched, it is best to NOT use more than one transformer on a circuit.

Tom Berkner

Extra Transformer: It is not safe to run two transformers in parallel. The current into the lamps may be shared but even with a pair of "identical" transformers there will be slight variations. Hence, one transformer will supply more current than the other. This could lead to overloading this transformer which would get very hot. In the limit, if the transformers were not matched at all, one would not only supply all the current to the lamps but could drive current into the second transformer. This would get even hotter and if it didn't blow a fuse could begin to smoke with eventual disaster. If your lamp load exceeds the maximum your transformer can supply, use a second transformer in a separate supply line.

Neil Helsby

Battery Operated Lights: You were looking for a specific kind of battery light. We carry really wonderful battery operated lights (both in clear and colored). They use 2 AA batteries. There are 10 lights on a 20 inch strand BUT there is a lead wire to the 1st light that is about 3 inches long. You can cut off the other nine lights and just use one light. This may seem wasteful but the lights are very inexpensive. I'm sure with your creative mind you could even come up with projects to do out of the lights you cut off. jeanl@instanet.com www.minitrees.com

Jean Lierman

Hard wiring: For routing the grooves I use my Dremel and or woodcutting tools. If you are using birch ply the woodcutters work well. However, you have better control with the Dremel and a routing bit. i also rout out areas on the floor above for chandeliers. It turns into quite a maze but I always found it worth while. You have to keep a map of your lines. I tried copper tape ONE time and had an awful time keeping sconces up and putting in the grommets. So I went back to hard wire. The wires are laid with Tacky glue and when dry I put down spackle. The wiring will go to the roof, the back of a room, or under a building depending on where I think it will work best. I cover all the edges with either 3/8's strip wood or veneer strips.

Hope you can make sense of this. I taught this once, including the splicing, shrinks and attaching the wire with copper tape tabs to copper tape line that has the junction on it for transformer. Always had examples to show so writing it isn't very easy. I learned all this 25 yr ago from a miniature shop owner and it's never failed me. I've used a false wall in the back of rooms where I've inserted a window, door etc. and then I have the wires attached back there. It's usually for thin ply or 3/8.

Roberta

Street Gas Lamps: we make a couple of street gas lamps - one that is a wall fitting, the other is the traditional standard street light - but as we make them our selves we can make them to any height required - you only have to ask - not extra charge for special heights! Check out our web site - http://www.grandadsplayroom.com

David & Joyce Betts

Hammering Brads into MDF: We recommend that you make a pilot hole first using a fine pin in a pin vice - you should then find that hammering in the brad should be easier - to fit hollow eyelets use a 1.5mm drill, but do not hammer the eyelet you may damage it, put it home using the insertion tool. We can supply all these items.

David & Joyce Betts

Flickering Bulbs: These bulbs can be found at http://www.pretty-petals.com The owners are very nice people, and while not specializing in miniatures (they are more into Dept 56) they do carry a lot of mini items.

Lurking in FL, Liz

Castle wiring: Cutting channels in the foam and then covering the channel with Bristol board ( a card stock ) is exactly the method I use.. This method has an additional benefit of leaving the wire loose in the channel so that if you leave a little extra at the bottom you can pull the fixture out of you ever have to work on them.

Rik Pierce

Wiring - Foam Insulation Board: And, as to your wiring question for foam insulation board.....I use my Dremel to cut channels, and do general shaping and, I've been known to use an old electric kitchen knife....but that's another story. The foam boards are soft enough that its easy to do. And, just for safety reasons, I'd line mine with wood strips, plastic tubing or electrical tape...what ever you happen to have handy! I'm getting ready to do a multi-tiered pond with landscaping and lighting and will use foam core board for some of the landscaping....planning to use plastic tubing for the wires to run thru. Hope this helps! I know there are many others out there with far more experience with wiring than I, so you may get lots of answers!

Sloan

Small Area Lighting: An alternative method for lighting small room boxes or bags are the shirt lights (small battery packs with a few lights on the ends of the wires - don't get very hot, come in clear and multi-colored) - About $5 or less at most craft stores (look for the t-shirt supplies)

Dollladie