Things that Work! Home Power tests Backwoods Solar's LED Christmas Lights It's not often that Technology and Serendipity combine to make something perfect. Backwoods Solar sure has done it this time. Their LED Christmas lights are the bee's knees. LEDs? The LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a marvel of semiconductor technology. You know, those cute red, yellow or green lights that inhabit almost all electronic equipment. The LED makes light in a different fashion from either an incandescent or fluorescent sources. The light coming from an LED is produced by electrons as they cross a semiconductor junction. As an electron traverses the junction, it loses energy in the form of visible light. The frequency (or color) of the light depends upon the type of junction in the LED. Some junctions have an energy band gap that allows the electrons to lose energy as red light, some green, and some yellow. Production of light within the LED produces virtually no heat, requires only a couple of volts, and best of all, lasts virtually forever. Mean Time Before Failure for LEDs is measured in human generations. There is every possibility that your great-grandchildren will still be using same LEDs you are using today. Christmas Lights LEDs make ideal decorative lights. The color of the light they produce is very pure. The reds are super red with virtually no other color present. Same for the yellows and greens. This is due to the nature of the LED junction. LEDs are the most efficient light producers that technology has ever developed. They require only miniscule amounts of power to operate. Being low voltage and cool running, the LEDs are extremely safe. Well, Steve & Elizabeth Willey, and the Crew of Backwoods Solar are making strings of LEDs. These strings contain between 6 and 18 LEDs configured for direct 12 VDC operation. The LEDs are about six inches apart. The string of 18 LEDs consumes 0.060 Amperes at 12 VDC. The LEDs are soldered to the wiring and shrink tubing is used to insulate the connections. The strings are very well made and should last several lifetimes. In fact, Backwoods Solar says they fix 'em for free should they ever fail. The strings are fused and polarity is identified. Not there is any danger or damage should the string be hooked up backwards. The LED strings are available in red, green, yellow, or a mixture of any or all. Using the LED Light Strings These LED strings are far too nice to be used only at Christmas, eventhough they are ideal on a tree. A friend of ours, Butch Russ of Callahan CA, has a set that spends most of its time on his porch railing. It softly illuminates his steps, providing safe access to his home with minimum power consumption. We strung a double set (36 LEDs-all colors) up on the ceiling of Home Power Central. After my eyes adjust to their lower light output, they provide more than enough illumination to navigate the room. I hooked the LED strings to a programmable pulse generator and flashed all the LEDs at around 8 times per second. The effect is spectacular! Conclusion Backwoods Solar's LED Light Strings are not only well made, but the very essence of just plain fun. They are useful to softly illuminate paths, steps and rooms. The strings provide safe, decorative light with extremely low power consumption. Being 12 VDC operated and weatherproof, the strings are ideal of outside lighting. Contact Backwoods Solar at 8530 Rapid Lightning Creek Rd, Sandpoint, ID 83864 or call 208-263-4290.