Series or parallel

[Zum]

Thought I knew what I was going to do but now Im wondering.
Small little interior lights, hatches and such...series or parallel?
Was thinking parallel but series(daisy chain) would be less bulky, easier to hide the wire.
Series is fine as long as I dont exceed the voltage draw, correct?
Both would work and parallel is good if 1 light were to go out but series seems easier. I know led's are polarity wired but other then that is there something Im missing?

 

[LDUBS]

I guess my brain is just wired in parallel. To me it is easier to troubleshoot because I understand what is happening and less concern about voltage drop, I think. For small interior lights I guess running them in series would make each fixture's connection less bulky, but other than that, it seems you still be hiding the same amount of wiring.

I'm not very knowledgable in this area. It won't hurt my feelings if someone says I'm all wet.

 

[Bailey Boat]

Series will be the easiest installation, but parallel will the the easiest to troubleshoot. Be careful on installation and you should be okay.

 

[MrGiggles]

Parallel. Every bulb gets 12v, and you won't lose the whole string if one burns out.

In series, every bulb adds resistance to the circuit. I=V/R. So, say you had four equal lights on the 12v circuit, each light is only getting 3 volts. To get the same brightness as parallel, you would need to step the voltage up to 48 volts.

 

[GTS225]

Go with Mr. Giggle's advice...... because he's right.

Roger

 

[Zum]

Go with Mr. Giggle's advice...... because he's right.

Roger

While he's right,as long as you dont go over the total voltages(running voltage) of the lights added together,should be fine. Im not 100% but shouldnt effect the brightness if you dont exceed that total voltage.
3 lights drawing 3v each total 9v so a 12v system should be fine in series.Im not sure what voltage,the lights I bought use.
I'll probably still do parallel due to trouble shooting.

 

[LDUBS]

Oops! <deleted>

 

[LaqueRatt]

I'm guessing we're actually talking LEDs here? If so I'm not sure if much of the previous advice applies or is relevant. I wire all incandescent bulbs in parallel unless I want to dim the bulbs a bit, then I go with series. It makes quite a difference with old style bulbs.

Edit: reread the post. He's using LEDs. So not much in the way of V drop, right? Probably not an issue with prefabbed lighting devices, but when starting from scratch it's important to put a load resistor in the circuit. LEDs have such a low resistance that it's basically a short circuit hooking them up without a load on them. Two Halloweens ago I cooked some LEDs when I foolishly forgot this simple fact. Them LEDs blew one at at time until they all went dead within a few hours.

 

[thill]

I don't see that wiring in series is any easier. Run your wire, and then strip both sides, without cutting the wire, anywhere you want a light to be. Split the strands, push the pigtails through and wrap and insulate. Makes for a quick, easy connection, and no issues after.

I often use a blob of E6000 or GOOP around the connection, then wrap in electrical tape to make sure it's waterproof long-term.

 

[LDUBS]

I don't see that wiring in series is any easier. Run your wire, and then strip both sides, without cutting the wire, anywhere you want a light to be. Split the strands, push the pigtails through and wrap and insulate. Makes for a quick, easy connection, and no issues after.

I often use a blob of E6000 or GOOP around the connection, then wrap in electrical tape to make sure it's waterproof long-term.

If I follow you are basically twisting the stranded wires together? Why not use a crimp connector.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Why not solder? I've never had a soldered joint fail.

 

[MrGiggles]

Why not solder? I've never had a soldered joint fail.

I just dislike having to drag out an iron and a cord when you can crimp a connector on in seconds with hand tools and a butane torch.

Plus fiddling around with a hot iron while you're cramped up under a dashboard is asking to get branded.

 

[thill]

If you have a good trigger solder gun, it works very well when using good wire. I've seen soldered joints fail, especially with cheap, small gauge wires. (Which often come on LED lights) They get brittle and break off from vibration, often where they are soldered into the LED.

Big wires, like battery cables are solid when soldered. It's a good method, overall, but needs good technique for durability.

 

[thill]

If I follow you are basically twisting the stranded wires together? Why not use a crimp connector.

You absolutely can, LDUBS.

The above method works well with strings of LED lights where you want it neat and don't want to cut the wire. You strip a small section of wire, untwist/split the strands, run the pigtail wires through the split areas and then re-twist tightly. Insulate it, and it's strong, secure, watertight and very neat.

Just one of many ways to do it. When you cut, crimp and seal every joint, you end up with many cuts and connections. Tends to be pretty ugly. But if you do it right, it works just the same. Make one bad crimp, and you can have issues.

When I'm rigging LED lights in parallel, I have gone to the above method most of the time with zero issues over many years. I used to add solder, but it didn't make any real difference, and just added an extra step, so I stopped somewhere along the line.

One big thing is using GOOD wire. Cheap, non-tinned wire, especially in thin gauge is going to fail. Often, it corrodes inside of the insulation, despite being sealed properly

 

[LDUBS]

You absolutely can, LDUBS.

The above method works well with strings of LED lights where you want it neat and don't want to cut the wire. You strip a small section of wire, untwist/split the strands, run the pigtail wires through the split areas and then re-twist tightly. Insulate it, and it's strong, secure, watertight and very neat.

Just one of many ways to do it. When you cut, crimp and seal every joint, you end up with many cuts and connections. Tends to be pretty ugly. But if you do it right, it works just the same. Make one bad crimp, and you can have issues.

When I'm rigging LED lights in parallel, I have gone to the above method most of the time with zero issues over many years. I used to add solder, but it didn't make any real difference, and just added an extra step, so I stopped somewhere along the line.

One big thing is using GOOD wire. Cheap, non-tinned wire, especially in thin gauge is going to fail. Often, it corrodes inside of the insulation, despite being sealed properly

Good stuff. Thanks!

 

[LaqueRatt]

You can also solder with a small butane torch. I have one I got just for that purpose.

 

[thill]

I've got one, too. Part of a pencil torch set off Ebay, I believe. Works great in a hurry!

Make sure to clean, flux and tin the heat tip a little more often than your electric one, as it tends to get hotter and oxidize faster.

 

[InSaneFisherMan]

Why not solder, ABYC E -11 has speicific standards on soldering.