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From: amstein@pixar.UUCP (Peter Amstein)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Why do the rest stay on when one goes out?
Message-ID: <8282@pixar.UUCP>
Date: 23 Dec 89 02:06:54 GMT
Reply-To: amstein@pixar.UUCP (Peter Amstein)
Organization: Pixar -- Marin County, California
Lines: 9

Those small Christmas lights that are quite common are (typically 35 or 50)
series connected low-voltage bulbs.  They still claim that when one goes
out, the rest stay lit - and usually it works.  Does anyone know how this
works?  What's in each of those little bulbs that makes it conduct after
the filament goes?  A resistor connected in parallel with the filament maybe?
Some elfen magic from Santa's workshop?

Peter Amstein
{ucbvax,sun}!pixar!amstein