I've got a few strings of white LEDs that plug into the wall and have a small control box with a single pushbutton that switches the lights into different patterns of lighting. Inside the box there's an IC and four transistors about the size of 2N3914s. I worked out previously that each transistor controls one fourth of the lights.
I want to just plug this thing in and have constant light, so I want to stop the switching from one pattern to another.
A few years ago I worked out the schematic for these things but I've lost it. In that one I removed the IC and I'm pretty sure I just tied the bases of the transistors high after that. But I'm looking for something even simpler.
It occurs to me that, since SOME LEDs are ALWAYS on, though not always the same ones, maybe if I just tie all the transistor bases together without any other circuit changes, they'll all just stay on. The possible flaw with this is that if all are ever off at the same time, then the combined setup will still go dark momentarily every once in a while. I don't see that in the patterns, but things move quickly in some of the patterns.
Now, this is a silly inconsequential thing, but it's also a way to learn things and it's fun. Be critical if you want.
Does anybody have any idea whether there'd be a problem tying the bases together to get what I'm looking for?
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything. "The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
