WickLED Questions

[davisgraveyard]

I want to use the WickLED's for candles in our outdoor display.  I plan on using the Re-purposed DC-16 to drive 16 of them or more.   

Can I use liquid electrical tape to cover the circuitry on the WickLED to weatherproof it?  Or is there a better suggestion?   I plan on sealing them inside of real wax candles but I just want to make sure they don't get wet.

Based on the guage of the guage of wire that comes with the WickLED what is the longest length of wire I could run one on?  I was thinking of placing the DC-16 centrally and running the wires out to all the candles.  The display is 120 fee wide so in theory I could have runs 60-75 long.

[gadget-evilusions]

You could also just silicone them right into the candles, or silicone the circuitry before placing in the candles. I have never seen liquid electrical tape.

Honestly going 100 feet or more won't result in too large a voltage drop. I calculated it out before and 30ma on the end of 24ga wire was ok up to 300 feet or something close to it.

[davisgraveyard]

I had heard that using silocone rubber on circuit boards can lift the laminate off of them.  Thats why you don't see it too often.   I've seen black epoxy used to coat circuits to weather proof them.  You can buy liquid electrical tape at Home Depot in the electrical section right next to the electrical tape.  Comes in a can with a brush attached to the lid like ABS piple glue.   I wanted to make sure it wouldn't harm the circuitry.    I also wondered about using "tool dip" the stuff you dip tool handles in that dries on like rubber.  But I think that is the same as silocone rubber?

I figured the run lengths of 100 feet would be ok I just wanted to make sure.

[JonnyMac]

Remember that connections can add voltage drops, too.  If you don't have a single run of wire, I suggest soldering segments together to ensure minimal losses through them.

[menehune]

If I extend wires, I solder them, then encapsulate them in weather proofing.
I usually wrap outdoor connectors in electrical tape (layer 1), coat them with mastic (layer #2), then one more layer (layer #3) of electrical tape.  The first layer of tape allows me to cut the mastic off to test the connector if required, without having to spend hours removing the mastic from everything. 
Be sure to extend each layer an inch or so past the previous one so the seal is good and tight.

If you can find heat shrink tubing that is large enough to go over the circuit board and components, you could use heat shrink to cover the circuit board and put some blobs of clear silicone bathroom caulk or clear RTV to seal the ends.  Then shrink the tubing with a heat gun or hair dryer.