Are Christmas Lights in Series or Parallel?

What's the difference between a series connection and a parallel connection? Which way are your Christmas lights?
Here is a quick look at Christmas lights and how to fix them if they don't work.

[@Sodapoppinit]

Great video, sir. Never knew those more ‘advanced’ Christmas lights had a shunt wire to bypass a broken bulb. 👍🏻

[@billgateskilledmyuncle23]

The most annoying set I ever had was one of those sets that were big in the 90s, the chasing light sets that have the little control box at the front that allows you to pick a sequence. These lights had four series circuits with one return wire, so every fourth bulb was on the same circuit and if a bulb got a poor socket connection, you would lose every fourth light in the chasing sequence. when I was a kid, I would remove all of the lights and then reattach them one by one and finally get the strand working before Christmas. Then sometimes after getting them on the tree a circuit would go down again and I would go around the tree testing every light. It was a lot of work just for epileptic inducing fun.

[@astronova537]

I really appreciate your passion. Great lesson :)

[@stanchik25]

Thank you. That was a good reminder.

[@ellenlopez3254]

I really need this for my exam today

[@fahmylina123]

Nice presentation, however, there is no comment. I'm astonished why most people do not get a look to such videos and then say a good word about it. Should it always be a football match or things of naked women to get comments? Maybe. Pity.

[@cielocruz2525]

Agreed.

[@yeo1913]

I support this argument

[@marks7352]

I like educational videos no matter what they are

[@oliveryao5285]

It is very good video. Just wonder, is there the "shunt wire" existing? when I took that broken with "shunt wire" bulb and measure it with ohm meter, it does show broken. why?

[@rhettallain]

The shunt wire doesn't "short out" until there is a large (120 volt) across it.

[@michelavila4740]

Sometimes a whole section of my christmas lights is off when the rest are on. They turn on again when I change the first bulb of the section. Why do you think that is?

[@LL-yl2oc]

it happens because there are components connected in series within the larger parallel circuit. When there is a break in the 'branch' the whole of that 'branch' goes out

[@manojkumarp7147]

thank u

[@noahbones1221]

Honestly when it comes to 1 light killing off all lights, it’s really a question of quality. some strands have it to where 1 bulb goes out or is loose a section goes out, or mostly on much older lights, 1 bulb goes out all do. It’s kinda odd because in a way, christmas lights are both in series and parallel.

[@josediogo1015]

Why do the shunt wires not short circuit the leds? Is there a resistor?

[@jessebellino9780]

If it's in series with everything else, then it's basically an extension of the wire at that point. All of the other bulbs provide resistance on the series circuit. If it were wired in parallel, then yes it would short out the circuit. But if it were wired in parallel there'd be no need for a bypass.

[@amarjotsingh9888]

Fine

[@questerperipatetic4861]

I maybe have a learning disability, but I still don't get how the shunt wire magically comes into play once a filament burns out, but not before.

[@dmatthews7423]

Christmas light are in series, but the bulbs are parallel : p

[@craigbingham2822]

Nikola Tesla was the most underrated inventer. Thank him for more then your remote control. Look up his inventions.