Hello,

I am planning to improve an old Christmas garland by adding flashing (more like flicker) and also dimming of light output.

These garlands use 20 (or more) bulbs in series, each bulb 13.5v/0.6A. Being old, usually one bulb blows when i insert the plug in the socket.
To protect the bulbs, i built a small triac dimmer (on top of the larger circuit). So i would turn on the light gradually: on maximum when the kids are in the room and towards minimum when we watch TV.
Furthermore, i have built a small circuit with CD4060 that imitates the flicker of a candle. The effect is very nice.

Now, the question is: how can i make the bulbs flicker, but also keep the dimming possibility? Is it possible to combine the two circuits? (the dimmer can not be used before the flicker circuit).

 

What's the voltage on pin 16 of the CD4060. How can you operate 30 bulbs in series on that voltage?
Seems like you would connect the bulbs from the anode of the SCR to the dimmer supply.

 

Wow, sorry for the error (btw, the supply voltage is around 7v, 50mA...transformerless is OK since everything is isolated with plastic).
I have corrected the schematic. Actually the anode of the thyristor is connected to the Live wire of the network.

 

Seems like you would connect the bulbs from the anode of the SCR to the dimmer supply.

Actually i have tried this in the first place and it is not working.
Probably the dimmer circuit does not respond to the fast voltage variation. With the voltage meter i have measured 94-101v between the Anode and 240v Live (probably an error due to the switching sequence).