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Repaired a Mickey Mouse nightlight replacing a neon bulb with LEDs
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Return to top of page · Post #: 1 · Written at 1:09:13 AM on 5 November 2023.
	Wa2ise Location: Oradell, US Member since 2 April 2010 Member #: 643 Postcount: 830
This is a very old Mickey Mouse nightlight. So old it was made in USA. That should date it as long ago. Anyway, it had a neon bulb that was nearly dead inside. I removed that and replaced it with a pair of white LEDs salvaged from a dead LED light bulb. The circuit consists of a pair of the white LEDS wired back to back (cathode of the first to the anode of the other, and the anode of the first to the cathode of the other) That combination is then in series with a 47K 1/2W resistor, And that circuit goes across the 120V powerline. Use a pair of 47K 1/2W resistors, one for each side of the LED circuit for 230V. The 2nd picture shows the circuit board wafer that was inside the dead LED lightbulb. I cut out a piece of this that has a pair of LEDs, back to back of the board. The current is about 2.5ma, and the resistor is running around 1/3 watt. I cut a segment of the board that has a pair of LEDs mounted, one on each side of the board. The board segment acts as a small heat sink, and I didn't unmount the LEDs off the board.. I'm not running the LEDs that hard. Each LED is lit half the time over a cycle of 60Hz. And each LED only sees a backwards 3V or so, as the other LED conducts and limits that backwards voltage the first LED sees. The above picture shows the internal circuit, the LEDs and resistor. Mickey looks decapitated here, but he was restored.

Return to top of page · Post #: 2 · Written at 4:47:34 PM on 9 November 2023.
	NewVista Location: Silver City WI, US Member since 10 May 2013 Member #: 1340 Postcount: 977
A very early Disney style! Now worth even more in running condition!

Return to top of page · Post #: 3 · Written at 5:54:16 PM on 9 November 2023.
	Brad Administrator Location: Naremburn, NSW Member since 15 November 2005 Member #: 1 Postcount: 7304
I can't see the photos. ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾ A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Return to top of page · Post #: 4 · Written at 6:43:26 PM on 9 November 2023.
	GTC Location: Sydney, NSW Member since 28 January 2011 Member #: 823 Postcount: 6687
I saw the photo once, but now I just see image icons in that post.

Return to top of page · Post #: 5 · Written at 7:03:46 PM on 9 November 2023.
	BringBackTheValve Location: Linton, VIC Member since 30 December 2016 Member #: 2028 Postcount: 467
Me too, I saw the pictures when they were first posted.

Return to top of page · Post #: 6 · Written at 12:10:19 AM on 10 November 2023.
	Robbbert Location: Hill Top, NSW Member since 18 September 2015 Member #: 1801 Postcount: 2016
Since I can't edit the post, I looked at the page source and found the images come from facebook or instagram. Clicking on one of them produced the error "URL signature expired". I looked this up and it seems that facebook/instagram purposely change the URLs of pictures every few days (just to be annoying I expect). So that's why the pictures aren't there any more.

Return to top of page · Post #: 7 · Written at 3:14:43 AM on 10 November 2023.
	NewVista Location: Silver City WI, US Member since 10 May 2013 Member #: 1340 Postcount: 977
That's a pre-war Mickey!

Return to top of page · Post #: 8 · Written at 11:48:06 AM on 10 November 2023.
	Wa2ise Location: Oradell, US Member since 2 April 2010 Member #: 643 Postcount: 830
QUOTE: Since I can't edit the post, I looked at the page source and found the images come from facebook or instagram I've fixed that. Now the images come from my own web site www.wa2ise.com Elsewhere people were wondering what type of outlet (aka powerpoint) Mickey was pluged into. This is a Despart type dual outlet. Dates back to the early 1950's.

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