In theory, electrifying a dollhouse should be easy. After all, directions on how to do it are usually very brief, involving little more than "stick the tape to the wall, put something pretty over it, like wallpaper, and install a few lights." No wonder quite a few customers of mine tell me, several of their "electrified" dollhouses actually aren't--they could never quite make it work.
Granted, writing instructions is hard. You're never quite sure, as the author, whether you're successfully finding the balance between under-directing, and thus losing your audience, and over-directing, and thus confusing them. The other day, I was going over what I thought were simple, straightforward directions with my better half. I was about halfway through easy step number eight when he interrupted, "now glue your face to the table and give up." Nevertheless, I don't think it should be, or has to be, as hard as it is.
Electrifying a dollhouse is actually pretty easy, if you know what you're doing. The problem is, no one teaches you. The simple instructions that come with every wiring kit aren't bad; they'll teach you how to attach the tape to the wall, attach a junction splice, plug your transformer into the wall, and test for a circuit. At which point, the little bulb on the end of the circuit tester will light up, and you'll feel an incredible sense of exhilaration--let there be light! Except, a few days later, after you've installed some wallpaper, some flooring, maybe some trim...the little bulb on the end of the circuit tester won't light up anymore. Your circuit will be dead, and you'll be wondering, what happened?
Here are some pointers:
Make sure you know where your tape is. I mark my dollhouse walls with a ruler, and attach my tape just under the line. That way, later on, after the wallpaper, panelling, etc. is up, I can still find my tape.
For a light (or a circuit tester) to work, both of its prongs must make full contact with the tape. There must be one prong fully inserted in the pink side (positive charge), and one prong fully inserted in the blue side (negative charge). Otherwise, even if there's nothing wrong with the tape, the light still won't work, because there's a break in the circuit. Electricity is like the old "trust" games you might have played at camp: each person needs to maintain physical contact with their teammates, or someone ends up falling flat on her face.
The tape is waterproof, and corrosion proof, up to a point. Every time you test a circuit, you punch little holes into the tape, opening up the plastic casing that surrounds--and protects--the copper. Later on, when you're finishing your dollhouse, all manner of icky goo can get into the tape through those holes: wallpaper paste, water, glue, paint, etc. Over time, the tape is going to get badly corroded and, eventually, lose the ability to carry a charge. However, there are a few things you can do to prevent this from ever happening:
First, always test your circuit at about the same point, so you can control where the potential trouble area in your circuit is. One grouping of holes is easier to cope with than ten separate sets of holes.
Second, if at all possible, test your circuit on the outside of your house. In this picture, I chose, as my "trouble spot," the point just before the tape enters the inside of the house. Most exterior finishes are applied with epoxy, or some other waterless adhesive, making the likelihood of getting water inside the tape much lower.
Third, after you've finished installing your tape, and making any changes, corrections, or adjustments, leave the tape alone! The more you test your circuit, the greater the changes you'll have trouble later on. Have a little faith in yourself, and trust that you've done it right and it'll work!
Place a piece of tape over your "trouble spot," like I did, above, and "iron" it on with your fingers really well. This will add another layer of protection for the copper. On this project, I'm planning on using a combination of brick sheets and stucco wallpaper, to achieve a Tudor look. Eagle's Nest is a piece of fantasy art and, therefore, draws much of its influence from Medieval and Tudor architecture, although its not precisely faithful to either. I chose to place my "trouble spot" under an area of the house where I plan to use a brick sheet, which I'll attach to the house with epoxy. The epoxy will sit on top of the tape, not penetrating it (silicone epoxy is completely water free).
Take pictures. It's often helpful to have a visual reminder of what tape is where, before you start wallpapering, etc. That way, when in doubt, you have something to refer back to.
Use the right size transformer. Essentially, what you're doing, when you're wiring a dollhouse, is creating an AC circuit, which is incompatible with a standard American made and installed electrical system. The transformer, or confusingly expensive black box the people at the miniatures store keep trying to sell you, is called a transformer because it "transforms" your AC circuit into a DC compatible circuit. Trust me, you need one. You also need the right one--one large enough to accommodate the number of lights you plan to use. The folks at your local miniatures store can help you figure out what size that is.
Finally, start small. Before you tackle that dollhouse, try electrifying a roombox first. It's a lot easier to learn on a small project, and it's a lot easier to correct your mistakes! No one expects to run a marathon, after never having run before; artistic endeavors, similarly, require training.
Labels: electrical, wiring
