Simple Two-Wire Connection

Two Wires. No Soldering.

A dual-polarity Christmas light string needs only two wires. Cut off its blink-mode controller, screw both wires into a pluggable terminal and plug it into an Xmas Dimmer output.

Traditional LED Christmas light string
2 Wires per string
0 Soldering
5 mm Pluggable screw terminals
8 Outputs
Connection scheme: dual-polarity light strings wired to Xmas Dimmer outputs, DMX from a lighting console

Step by Step

From blink-mode string to DMX fixture

Traditional Christmas light strings have a small controller between the power adapter and the lights. Xmas Dimmer takes over its job, so that part goes.

  • Cut off the string's original blink-mode controller
  • Screw the two wires into a 2-pole terminal block plug (pins A and B)
  • Plug it into one of the 8 outputs
  • Power the board from a 12–36 V DC supply that matches your light strings
  • Set the DMX address on the DIP switch and connect DMX
Christmas tree decorated with traditional string lights

Why Two Wires Are Enough

Polarity does the switching

The LEDs in these strings are wired in two anti-parallel sections: one lights with current in one direction, the other with the current reversed. Xmas Dimmer flips the polarity on the same two wires, so both sections are controlled without an extra cable—see Two Channels per String.

  • Pin 1 and pin 2 carry both LED sections
  • Swapping the two wires only swaps which DMX channel controls which section
  • One pluggable terminal per string, easy to unplug for service

FAQ

Connection questions

No. The two wires of the string go into a pluggable screw terminal, which plugs into an output.

Either. Swapping the wires only swaps which of the output's two DMX channels controls which LED section.

Low-voltage LED strings (12–36 V DC) with two anti-parallel LED sections—the kind whose controller switches between odd and even sections. The outputs carry the board's supply voltage, so power Xmas Dimmer with the voltage your strings need; our support team will help you check it.

Planning a Christmas Light Show?

Tell us about your light strings and our support team will help you wire and address them.

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