If you read our article, "Lighting a Dollhouse - Various Methods", you know the different ways to light your dollhouse.  This tutorial provides step by step directions on how to light a dollhouse using the Roundwire Hybrid method.  The Roundwire Hybrid method is the method we use at Small World Builders to light all our dollhouses.  We found this method to be the most reliable and durable method that allows the wires to be completely hidden.

This tutorial for lighting a dollhouse is for houses that are either not assembled or completely assembled but do not have wallpaper, final coats of paint, flooring, etc.  The steps are the same regardless if the dollhouse is assembled or not.

Step 1 - Plan where the tape wire, junction splice, and lights will go

While the house is being "dry fit" (where you assemble the house holding it together with masking tape instead of glue), determine where the lights will go. If your dollhouse is already permanently built, this step would be done before adding wallpaper, flooring or the final coat of paint on the walls.

• Determine where on the dollhouse you want to put the junction splice.
  The junction splice should be placed in an area that will allow easy access and clearance for the lead in wire to attach to the splice.  Typically junction splices are installed several inches from the bottom of the house at either the side or back (for back open houses).  For front open houses, the junction splice is put in the back of the house. Make a small mark (on paper or on the house) where the junction splice will go.

• Determine where on the dollhouse you want to run the tape wire.
  The tape wire can be placed in an inconspicuous location.  You can place the tape wire under the house (usual location) or along the back of the house (for a front opening house).  If you place the tape wire under the house,  run a little bit of it up the side or back to connect with the junction splice.  Make a small mark (on paper or on the house) where the tape wire will be placed.

• With the dollhouse in front of you, and pencil and paper, label or number each room.
  Examine each room to determine where the lights will go.  Sketch the room on paper marking the placement of lights.  This sketch will serve as your blueprint for later steps.  It will also be kept with the house as a permanent record of the wiring diagram.

• Mark with an X on the walls where you want each light/outlet/sconce to go.
  With pencil, lightly make an X marking where each light will be attached to the wall.  Then carefully look at the room and determine where you will want to run the wires to connect to the main tape wire.  Lightly draw a line (or use masking tape) to indicate where the wires will be run to connect to the tape wire.  If the wires are to go through ceilings, walls or floors, make a mark (like a circle) to indicate a hole to be drilled and continue the line on the other side.  These lines will be your guidelines for making grooves where the wires will lay.

• Determine what wires will need to be lengthened.
  During the initial planning stages where you make the lines for the wires for each light, determine if the wires that come with the lights are long enough or if they will need to be lengthened.  Note this on a separate piece of paper so you can work on lengthening the lights (this step is discussed further down in the tutorial).

Now that you have your lighting diagram made and your lighting locations all planned, it's time to move to step 2, gathering the materials you need.

Step 2 - Gathering the Materials you Need

Now it's time to gather all the materials you will need to begin lighting your dollhouse. The following is a list of items with a picture to help identify each item.  All of the items can be easily purchased from a local hardware store and/or your local miniature dealer or miniature website shops on the internet.

Special Items Needed - Can purchase at hardware store or through miniature/dollhouse dealers.
Transformer This connects the power between the dollhouse and the outlet.		Junction Splice This connects the tape wire to the lead in wire.
Lead In Wire This connects the junction splice to the transformer.		Tapewire This connects the lights to the electricity.
Test Probe This allows you to test if power is going to the lights		Extra Wire This is used for lengthening wires on lights.
Soldering Iron This is used for splicing wires together and connecting to the tapewire.		Solder Used with the soldering iron to solder.
Tools for making grooves We use 1/8" drill bit for making the grooves and holes for running wires		Liquid Electrical tape Used for protecting newly soldered wires and splices.
Power / Socket Strip This is for installing lights if you're using the socket strip method.  Also for testing lights if you're using the Hybrid Method.
Additional Items Needed but not pictured
Tweezers	Masking Tape	Wet Cloth	Fire Extinguisher
Hammer or rubber mallet

SPECIAL NOTES:

a) The right type of solder The solder you need is solder for electrical soldering.  It is thinner then regular solder and is made for this purpose.  The one we use is 0.032 diameter.

b)  Tool for making grooves We use a Dremel with a drill bit.  You can use a hand held drill if you don't have a Dremel, a router with router bit, a can opener, or even a craft knife.  Any tool that will make a groove in the plywood will work.

c) Ventilated work area  Soldering and using liquid electrical tape emits fumes.  It is important that you work in a ventilated area while soldering and applying liquid electrical tape.

Now that you gathered your supplies, it's time to move onto step 3, placing the tape wire and junction splice. 

Step 3 - Placing the Tape Wire and Junction Splice on the Dollhouse

In this step, we will place the tape wire and junction splice on the dollhouse and test it to make sure power is going to the tape wire. 

• Measure out a length of tapewire.
  Take your roll of tape wire and measure out a length that will give you enough room to attach the wires from all the lights.  It's easier to make the tape wire longer then you think you will need then to have to add more later on.

• Peel back the protective mylar coating that is on top of the tape.
  You need the copper tape bare so you can properly solder the wires to the tape.  You may have to use a craft knife to separate the mylar from the copper strips at one end of the tape.

• Expose the adhesive backing and apply tape to dollhouse.
  Remove the backing that protects the adhesive side of the tape and press the tape in place on the dollhouse.  Use a dry rag to smooth out the tape and press it down firmly.   

• Pound the junction splice into the tapewire.
  Using a rubber mallet or hammer with a rag wrapped around the head, carefully pound the junction splice into the tapewire.
  

• Connect the lead in wire
  Connect the lead in wire to the junction splice and transformer. The part of the wire with the two prongs goes into the junction splice while the part with the u-shaped prongs is screwed onto the terminal screws on the transformer.

• Test the Connection
  Plug the transformer into a regular house outlet and turn on the switch.  Using the test probe, touch the prongs to the tape above the junction splice.  If the junction splice is properly installed and working, the test probe will light up.
  

• Remove the test probe, turn off the lead in wire, unplug the transformer from the wall and unplug the lead in wire from the junction splice.  This is to make sure there is no electricity going to the dollhouse while you proceed with the next step.

Congratulations! You now you have power going to the dollhouse.  The next step is to begin installing the lights in each room.

Step 4 - Making the Grooves and Drilling Holes to run the Wires

• Dry fit the light and wire
  Look at the room where you are installing the light.  You should see the lines you drew in an earlier step where you plan to run the wires.  Take the light and "dry fit" the light along the lines to make sure it is acceptable.  Now is the time to see if you have to lengthen the wire coming from the light or if it is long enough to reach the tapewire.

• Drill the Hole and Groove
  Using your Dremel with a drill bit, or other tool to make the groove (a pointed can opener works also, but is slightly more difficult), make a groove either in the floor or wall where you are going to run the wire.  First, make the groove with the Dremel OFF.   This will etch the wood lightly and provide better traction when you make the groove with the Dremel on.  Next turn the Dremel on and slowly use the Dremel to create the groove.  Hold onto the Dremel tightly since it will want to swerve out of your hands.  Don't worry about making the groove too deep at first, you can always go back and make it deeper on a second and third pass. After you make the groove, drill the hole where you will feed the wire to the tapewire.

• Once the hole and groove are made, clean out the sawdust and sand the groove smooth.

• If the wires are going along a wall, you can run the wires behind baseboard or molding thereby eliminating the need to drill grooves in the walls.

The next step is running the wires for the lights and actually installing the lights.

Step 5 - Installing the Lights -

Plug in your soldering iron so it heats up while you are doing the next few preparations.  While your soldering iron is heating, make sure the area around it is clear so it does not burn the work surface or anything nearby.  Use the stand that came with the soldering iron to protect the work surface.

• Test light to be installed - OPTIONAL
  Even though this step is optional step, it's a good idea to test the lights so you if they don't work after installation, you know the light was working beforehand and it could help with troubleshooting.
  
  To test the light, using the socket strip, attach the prongs of the strip to the transformer with a screwdriver and plug the light into the strip.  Turn on the socket strip and the lights should work. If you don't have a socket strip, you can test the light when you remove the plug to prepare it for soldering.

• Remove plug from the end of the light.
  If you are using the socket strip to light the dollhouse do not remove the plug.  To remove the plug for soldering to the tapewire, take your tweezers and gently pull off the brass points that are on the end of the plug.  Push the bare wire through the plug head and pull the plug head off the wires. 

• Thread the Wire to The Tapewire
  Feed the wire through the hole you made in the dollhouse until it reaches the tapewire.  If the wire is too long, trim it to take up any slack.  You don't want to have too much excess lose wire that could get caught on something.  Make sure you do not pull the wire too tight however. 
   
• Lay the Wire in the Grooves
  Place the wire in the grooves but do not glue it in.  Use masking tape to hold the wire in the grooves. Use masking tape to hold the light fixture in place at the point where it will be permanently installed. Do not remove the adhesive backing from the light fixture and attach it permanently yet.

  

   

• Secure the Newly Threaded Wire (If you are using the socket method, proceed to Step 5 A)
  Using masking tape, secure the ends of the wire over the tapewire.  Put one wire over the blue copper tape and one wire over the orange copper tape.  Make sure the wires are not too long if the bare wires are too long, cut them to about 1/4 of an inch long.  If the white wire is too long, trim that and remove the insulation on the wires to expose the bare copper wires.

If the wire is too short and needs to be lengthened, click here for an article on how to splice wires together to lengthen them.

• Test the Light
  If you haven't already done so, you can test the light by plugging in the junction splice and transformer.  Make sure both ends of the wire touch the tape. You may have to hold the wire down with your fingers by pressing lightly on the insulated (white) part of the wire.  The light may flicker, this is ok, since the connection is not secure.  You just want to make sure it lights up.  When it does, remove the wire, unplug the lead in wire and transformer and move onto the next step.
   
• Prepare for Soldering
  You are now ready to begin soldering the ends to the tapewire.  Plug in your soldering iron and wait for it to heat up if you haven't already done so. 

Step 5A - Reattaching the Plugs For Socket Method

• Reattach the Plugs
  With the newly threaded wire, take the ends of the wire and reattach the plugs.  To do this, thread both ends of the bare wire through the main hole in the plug.  Separate the wires into two separate wires and put each one in the smaller holes on the side of the main hole.

• Insert the Brass Tips into the Holes
  Using tweezers, push the brass tip into the hole making sure it makes contact with the bare wire in the hole.  Make sure you push the tips in tightly.

• Plug the light into the socket strip to test.

Step 6 - Soldering the wires

NOTE: Before beginning with this step, make sure your work area is well ventilated!  Soldering will create fumes that are not advisable to inhale.

Note:  Soldering is a skill that may take some practice to learn.  Do not be discouraged if you don't get it on the first attempt.  It is recommended that you try splicing wires together to get practice soldering.

Soldering also occurs rather quickly so it is recommended that you read the next few sub steps thoroughly so you can do them without having to refer back to the written steps.

• Take your soldering iron and touch it lightly to the wires that are resting against the tapewire.  You want to heat the copper tapewire and the wires from the light.

• While you are still heating the wires with the soldering iron, take your spool of solder and touch it to the heated wires.  Do not touch the solder directly to the iron. 

• The solder will flow on the area.  Let the solder flow until it adequately covers the wires.  Think of the solder like glue.  You don't want to apply too much or you'll have a large bump.  A little is all you need to make the connection and hold the wires down.

• After the desired amount of solder flowed onto the wires and tape, remove the solder then remove the iron.  Let the solder harden (about 1-3 seconds). 

• Double check to make absolutely sure the bare wires are NOT touching each other after they were soldered. If they are, when you turn the electric on to the dollhouse, the wires will short out.

That's all there is to it! You successfully soldered the lighting wires to the tapewire.  Now you are ready to test the connection.

Step 7. Testing the newly soldered connection

• Provide electricity to the dollhouse
  Attach the lead in wire to the junction splice, plug in the transformer and turn on the power.  The light you just installed should now be lit.  If it is, CONGRATULATIONS! You are nearly finished.

• Troubleshooting non-working lights
  If the light is not lit, then it is possible that the soldering was not done properly. Double check the solder to make sure you soldered all the tiny fine wires to the tapewire.  If there are any loose wires, you will have to resolder them by heating up the solder, using tweezers to push the wire into the solder and letting the solder set again.

Step 8.  Finalizing the light installation

• Apply Liquid Electrical Tape
  Take the can of liquid electrical tape and lightly brush a little on the newly soldered connection.  This will provide insulation around any exposed wires and protect the soldered connection.
  
  Be careful when applying the liquid tape that it doesn't drip on the tapewire or all over your hands.  Again, make sure you have adequate ventilation when using the liquid electrical tape.

• Permanently attach the light
  Glue the wires into the grooves and permanently attach the light to the wall or ceiling.

• Finish off the Groove
  Finish off the groove by filling it in with wood filler or spackle. Be careful sanding the groove that you filled with spackle or wood filler.  You don't want to sand the insulation away from the wires and accidentally sand the wires and break the connection.

• If the tapewire was run under the house, you do not need to do anything else.  You can leave it exposed, or if you prefer, you can put a plain white sheet of heavy cardstock or paper over it.  It is safe to cover the tapewire and soldered connections.

Congratulations! You successfully installed lights in your dollhouse.  Now it is time to enjoy your newly lighted dollhouse!

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