Years ago, I put lights in this chianti bottle and hung it above our back patio. I thought it would add a bit of character and ambiance to the patio at night, but what I failed to consider was that I hung it too high to reach the power button, so I don’t think it has ever been turned on.

This afternoon, I decided to remedy that by wiring the lights to be plugged into an outlet so that they will come on with the rest of the patio lights. The procedure was exceedingly simple and went far smoother than I anticipated.

I used an old variable voltage AC to DC power transformer that I picked up at that free sale last month. The lights previously ran on three AA batteries, which is 4.5 volts. As it happened, one of the settings on the transformer was 4.5 volts, so that was handy.

Besides the voltage settings, the tips on the end of the cord are also interchangeable. One of the tips is a standard 1/8″ TRS plug, and I happened to have a female 1/8″ TRS jack, so I drilled out the cork to accommodate the jack and wired up the lights.

Voila! Now, the lights come on with the rest of the patio lights.