Cir-Kit Concepts

Cir-Kit Concepts is a small, family-owned business located in Rochester, Minnesota. In the days prior to Cir-Kit Concepts' existence, wiring a dollhouse was a technically challenging endeavor. It required not only knowledge of electricity but experience in the use of woodworking tools as well. In a real house, wiring is installed in hollow walls during the construction phase and later covered with wallboard. In a dollhouse, however, the walls are made of solid plywood or MDF, requiring that the wiring be surface mounted. Originally, this meant that grooves had to be routed for all wiring runs. After the wires were in place and the electrical connections made, filler would be placed over the wires and sanded flush. It was a task relished by few.

In 1975, Vern Skare, founder of Cir-Kit Concepts, was faced with this same dilemma. Because of his electronics background, he was asked to wire a relative's dollhouse. It turned out to be one of the most daunting tasks he had ever undertaken. He knew there had to be a simpler way and that many other miniaturists must share the same issues. In researching the problems, Vern discovered that burglar alarm systems (at that time) used flat copper foil as conductive paths on window surfaces. The only problem was that a single foil conductor was used, whereas for dollhouse wiring, a two-conductor system was required. With this in mind, Mr. Skare embarked on developing a tape containing two parallel copper foils.

By early 1976, the product had been engineered and manufactured, and Cir-Kit Concepts was launched. This method of miniature dollhouse wiring became an immediate sensation and contributed greatly to the miniatures boom of the 80's and 90's. Since its introduction, tape wire has become the wiring method of choice worldwide for anyone wishing to wire a dollhouse.

Of course tapewire, by itself, does not complete an electrical installation. Other electrical accessories such as "to scale" outlets, plugs, and switches are also necessary and these were developed early on in the company's history. On an international note, Cir-Kit Concepts also realized that to become truly global it must provide products compatible with the electrical requirements of both Europe and Asia. To that end, Cir-Kit manufactures transformers (the heart of all 12 volt requirements) to work on 220/240 power used in these countries. In addition, they carry the necessary electrical approvals from the controlling government agencies in England and on the Continent. Most recently, Cir-Kit has also introduced a collection of high-quality, beautiful 12V light fixtures. Miniatures.com is proud to have Cir-Kit Concepts as one of our vendor partners and to carry many items from the Cir-Kit line!