So, I will be using lighting for my small Z scale layout. It's going to be a coffee table, it has to look cool in dim light. A few street lights, lights in buildings, no billboards though, rural European settings, and of course the trains may have their own lighting. I have canvassed a few model train shops and I'm seeing tiny 1.5v bulbs, smaller than rice grains, somewhat larger bulbs, and higher voltage LED lights, say 7-16V. I think the lower voltage bulbs would look better for street lights and homes. But I really don't know what looks best in actual practice. LED's are "modern" and trouble free. So I'm looking for some recommendations.
Personally I prefer LEDs. Besides their longevity, they don't generate heat like the bulbs, an advantage in a closed layout and are available in a wider selection of colors. The commercial LED lighting uses higher voltage only because the manufacturer assumes the availability of those voltages on a typical layout. If one is willing to learn a bit of electronics to use LEDs, you can get LEDs that are much smaller than the bulbs and can run in the 2-3VDC range: Search for terms like "pico LED."
Thanks. Googling Pico LED is getting me lots to look at. I'm seeing those LED's with the circuit board and now understand they can run at lower voltages without the PCB. I'm also seeing some pricey systems that are plug and play with dimmers and I can see the advantage of that too. The dimmers I mean. A streetlight or crossing light should be pretty bright but the light inside a home should be much dimmer and diffuse. I don't think crazy bright LED's look right when they are everywhere on a layout.
This is why I wire my own. Many people don't realize the range of possibilities with LEDs. Basically with a little math you can select a companion resistor to get any intensity you want. I should mention a couple of items you might find interesting: The NCE Light-it board and the Blinkm RGB LED from Thingm. The former is a DC/DCC board that can drive 3 LEDs and comes with a number of preprogrammed functions like crossing flasher lights, police strobe and arc welding. The latter is a fully programmable RGB LED that you can create scenes with. Mark
Definitely go with LEDS. No heat and they'll outlast us. The PICO LEDs are readily available in warm white. An economical way of lighting multiple LEDS is a variable DC -DC Step down converter. They accept a higher voltage input and you can set (dim) the output to a safe range. I carry them or they're available on Ebay, price range about $6.
