I'm curious if this will work. I have a number of structures for my layout which I haven't installed yet. I would very much like to illuminate them for night operation, or just for show. I was thinking of using those mini lights, you know, the kind you'd get for your christmas tree or house. Then I was considering the new LED ones for the same purpose. They are less likely to burn out as fast and if one does, you know where it is and don't have to check each one to find the dud. I've read a few articles that say, to light up z scale structures, one should use LED bulbs with resistors on them and then hook them into the main power line. I've also heard of using fibre optic cables as well, but don't they need a light source to be illuminated? As far as the LED bulbs with resistors are concerned, I know they have to be soldered together but what I don't understand is, why? Why can't they be soldered directly into the main line. One further thing on lighting. I want to install signal lights on my Atlas switch controllers so I will know which way the points are. I have a problem with remembering to change direction on my turnouts and more often then no, my trains stop dead at the turnout if I forget to change them. SOOOO I want to hook in a red and green LED light right at the controller. Is this possible and would I hook one side of the green to one end of the controller and the other side to the ground? The same for the red? I'm thining that which ever way the controller is thrown, either the green or red will light up. Opinions please.
Ideas Check the lighting section out in this link. http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/clinics.htm and check also this one for ideas. http://jamesriverbranch.net/construction.htm a list of light resources. http://whiteriverandnorthern.net/links_2.htm I am sure your imagination will be overwhelmed with some of the things Mr Smith has created. Hobo Tim
WOW!!! Thanks for the info. So much to study. Incredible animation and lighting techniques. Very interesting.
I know I am real late posting here, Just thought I'd mention that it is real sad that those links are dead, I might have benefited from them!
various companies are now introducing LED building lighting via DC power supplies and Rokuhan has one that is plug an play for their builgings and attaches to theri controllers as an accessory with on /off switch, and has boards for your to plug you lighting into with expansion connectors and individual LED either blue white for fluorescent or halogen lighting and orange white for incandescent lighting, no need for resistors it is all included in wiring harness.
Thanks Garth, I kinda do already know about a lot of the new ridiculously overpriced technology that's out there these days, learned about most of the new stuff from being on here and from google searching for items.. I was just hoping to find some old school wiring info that has slipped from my tired ol' brain since I haven't done any of that kind of stuff in many years. lol. I was out of the hobby for a very long time till I had found and cleaned up my old abandoned unfinished layout that was forgotten in storage for about 30 years a couple years back that I went and added some new items to. Now I wanted to add in 24 new 6volt incandescent street lamps and 12v building lamps I recently bought off ebay for dirt cheap, which are unfortunately NOT the new easy to do plug n play stuff. best wishes, DJ
Well if you want to get some education on LEDs and ballast resistors and such have a look at ngineering.com. that might help you do roll your own lighting, he has ist all available there
DJ: Incandescent lighting is easier because you don't have to worry about the correct polarity that LED's require. Easiest solution is to get a 50VA, 12 volt wall transformer. 16 ga feeders should be sufficient. Between each feeder place either one 12V or two 6V lamps back to back. Putting two 6V in series means you won't need a resistor, but if any one of the lamps is bad, the circuit will not work so test each lamp (a 9 v battery will do) before you do to save yourself hours of potential frustration later. Check the current draw for your bulbs (a 12V grain of wheat) should be about .1 amp at which you should be able to handle up to 40 bulbs.
Thanks again Garth, I will check that site out for more info as soon as I have ten minutes to myself! lol .... And Thanks MrHedley. I do have an older 12v adapter I could probably get away with using for some lighting, rather than the 16v output on my Throttlepack,, and oh yeah, I know what you mean there with that good advice, the very first thing I did when I got all the new lamps a few weeks back was to test each one with a quick tap on a 9v batt., thankfully every one lit nice and bright. I'll probably just wire them up in parallel, but in pairs to lower the load on each and see how it goes, if it seems too bright I can add another one or two onto each other. Probably wont get to get started on that till next weekend though, I have some work to finish up this week before I will get any time to work on my layout.I even have a few building kits that have been waiting for months to get started or completed. Thanks to this site I also have learned a lot more about weathering stuff! lol
How about a short piece of piano wire, drill a small hole in the Atlas controller and drill a small hole on a small slide switch mounted above or below to change your normal\ reverse indicators. I went to radio shack and found small photo cells I mounted in or on the buildings so when the night ops start they come on automaticly. They dont cost very much.
