I was in browsing in Wallyworld yesterday, killing a rainy afternoon, and I was looking at the Christmas lights. This year they have a lot of LED lites, at much cheaper prices than past years. I looked at one string of 60 LEDs, choice of cool white, or multi color, for 6.98. That's only 11 cents an LED. I examined them closely, and the LEDs just push in to a plastic socket, with a tab on one side to maintain the correct polarity. They are easily removed, with the wire lead intact, and could be used for many HO applications. They had another string of 20, which worked on a 3 C battery pak, which is 4 1/2 volts. The price was cheap. Looks like a source for cheap LEDs to me.
Good idea. I have used some Christmas lights that are 3 volt LED's. I lighted a passenger car with them along with a battery holder for two AAA bateries and small SPST switch mounted under the car. The CHristmas lights were on sale 75% off after Christmas.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Only if you like those BLUE/white LEDs. I've seen some strings of incandescent white rice lights that work well and look the appropriate color.
loatharOnly if you like those BLUE/white LEDs. I've seen some strings of incandescent white rice lights that work well and look the appropriate color.
They have the both the blue white and the dayglow white ( same color as a regular bulb) LEDs. I bought 5 strings of the dayglow white LED Christmas lights right after Christmas last year. it was like 30 bucks for 300 3mm dayglow LED's. I have been putting them in all my new decoder installations for my locomotives. I use a 1K resistor and they the perfect brightness. Also its nice that they are the 3mm LED's because they fit perfectly into brass lighting castings on my steamers.
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This Mckeen car has one of those LED's in it. I have also put them in my 2-6-6-0 DS&L, and both of my 44-ton switchers. The 3 mm fit perfectly into the light housings. I also have installed them in many of my P2k's and it makes they number boards and headlights so much brighter.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
I'll have to take aa look when my current supply of LEDs goes down. (I picked up 100 warm white LEDs with resistors for 25 bucks with shipping)
Vincent
Wants: 1. high-quality, sound equipped, SD40-2s, C636s, C30-7s, and F-units in BN. As for ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, that's out of the question....
2. An end to the limited-production and other crap that makes models harder to get and more expensive.
Are all the Christmas LED's the same voltage? I have several strings but have questions about cutting them off and wiring them separately. Can you tell their voltage by using a VOM meter?
Doc
Renegade1c-Where exactly did you get these warm white strings and what were they called??? (all the ones I've seen where crappy blue color)
Packer-Where did you get 100 warm whites for $25??? Best price I've seen for true warm whites was $1.25/each.
topcopdoc Are all the Christmas LED's the same voltage? I have several strings but have questions about cutting them off and wiring them separately. Can you tell their voltage by using a VOM meter? Doc
You cna take a stab at it by seeing what voltage the power supply is, how many LEDs ore int he string, and how they are wired. Unless there is obviously a resistor in the circuit, a typical white LEDs ranges froma bout 2.8-3.1 volts, and a typical color LED (red, green, yellow) ranges from 1.7-2.1 volts. Always using a resistor! If you hook a pair of AA batteries up to a 3 volt LED it's still going to blow without a current limiting resistor. I haven't examined these christmas light LEDs so I don't knwo if they put a resistor on each LED or rely on something more complicated to drive them. There's a good post in the Electronics and DCC section that explains just how LEDs work and why you need current limiting for them.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
loathar Renegade1c-Where exactly did you get these warm white strings and what were they called??? (all the ones I've seen where crappy blue color) Packer-Where did you get 100 warm whites for $25??? Best price I've seen for true warm whites was $1.25/each.
The ones that have a black background in the pics are the ones I got. With the included resistor, the LED goes up to 12 volts. When I bought them I though that they might be the wrong color. So far no problems.
loatharWhere exactly did you get these warm white strings and what were they called???
Here in Oz Big W (like Walmart) are selling 20 LED christmas lights with a batter clip for $2.92 Aust and they come in Blue, red, green, warm white and cool white.
The warm white ones look like this
The colour is just right for tungsten and they are 3mm LEDs
Alan Jones in Sunny Queensland (Oz)
Texas ZepherloatharWhere exactly did you get these warm white strings and what were they called??? Last year they were at King Soopers Grocery stores. They are GE Watt-Miser LED C-5 lights soft white. Product order code 97506. UPC 87449 97506. They were $9.99 for a set of 50. I got three sets of them 50% off on Christmas day. My fingers still hurt from disassembling them!
TZ: Aren't you glad I told you about those at the club?
I also got a string that had were blue (not the blue white but just plain blue). These LED's make good status Lights on the layout.
I checked the ones at Wal-mart today. They are inverted cone LEDs with a 360 degree radiation pattern, which cost almost one dollar each if you purchase them as a "hobby" item. Sixty lights per string plus two extra LEDs for $6.35 plus tax at Wal-mart.
The day after Christmas they will be marked down 50% if they have any leftovers.
Mike
alco's forever!!!!! Majoring in HO scale Minorig in O scale:)
Renegade1cI also got a string that had were blue (not the blue white but just plain blue). These LED's make good status Lights on the layout.
Here is another thought for power supply for building lights. I use an old power controller. using the "TRACK" side so I have the variable voltage control. I set the power as needed to give just enough power to the lamps. I also use this for dc motors where I want a variable voltage control.
Just another idea.
Harris Creek Central http://www.freewebs.com/harriscreekcentral/
Alantrains Here in Oz Big W (like Walmart) are selling 20 LED christmas lights with a batter clip for $2.92 Aust and they come in Blue, red, green, warm white and cool white. The warm white ones look like this The colour is just right for tungsten and they are 3mm LEDs
THANKS! I'll have to look for those this year. They only came in cool (blue) white last year. I was getting them for $5 for 20 lights and the great thing is they came with a flashing unit that can be used for a crossing. You could get red/yellow/green strands that flashed too. These are great for signals.
rs2mike the wally world lights in cool white lights are 5mm lights. To big for my applications as train lights. I was hoping for 3 mm to go into the aluminum tube for the headlights. The cool blue looks really blue as well. Mike
the wally world lights in cool white lights are 5mm lights. To big for my applications as train lights. I was hoping for 3 mm to go into the aluminum tube for the headlights. The cool blue looks really blue as well.
The GE ones that both myself and TZ are talking about have 3 mm LEDS
murrietajazz1Can a string of these LED Christmas lights be put in buildings on the layout as lighting?
And, if so, can they be run through a dimmer switch?
Texas ZepherloatharWhere exactly did you get these warm white strings and what were they called??? Last year they were at King Soopers Grocery stores. They are GE Watt-Miser LED C-5 lights soft white. Product order code 97506. UPC 87449 97506. They were $9.99 for a set of 50.
Other news - Walmart has LEDs strings in sets of 60 for $6.98. The clear ones are the nasty blue/white, but they have full strings of red, green, blue, and multi-colored. I got a box of multi-colored to use for panel indicators.