My American Flyer diesel has an 18 volt incandescent bulb that is unlit while the engine is at a standstill. As power is applied and increased from the transformer, the bulb begins to glow, then gets brighter at full power. Is there a way to have the bulb fully lit at all times even when the engine is at a standstill?
Is there any reason to convert from an incandescent bulb to an LED, or is that too complicated or even impossible?
Thanks.
Rich
Alton Junction
It is not that difficult to change to an LED. The brightness will still vary, but less than with an incandescent as long as the voltage is significantly higher than the LED's forward voltage. However, for white LEDs that is about 3.5 volts; so it may not work even as well as an incandescent around 5 volts.
If you decide to try an LED, be sure to get the kind that are tinted to imitate prototype incandescent headlights. The usual white LED is very bluish. See Richmond Controls: http://www.richmondcontrols.com/
I wrote an article for the September, 2008, CCT on how to wire up LEDs, which may be useful to you.
Bob Nelson
I like the idea of replacing the incandescent light bulb with an LED, and an LED would fit nicely in the nose of my American Flyer Baldwin diesel. But the more I consider the problem, the more I realize that it probably won't give me a constant source of light when the AC transformer is turned on but set to zero. There simply is no voltage applied to the tracks in that situation.
I guess that I am spoiled by my DCC-powered HO Layout where I can control the headlight at all times, even when the engine is sitting idle.
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