Hi guys
As part of my plan for my 2 level HO layout in my loft I have always wanted candescent spot lights that could be timed to be dimmed to emulate day into night and back again as I ran my trains. I have built each level of my railroad and the rise between levels and laid track but now I'm at the point where, if I'm going to realise my day to night plan I need to get my lights sorted and in place so I can continue on.
My idea is to have white spots above both levels that will dim to dark and then fade up brighter to full in line with a fast clock over a fast 24 hour period. I would include blue lights and red/orange/yellow lights to also fade in and out as part of sunrise and sunset.
The control of the sequencing can be just one simple controller for each set of lights, so whites, blues, red/orange/yellows would be independent but working in sequence with each other. I could therefore have three simple controllers running together controlling each set to get the effect. Later I would also like a simple controller that could turn on lights in buildings, neon signs, etc, etc.
The controllers need to continuously dim then brighten then dim in sequence.
Does anyone out there know where I can get a simple controller that will allow me to do this? Or does anyone know of a controller diagram that could be made? Any thoughts? If not I'll design one and market it!
Thanks guys
Barry
The Great John Armstrong built his "Eugene O'Neill" machine to do just that. (He wrote "The Long Day's Journey into Night"). I don't remember the specifics, but I believe it was a manual rig that used a series of pulleys and relays to fade things in and out, as well as to sequentially activate structure and exterior lighting. I'm sure there are electronics out there now that can do the same thing automatically...
Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Can I just interject that incandescent lighting, if it is enough to truly illuminate a decent sized layout, also puts out quite a bit of heat. At 6'8" I am always the tallest guy at any given operating session and I like to stand when I work. Few things are more difficult than to be stationed for hours with your head in close proximity to high wattage lamp bulbs. I feel like I'm on the warming table at an Old Country Buffet.
There is a good article on layout lighting in the May 2008 issue of MR by the way.
Dave Nelson
ahhhhhhhhhhh.. buffet...
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
dknelson There is a good article on layout lighting in the May 2008 issue of MR by the way.
Is that the article where the author did precisely what was proposed by the OP, running his lighting system off of a fast clock in sync with operations? I know a saw something to that effect, probably in MR, and the timeframe is about right.
It was very effective, but I think the big innovation in the article was mounting some lights behind the backdrop, which was a couple of inches away from the wall. This lighting simulated "twilight" and wasn't visible at either noon or midnight.
If you can find this article, try to get a copy and read it. It was a really nice effect.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Hi Dave
Yes, understand your feelings about incandescent lights, however, dimming and fading lights in and out can only be successful with these lights. Yes, there are flourescent lights that can be dimmed but the last time I looked these were special and expensive.
Cheers
Agreed about the challenge and high expense of electrically dimming flourescent bulbs. If one wanted to get truly 1960s I suppose you could explore a mechanical baffle that would slowly cover the flourescent tube bulbs
One possibility is to use normal flourescent bulbs for normal layout lighting and not model changes of time of day but if you wanted to put on a show, have the show start when twilight is already under way, and have a supplementary set of dimming incandescent bulbs just for the show. That could include the lit up backdrop which, if it eliminates the usual shadows on the backdrop, can be incredibly effective.
I wonder if this is the time to be spending time and money on the issue. If LEDs truly develop for home use as many experts predict they will, the solution may be a vast number of LEDs on the ceiling which can be arranged into banks which are turned off gradually, perhaps just a small handful at a time.
Modern day, there are various home control systems that would work. X10 (yeah, hate the spam ads, but the stuff's cheap and works) would do it, but there are better wuality devices from others that use the same protocol and commands. The same PC that is the dispatcher and fast clock source could send out the signals at the appropriate time to start dimming the light, and bring them back up at dawn. Or go real fancy and have red and yellow bulbs for a sunset/sunrise, blue for night, and white for mid day and mix them all together.
The heat though...that's the bad part.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I tried to do exactly that but in a little different way. I illuminated behind the backdrop scenery with strings of blue and orange light to simulate dusk & dawn respectively. Unfortunately the light was strong enough so a friend and I added reflectors under the lights which improved it significantly but still didn't give me the effect I was looking for. I contacted a guy who I saw on one of the dream plan build dvd's you get form MR who had a night scene layout and he suggested I try using different color bulbs in my track lighting. I thought about it long and hard before I went and made a significant investment in colored light bulbs and concluded it wasn't worth it. I think the only thing that may work would be the type of lighting they use in stage productions that have a wheel with different color lenses in front of them but I know they must cost a fortune. So now my newest quest is for a replacement for the flood light bulbs in the track lighting. I know what you mean by feeling like your on a warming table at the buffet. So far I think I am about 800 watts or so if I have all the lights lit. So I'm thinking of trying those curly florescent bulbs I'll sacrafice some illumination on favor of saving some money
Hi
I came across Light Lynx yesterday by the people who make Rail Lynx (They make fast clocks and recently joined DCC control market and was mentioned in MRR recently). They claim to make a dimmer system linked to their fast clock that can gradually switch on and off mains lights and also lights in buildings. Has anyone come across their system, seen it or used it?