Has anyone used the Micro Mark SMD5050 LED strip lights for layout lighting? I've searched for LED posts and truly don't understand all the stuff about LEDs and Kelvin, etc. Is there a simple answer to how to do it or what to use?
Thanks,
Roger Huber
What color is white? Look at different sheets of paper and you will see that there are different shades of white.
Light is the same. Kelvin is a scale measuring temperature. White light is defined in terms of temperature. You know that a blue star is hotter than a red star. So the lower the Kelvin number the warmer the white lignt until it becomes yellow, orange, and then red. The higher the number the cooler the white light and the bluer the light may appear until you are left with a blue light.
The Kelvin colors of light can be Googled if you want more information on this. It really has nothing to do LEDs, and you will see the Kelvin number more frequently with flourscent light.
An LED is not a lamp at all. It is a semiconductor and is more kin to a rectifier than a light bulb, it just happens to light up. Thus you cannot think of it as a consumer of electricity as much as a component of a circuit. Thus when used for lighting it is necessary to have a resistor in the circuit. The resistor is the consumer of the electricity, and the LED simply gets excited. The LED is current sensitive, and while its forward voltage (with resistor) lights the LED the reverse current does not. But It cannot tollerate high reverse loads and so it cannot be used in a circuit as if it were a rectifier.
LION has a wall of relays on his layout, and him puts the LED in series with the relay. The relay coil takes the place of the resistor. The same happens if you choose to put it in series with a Tortoise switch machine. But it lowers the voltage to the relay coil, so I had to increase my relay circuit voltage from 12 volts to 16 volts in order to reliably pull the relays.
Do what I say make sense? Probably not, but that is a LION for you. All you really need to know if you use LEDs is
1) Run them on 12 volts (unless you ahe a reason to use something else)
2) Use a 1000 ohm resistor in series with the LEDs. (Unless you have a reason for using a different value. -- Less Ohms = More light; more ohms = less light.)
3) If you want a whiter or bluer light look for a higher Kelvin number (or a cool-white lable on the package)4) If you want a yellower light look for a higher kelvin number or for Warm-White)
Isn't wierd that a cool-white lamp has a higher color temperature than a warm-white which is cooler.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Roger,
I use warm white for most applications on the layout, buildings and motive power. I do make an exception for the more modern diesels, where I have put cool white in when I don't happen to have any warm white LEDs.
Daylight works as a good in-between, but not sure if MM offers that?
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Before you buy any LED strips check prices on ebay. Many sellers with buy it now prices for a 5 meter roll as low as >$10US compared to MM's $50.
Roger Huber,
http://www.ebay.com/itm/16-ft-5M-Flexible-LED-Lighting-Strip-300-SMD-Ribbon-with-3M-Tape-Warm-White-/271226434847?pt=US_String_Lights_Fairy_Lights&hash=item3f265af51f#ht_1865wt_1219
Frank
I used the Micro Mark LED's to light my lower level. I used the natural white color and am very happy with the results. Currently I have three different runs from 10-15 feet long powered by their power supply as well. I apllied a thin layer of wood glue to a piece of lattice board and then stuck the strip to the board and allowed that to dry. The lattice provided a spot to drive a screw to the underside supports of the upper level as well as added stability to the light string. Even though the strips have self adhesive , i just wanted to make sure that they stayed put.
I know I paid extra but I think their options make the choice easier and simple. If you can navigate the offerings via ebay , you sure will save money but if not....then I can surely recommend MM.
Bart
Keep in mind those LED strips aren't REAL bright. A friend of mine has used them on his lower deck which is about ten inches deep and no more than a foot high below the upper deck and it is adequately lit - not bright, but adequate.
If you are planning on mounting these in the ceiling three to four feet above your layout, you're going to be disappointed. There is reel LED lighting available that is plenty bright enough in a single strip to light a room, but you're not going to get it dirt cheap from China ....
http://www.flexfireleds.com/categories/LED-Flexible-strips/High-Intensity-UltraBright-LED-Strips/
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
I dunno about "dirt cheap" but if you look for high output LED strip lighting, it's out there and it's likely made in China.
I've used two different types. From Menards, I've bought Meridian Line Voltage LED strip lighting that I use now for my primary overhead layout room lighting.
For use in rolling stock, I've been using LED strip lighting from Radio Shack. The plastic bubble contained includes a button to light up a single 3-LED unit, along with a warning that it's bright enough to affect you vision... and it does. I tone it down a lot to make it work for passenger car lighting, for instance.
So........would cool white LEDs be better to simulate the lighting in West Virginai or other Appalachian areas?
Cool White usually has a bluish cast to it.
My first choice would be Daylight or, if that's not an option, Warm White. Daylight is closest to natural light, while Warm White has a bit of yellow or golden tone. The LED light strips providing the illumination in the first pic I posted above are Daylight.
mlehmanI dunno about "dirt cheap" but if you look for high output LED strip lighting, it's out there and it's likely made in China.
Before you invest in a lot of LED strip lighting or fluorescent substitutes, check for the UL listing. At lot of the cheap stuff is not UL listed, so if the lighting causes a fire, you may have issues with your insurance company.
Co-owner of the proposed CT River Valley RR (HO scale) http://home.comcast.net/~docinct/CTRiverValleyRR/
Doc in CT mlehman I dunno about "dirt cheap" but if you look for high output LED strip lighting, it's out there and it's likely made in China. Before you invest in a lot of LED strip lighting or fluorescent substitutes, check for the UL listing. At lot of the cheap stuff is not UL listed, so if the lighting causes a fire, you may have issues with your insurance company.
mlehman I dunno about "dirt cheap" but if you look for high output LED strip lighting, it's out there and it's likely made in China.
That could be an issue on ebay or with some other mail order sources.
My stuff comes from either Menards (110V Meridian Line Voltage LED Light Strips, UL listed) or Radio Shack (12 volt #276-0329 LED strip).
No UL listing on the RS 12 volt strips, but I think UL doesn't apply to 12 volt stuff?
If you fed it from a UL listed transformer, you're good anyway, but mine run off DCC track power, and I think my NCE system is UL listed...but I'm not too worried about folks checking any of that stuff for UL tags. That's not quite in the UN-blue helmet occupiers urban legend, but kind of close
There was a flaming layouts thread awhile back and no one seemed able to come up with any cases of a layout actually starting a fire, so I'm not really too worried about this...
Use common sense and you should be good.