Okay...so I have most of my trains now converted to DCC...but some of them look like blinding light is coming from the cab...so...I want to convert them over to LEDs. If you are going to answer this question for me, PLEASE assume that I know nothing about electronics. I know I need the LEDs and I need resisters. Here are the things I don't know that I need to know.
What?
I need to know what kind of resisters. I went into radio shack and I asked them for a 1000 ohm resister and they were like "how many watts? how many volts? how many amps?" So I need to know all that stuff...if applicable.
Where?
I need to know where to get the supplies I will need? Is there a good place on line to order parts? I live in a small town. There isn't even a place in my town to buy model paints. I would prefer to create housings for the lights in the shell and sit or glue the lights into those housings, but this will require that I also buy some tiny little plugins so that I can detatch the shell from the rest of the body if needed. I can't find any plugs anywhere on line. Any ideas?
How?
I need to know step by step what to do. Do you guys know of any tutorials that sorta spell it out for the dummy? If so, I need that link.
Thanks in advance for any responses you leave, and I'm sorry if this topic is one that has been done to death here.
haha at the radio shack guy trying to sound like he knew what he was talking about.
I use Miniatronics YeloGLo LEDs for first generation diesels - for modern diesels you would probably want a sunny white LED. You cna find them from various sources. The Miniatronics ones are overpriced but conveniently stocked by my LHS.
You also want 1K ohm 1/4 watt resistors, one for each LED.
Look here for a nice picture of what an LED looks liek inside and how to tell which wire is + and which is -: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode
On a DCC decoder,t he blue wire is common for all and is the + wire. The various function wires, white for front light, yellow for rear, etc. are the - side of the circuit.
It does not matter which side the resistor is on, so long as there IS a resistor, otherwise the LEDs will go pop and in many cases blow the function connection on the decoder as well.
--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 use Digi-Key for my electronic components. The link below is to their Canadian web site but you can go to the USA one from there.
http://www.digikey.com/ca/en/digihome.html
As for the mini connectors, Miniatronics offers them
http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=4
I make my own from IC (intergrated circuit) sockets by cutting them up into the appropriate number of pins from these:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?lang=en&site=CA&WT.z_homepage_link=hp_go_button&KeyWords=ED3314+ND&x=20&y=17
Digi-Key's prices are very reasonable and their service is great. They don't have the right white LED's for locomotive lights so for those I would suggest Miniatronics.
http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=M&Product_Code=12-310-05&Category_Code=6_4&Product_Count=2
Hope this helps.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Wow...I think I like the price of making my own better. LOL So...do they plug into each other well when you are done cutting everything up?
Thanks for the info. Now...if I am going to use two LEDs on the front...do I need two resisters? Do I butterfly the second LED off of the first one? What is the best way to do that?
One LED, one resistor. Wire each LED/resistor pair in parallel if there are two . Check your prototype, a lot of times when there were two lights in the housing, one was a steady headlight and the other was a Mars or Gyralight. You would want to use two different function outputs in that case, so you can replicate that.