Using Rigid Piano Wire for LED Wiring

[cedarwoodron]

I have been working on motorizing the rotor blade of an Athearn Rotary Snow Plow and have successfully set it up to turn realistically from track supplied power with wipers. Now I have two LEDs to wire in parallel to light the front cab and send light out thru two light pipes I have placed in the front above the rotor shroud. I have .047 music (piano) wire rod from K &S on hand, about 1mm, that seems stiff enough. I have seen examples of structure wiring for LEDs that uses rigid brass rod for the circuit, and want to do something similar in this model, to keep the LEDs positioned just behind the light pipes, then connect the rigid wiring to the can motor leads ( motor powers the rotor) so things light up when in motion, being pushed by an F7B unit. I plan on assembling the rigid structure and installing it on the chassis, then place the car shell over it for final assembly. That way, the shell remains separate from the wiring for future access. Does anyone have images or can direct me to websites where such rigid wiring has been used? Cedarwoodron

[cacole]

Piano wire is tempered steel and extremely difficult to solder, so you should try to use brass rod instead.

[Seamonster]

You won't be able to solder to the piano wire.  It's made of carbon steel.  That's why people use brass rod for such applications.  You can solder to brass.

 

[cedarwoodron]

Well, that makes it easier to make the decision to pick up some brass rod stock. My next post would have been about having trouble soldering the piano wire! Glad for the quick response- now I know why others have been using brass rod! If anyone has any images they can post of "rigid" wiring efforts, I would appreciate it. Cedarwoodron

[simon1966]

Doing a similar thing in a Kato loco, I used heat shrink tube to connect the LED to the light pipe and then used just regular flexible wire.

[cedarwoodron]

In a long hood diesel, the shrink tubing would be the way to go, but the very small cab area space in the Athearn Snow Plow made me rethink the best way to "align" the LEDs and the light pipes, so my rigid wiring does the same thing, without tying the shell to the chassis. Brass rod it is- on my workbench tonight! Cedarwoodron

[simon1966]

I get it, the light pipe is attatched to the shell.  In the Kato unit I did they were not.

[modelmaker51]

Try to stick to brass rod about .019/.020" od. Be sure to clean it with some 400-600 grit emory paper and use some flux to make a good join. Tichy sell phosphorbronze wire which is even stiffer and solders just as well or better. The smaller sizes of pb wire (.010-.015") have good springiness and work well as wipers for electrical pickup.

[MICP3389]

I added lights and a motor to an OLD Athearn (replaced the rubber bands). I used heat shrink tubing. it was the easiest solution I found. It works great and hasn't failed yet.