I'm hoping somebody can help me or direct me to someone who can help me... I read through the topics in this category and I can't even understand those.
I don't know what is wrong with me, but I just want to put some lights on my scenery and I cannot understand any of it. The terminology is like a foreign lang. I also have some little HO scale cars with headlights that I'd like to put on there. I am wondering if anyone could REALLY double dumb it down for me and help me figure out how to do this w/o spending a fortune. I haven't gotten any lights yet because I can't fig out what else I need to get. I do not want anything fancy, just the ability to turn all of them on and off and the least confusing way to connect them to power. My layout is HO scale, it is a simple oval and it has a country road through it with a bridge going over some water. There is a giant waterfall and some palm trees and this is my first train so forgive me for being so ignorant but I am totally struggling with this light thing. I can't let it go. I've been looking at the lights made by walthers and I am close to using a string of battery operated mini led lights for fairy *** and rig it somehow. hahahahahah jk help me pleaseeeee
I'm not surprised you're have trouble putting it together. Don't feel alone. LED lighting has added some new demensions that don't exist with the old basic DC lighting.
I would suggest in your described predicament that you take a look at Woodland Scenics Just Plug system. It's well thought out, is very extensive, and looks good. It's almost impossible not to get it right the first time. Their web site is very good explaining things, and has some nice videos.
The Just Plug system is not the cheapest approach, by any means. With more knowledge you could do some neat things for low cost with the Chinese imports, but it requires some feel for how it goes together to make it work. Perhaps not for you right now according to your post.
Another source that's good is Evans Designs. Very good quality, decent cost level.
You can Google for any of these sites. It may be against forum rules to post links, I'm not sure, so I'll take the safe route and not post them.
RR Mel will be along shortly but these are his vehicles
I think we need to know whether you mean street lights or lighted buildings.
This is how Logan Holtgrewe of Severna Park MR club installed lights in a farm house he built for me.
The wires run to the outside of the house and are meant to be soldered, but I am going to install micro plugs, when I finalize the location.
He rigged up a battery power supply with 2 D cell, some brass strip and styrene.
Mel prefers bulbs, I prefer led's.
My intention is to have a DC bus for building lighting. I will have drop down feeders with plugs made of header pins These are male and female and you can cut them down to 2 pins. Power will come from a wall wart, that's one of those little boxes that plugs in the wall and powers your portable phone or your laptop. If needed, there are small cheap step down voltage regulators on Ebay.
I should add that LED'd have a polarity and will not light if connected incorrectly. Depending on voltage, you may need resisitors.
MR recently reviewed a fiberoptic lighting system made by Dwarvin and Woodland Scenics has a plug and play system for lighting. Most of the forum are do it yourselfers.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
the easiest way is to go with the 'just plug' systems, unfortunately the most expensive ... but the easiest for you ..
doesn't matter which manufacturer, but preferable to stay with the same one through out ..
Thank you Henry!!!
Help,
Here's some first steps.
If you're using bulbs, then the voltage rating of the bulb is very important. You don't want to exceed what its rating is, say a 12 v bulb should not be fed higher than 12 v. In many cases, you do not want the bulb to be full on and you can reduce voltage to make it dimmer as welll as adding to its life by lowering the voltage. This is best supplied by a DC power pack of some kind, although batteries can work. Doesn't matter which lead is + and which is - .
For LEDs, you don't wnat to exceed theiir rated voltage, but you should use a supply that provides close to that rated volatge as that is when they illuminate. Each LED needs a resistor (keeping it simple, as there are other ways to deal with this) rated at around 1,000 ohms to prevent it burning out. Each LED also needs to be fed according to its polarity. Positive goes to the longer lead, hegative to the shorter lead on the LED.
If just a few of either bulb or LED, then no need to add things up to ensiure enough power, but if you start adding a bunch of either, then you need to figure out what the total ameperage is and come in under that vs the rating on the power pack in amps.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
This is about as basic as it gets with LEDs:
Don't be confused by the wires, you can make those as long as you need to reach the layout spot where the light needs to go.
What terms are confusing you?
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Check out the new Dwarvin lighting system.
https://www.dwarvin.com/
It's a bit pricey, but couldn't be simpler. The only wire is the one you plug into your wall outlet. The light comes from fiber optic cables inserted in the Dwarvin power supply unit and whatever it is you want to light up.
Kerry
GNMT76 Check out the new Dwarvin lighting system. https://www.dwarvin.com/ It's a bit pricey, but couldn't be simpler. The only wire is the one you plug into your wall outlet. The light comes from fiber optic cables inserted in the Dwarvin power supply unit and whatever it is you want to light up.
Made Kerry's link, clickable:
Take Care!
Frank
GNMT76Check out the new Dwarvin lighting system.
That is a really interesting system, albeit an expensive one. I estimated the cost per light for me here in Canada would be about $7.00 given the current exchange rate. However, if it fills your needs, it is an easy way to go.
One thing that wasn't explained in the video is how to locate the drilling point when the structures are already glued in place. At least the holes are only 1/16" so your mistakes probably won't show.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Hi there,
Seeing I have a bit of time on my hands ( anyone round here busier than ever with this virus thing?), I would be quite happy to draw you a few diagrams of how to wire up Lights.
I would be using what is called a "Bus" which will hopefully explain the mysteries to you. The technique can be applied to either LED's or straight globes or a combination. My email is xdford47@yahoo.com.au
I suggest that you could also have a look at this thread in the British Your Model Railway site as well as this one as a follow on that I contributed to... might give you a few ideas as well!
Cheers from Australia
Trevor
The OP, who chose the forum name Help, has not responded. Have we been had?
He's only made 2 posts - still on moderation.
Hi there "Help",
I have done the following diagram which should show you a bit of what I have been talking about... if it does not show, click on the link and it should show you the schematic diagram.
Hope this helps you and perhaps a few others,
xdfordI have done the following diagram which should show you a bit of what I have been talking about... if it does not show, click on the link and it should show you the schematic diagram.
Hi Trevor,
The diagram is quite clear, but I would recommend one small change in your instructions. That is to use a wire stripper like this to spread the wire insulation apart:
https://www.amazon.ca/Irwin-Industrial-2078300-Self-Adjusting-Stripper/dp/B000OQ21CA/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=wire+strippers&qid=1585735616&sr=8-7
I just bought one of these and I wish I had purchased it years ago. It is so easy to use compared to other stripping tools. Well worth the investment!
Hello Dave,
I did an apprenticeship as an Electrician back in the days and yes I had strippers but I used often what I had and was shown to use side cutters or pliers to peel back wir e. You are quite correct about strippers for the majority of users - but it is not a case of My Bad!
While it seems arcane on my part, I prefer to feel the wire rather than cut through and pull, particularly if the wire is a bit old and the insulation harder but not everyone here did the apprenticeship I did where there were repairs to locos out in the field! I should have carried a set of strippers with me as well! BTW if anyone needs some clarification or further explanation on ANYTHING I say on this forum, feel free to PM me!
xdford You are quite correct about strippers for the majority of users - but it is not a case of My Bad!
I didn't intend to suggest that your suggestion was in any way wrong. Indeed, your skill with stripping wire with a simple pair of wire cutters is to be admired. The only reason that I suggested the mechanical wire strippers was because of my less than happy experience at my old club. We had several instances where members who were trying to do a good job of stripping the bus wires actually managed to destroy them. Lots of wire had to be replaced. Had we had the wire strippers that I referred to there would have been no problems.
Cheers,
I USED to always do it with cutters - I didn't know any better. I just kept doing it until I could do it without cutting or nicking the wire. But once I discovered the Ideal strippers and the identical Klein, I only wish I had used them years ago.
Of course I'm now working with essentially new wire, back when I started it was whatever I could scrounge up. Plus the Ideal Stripmaster doesn;t cut wire, so now I need two tools, where being skilled with the side cutter means only carrying one tool to both cut wire to length and strip it.
I would pretty much always say a newbie should use the stripper though.
No offence taken I assure you absolutely... I probably went through a bit of wire honing the craft and learned to leave enough extra length of wire for exactly that event!
Cheers Mate!