Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
I've started to evaluate LED spots too. The ones I've found at Home Depot and Lowe's are in the $20 range. I've found some that explicitly say "Dimmable" right on the package so that's your first clue. :)
I'm trying to evaluate color (temperature) first. There was a really good article in the December 2010 MR (the "Rod Stewart issue"). Personally I like the LED light at 3000 K degree temperature over the more yellowish 2700 K degree. To each his own!
FYI - the 3000 K bulb I like is made by Utilitech Pro (#0338802). It's rated at 450 lumens and draws 7.5W and I can validate that it IS dimmable throughout a large range. I'm thinking that a bunch of these in track lighting fixtures will barely put a dent into the electric bill and certainly won't heat up the layout room. In fact, you can safely touch the bulb without leaving skin behind. Try THAT with an incandescent bulb! Got it at Lowe's. Just checked price online. Shows it on sale for $9.98 through 5/23/11 (normally $19.98); I see a trip to Lowe's in MY plans this weekend!!!
Chuck
LED repalcement 'light bulbs' are NOT cheap. Give it a few more years. However, they theoretically should last forever, and generate little or no heat. Even more efficient than flourescent bulbs, more of the energy put into them turns into usable light instead of the majority wasted as heat like an incandescent bulb. So you do have to weigh the cost of the LED bulb to using however many incandescent bulbs will burn out over the lifetime of the layout, plus the extra heat may require more air conditioning to keep the room cool (however if it gets cold in the winter this gets offset somewhat as the normally 'wasted' heat helps keep the room warm and need less heating)
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Is it the light fixures or the LED's that your thinking of shelling out $45.00 for?
Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!
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Do a web search for the LED light bulb manufacturers, then ask them. Chances are someone makes a dimmable one that will work like an incandescent bulb. The sidebar to the article on Rod Stewart's layout mentioned that he uses theatrical lighting gel filters with the lights since the LED's themselves are too blue-ish. You may want to do the same.
John
If everybody is thinking alike, then nobody is really thinking.
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wjstix I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work. I guess I'd buy one light first and try it out.
I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't work. I guess I'd buy one light first and try it out.
Yep. That's what I would do.
LED's do put out less light with less voltage, but there is just a small voltage range where this occurs. As far as I know, they will not dim over the whole range of the dimmer.
Elmer.
The above is my opinion, from an active and experienced Model Railroader in N scale and HO since 1961.
(Modeling Freelance, Eastern US, HO scale, in 1962, with NCE DCC for locomotive control and a stand alone LocoNet for block detection and signals.) http://waynes-trains.com/ at home, and N scale at the Club.
I installed track lighting all around my layout , I plan to use L E D spot lights in every one, There will be about 16 of them, and are very expensive, about $45.00 a pop which will run me like $720.00+ total
I read in MR, these are the ones Rod Stewart used on his great layout. My question is; Will it be OK to use the L E D's with a dimmer switch. I just don"t know, and I don't want to spend that kind of $$$ without checking. I know this must seem like a stupid question for most of you, but I need to know for sure.
Thanks in advance to all.
Sam.