My Walmart is selling warm light strip leds as battery operated Christmas lights right now relatively cheap. If you know about how to add resistors this may be a way to go. I also bought some strip leds at Lowes for under counters but they are quite a bit more expensive.
I got some 5-meter warm white strips like Randy shows, but from Ebay. If you are an Amazon Prime user the $8 with free shipping is pretty fair.
I'm quite happy with these. I have 5mm inverted cone warm white LEDs stripped from Christmas tree strings (these are likely already at Lowes). I use them in small buildings like shacks. The 3-LED lights are great for larger spaces. The 5mm draws 9 milli-amps and the 3-LED strip draws 25 ma at 12v DC by my measurement. I use 12v DC regulated walwarts rated at 1000ma, each installed with a 3/4 amp fuse. So I keep track of the sum of the amp draws on each walwart to stay within the 3/4 amp limit. Some folks use a larger single power supply. But do include a fuse to avoid power supply burnout. Also, some find the color too harsh (cool) white, so they may color the LED with some appropriate color paint (maybe thinned) to achieve a more incandescent color if that is the target.
When I install more than one 3-LED strip I just wire them in series or parallel so they each still see 12 volts. I just cut the 22awg stranded red/black wire I use for the lighting circuits to make jumpers for 2nd and 3rd segments used. I find soldering the wires to the segments is easier with using a bit of flux on the wire and the LEDs connection point and tinning both with solder first. It's then quick to melt them together at the blob of solder sitting on the LED strip connection spot.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
I got a relatively cheap reel on Amazon, I put up a couple of rows under the bottom shelf over my workbench to provide working light. I also found some nifty connectors with pigtails that make the wiring easier, no soldering to the flexible strip, they clamp on and then you can solder to the wires. They're made with 2 clamps and wires connecting them to connect multiple strips of LEDs, but cut them in half and you have 20 connectors to use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017EG9GRU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016WHIOJS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Don't forget you can only cut the strip where marked, usually in groups of 3 LEDs. If you want single LEDs it is cheaper and easier to just buy a pack of 100 or so LEDs from one of many Chinese suppliers on eBay.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Incandescent white is usually referred to as warm white by LED suppliers.
As for a suppliers - you won't find any better deals than one of the many China suppliers on ebay. ;)
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Hello.
Can someone offer lead to a supplier for LED strip lights? My goal is to cut the strips into custom lengths and install inside buildings.
A google search reveals many suppliers offering prepared strip segments with wires. I can do soldering. I really just want the roll of LEDs.
Oh ya, what we modellers call 'incandescent white' is called what by the rest of the world?
Thx. D.