Built Me An LED Holder That Works Great

[BATMAN]

I used a paint edger that I trimmed the ends off and screwed it to a scrap piece of hardwood flooring. It works as good as I had hoped it would. You can put a bunch of LEDs under all at the same time to really speed things up.

 

 

[RR_Mel]

I was having a time hold the itty bitty LEDs for soldering too. I put a wrap of 1½” masking tape around a 1¼” wide by ¼” thick by 4” long piece of pine, sticky side out.  The sticky side on the bottom holds the board to my work bench and I can press the LED to the top side then solder away.

 

I have a harder time managing the #36 Litz wire than the LED.  The LED stays put but the wire is all over the place.  I have a couple of dozen more to do so more tape to hold the wire too next time.

 

I’m soldering four wires to the tricolor SMTL4-RGY LEDs.  I’m planning to try something different on the next group.  I glued the lens on the flat SMTL4 with CA then used Testors plastic glue in the red tube to glue the lens/LED to the back of the NJI signal head. 

 

I drilled a 11/64” hole through the masking tape into the wood.  I can press the signal head into the hole and it holds pretty good giving me good access to the four solder tabs on the SMTL4.

 

 

What ever works.

 

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.