Henry, that's the exact look I'm aiming for. Wow, that bookstore or library is amazing, complete with a print of The Flying Cloud on the wall!
-Matt
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
lots of useful info here https://electronicsclub.info/leds.htm
I used an orange translucent paint (Tamiya?) to warm up a bright white led. That might take the green out of the lower floor. I wouldn't use too much though, or else it will look close to the top floor.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
http://www.hebeiltd.com.cn/calculator/v5/led.php
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Be careful if you are using different LEDs in the structure. They may have significantly different resistance values so using parallel wiring may "steal" the power from one LED to light the other. I wired a signal bridge using red, yellow and green LEDs, and my parallel wiring didn't work and I had to re-do the circuit for series wiring.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
OvermodThat slightly greenish color is how I remember the ceiling in Hopper's Nighthawks.
I also see that you can buy the whole Nighthawks neighborhood in HO scale.
That slightly greenish color is how I remember the ceiling in Hopper's Nighthawks. I thought of it then as being light reflected from pale celadon green interior paint. I think if you put further resistance in the line to those particular resistors you could re-create that 'look'.
(I went back to check if I remembered this right and there are all sorts of 'corrected' tonal ranges in commercial prints of the painting...)
crossthedogI have a five or six story hotel to do, and I may wire it up with Brent's copper tape method before I even assemble the walls.
Hi Matt,
I think that learning how to plan ahead for details like lighting and wiring is one of the more challenging aspects of building a structure. In the past I have been a bit like a bull in a china shop. I always wanted to charge ahead with putting the major parts together when I should have spent much more time planning for the interior details. My bad!
Good luck with your lighting project!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
gmpullmanI can see the profile of the resistor under that heat shrink. It looks like a snake that swallowed a dumbell.
I feel sheepish having run everyone "all around Robinhood's barn" all day trying to figure out how to get resistors into the wiring.
It's actually not that much brighter than the test with resistors, but the fact that the bulbs didn't blow up proves that they are protected by embedded resistors. I think I was sold something I did not order, or else there was "order incompetence" on my part.
You can see that greenish cast to the light in the cafe. It's worse in person. I may paint the inside of the lower floor white -- and the ceiling -- to see if I can make it more like a busy diner in there. I may also put up a false wall in front of those wires coming down the inside. Or paint them, as someone suggested. And I'm hoping that painting the exterior of the building will take care of the light leak that's showing right through the outer wall above the upper windows.
The upper floor light I like a lot, although I may have gone a bit heavy on the red paint on the bulb, because it almost looks like firelight, and I was aiming more for a reading lamp vibe.
Anyhoo, this parTICKular job will be much easier than I'd anticipated. But thank you all. I will save this thread and refer to it because I'll only be doing more and more structures in the months to come. I have a five or six story hotel to do, and I may wire it up with Brent's copper tape method before I even assemble the walls.
I can see the profile of the resistor under that heat shrink. It looks like a snake that swallowed a dumbell. I have dozens of that style, too. They're perfect for a direct replacement of the old Life-Like bulbs in their locomotives.
Good Luck, Ed
CSX RobertA white LED will typically have a voltage drop of 3-3.5 volts, If they are labeled 9 to 12 volts, then they do have resistors so you shouldn't have to add any unless they are too bright.
crossthedogI was wondering the same thing, cuz it sure looks like they've wrapped a tiny resistor in there, but this package of LEDs I bought specifically because I wanted some withOUT built-in resistors. So I think that's just the soldered joint under there.
crossthedog The only "specs" I have for the LEDs is that the package is labeled Warm White and 9.0 to 12.0 volts.
A white LED will typically have a voltage drop of 3-3.5 volts, If they are labeled 9 to 12 volts, then they do have resistors so you shouldn't have to add any unless they are too bright.
None of the epoxies I'm familiar with do anything to resistors. In fact the most common 'potting' materials to make circuits shock- and weatherproof are epoxies.
CSX RobertWhat is your supply voltage? Do you have any specs for the LEDs (forward voltage drop and maximum current)? If you don't have the specs, then what color are they (voltage drop can be estimated from the color)?
BigDaddyHere is another idea. These are LED's in the ceiling of a building
Here is another idea. These are LED's in the ceiling of a building (built by Logan Holtgrewe of Severna Park MR fame)
It was designed for a 3V power supply. He used K&S or is it K&N brass wire to solder the the LED's. Remember LED's have a polarity
crossthedog gregc as i suggest, try different resistor (> 62) to lower the brightness. Greg, the chart doesn't make much sense to me -- pretty as it is. There seem to be all values of resistor for sale out there. How low could I go (10?) before I'm not providing enough resistance? I made the mistake (twice!) of testing an LED without a resistor in the mix and in both cases I instantly blew its brains out. So is there a lower threshhold the resistor should stay above? -Matt
gregc as i suggest, try different resistor (> 62) to lower the brightness.
Greg, the chart doesn't make much sense to me -- pretty as it is. There seem to be all values of resistor for sale out there. How low could I go (10?) before I'm not providing enough resistance? I made the mistake (twice!) of testing an LED without a resistor in the mix and in both cases I instantly blew its brains out. So is there a lower threshhold the resistor should stay above?
What is your supply voltage?
Do you have any specs for the LEDs (forward voltage drop and maximum current)?
If you don't have the specs, then what color are they (voltage drop can be estimated from the color)?
gregcas i suggest, try different resistor (> 62) to lower the brightness.
I would probably just use a dab of hot glue but expoxy would be fine.
CSX RobertTo do two resistors, use the circuit on the right
Still waiting to hear from Dave or anyone -- anyone? Beuller? anyone? -- whether or not epoxy will damage a resistor. I'm considering using Brent's weensy resistors on magnetic tape, but more likely I will use the standard resister and try to glue it to the wall or floor. Would epoxy corrode the cylinder? If epoxy is not a good idea, how would you affix this kind of resistor to styrene?
crossthedogOkay, if I remove the lines between the anode and cathode for each LED, is that the same as this? If I got it wrong this time I'm giving up until after lunch and a nap. :)
That is not what you want. To do two resistors, use the circuit on the right and to do one rsistor use the circuit on the left:
Try using this, I am so stupid at this stuff it hurts, but this Wizard got me through.
crossthedoghow to affix the copper strip, how to solder to it, where to get it,
The copper tape is sticky on one side.
To solder, get a small bead of solder on the iron and touch the bead to the copper tape, do not touch the iron to the tape. It really is quite easy.
I bought several rolls of different widths of copper tape from China for pennies on the dollar for what they want for it here.
I order a lot from China with an average delivery time of 11 days. Type in what you need on eBay and the Chinese companies come right up.
I also use these to control the power by connecting an old wall wart to it. I ordered a bunch from China for $2.00ea. You can adjust the brightness somewhat with these, after a couple of years I have not lost an LED yet.
Here is my first experimental try to see if it would work, you can see the chip resistors. First, attach the wire to the resistor and then hold the resistor to the bead of solder by holding the wire and a quick touch does the trick.
This is pretty messy as I was trying different methods including painting it all after the soldering was done. I got much neater in short order.
Painted with cheap Walmart craft paint.
tstageAs far as a hand-drawn diagram, there should be no line betwen the anode & cathode of each LED.
York1 have added foundations to the buildings and houses I now build. The wires run through the floor, and the resistor and soldering all sits under the building. The foundation is a flat piece of styrene.
I was hoping Dave would chime back in and answer my question about what to use to affix a resistor to the styrene kit wall or to an added styrene floor/foundation.
Which brings me to...
BATMANI found working with wires in a building a pain as well so I used copper tape. Note the tiny chip resistor above each light.
crossthedogRobert, I always have trouble picturing parallel circuits; where would the resistor be in a parallel setup?
In the situation betamax described is the resistor is not in parallel - it's a parallel/series circuit. The LEDs are wired in parallel as I mentioned, but the pair of LEDs is wired in series with the single resistor.
crossthedog I think of parallel as a loop with a bulb on it and a short-cut across the middle of that loop with another bulb on it
That is correct.
crossthedogBut where could a resistor be that it wouldn't affect both LEDs if it failed?
The resistor would effect both LEDs, what I said was if the LEDs are in series a failed LED won't damage the other LED (it would still effect it, as in it wouldn't light until the damaged LED was replaced, but it wouldn't damage it).
I found working with wires in a building a pain as well so I used copper tape. Note the tiny chip resistor above each light. I had nothing but grief putting more than one LED per resistor, so one resistor per LED it was.
Once everything is soldered up you can paint the copper tape and it disappears.
crossthedogThe issue is just how difficult I find it to solder and get wires to behave in the space within a structure like this. The tiny wires break, the larger ones act like springs and push against stuff and each other.
I have the same issue.
I have added foundations to the buildings and houses I now build. The wires run through the floor, and the resistor and soldering all sits under the building.
The foundation is a flat piece of styrene. I then build up the foundation by gluing more stryene around the outside edges of the foundation on the bottom.
That leaves a void under the building floor which allows wires, resistors, and soldering connections to all fit.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
tstageIs there some kind of room constraint that adding an extra resistor is an issue?
tstageAs far as a hand-drawn diagram, there should be no line betwen the anode & cathode of each LED. But, I assume you know that and it was a quick diagram.
Matt,
Is there some kind of room constraint that adding an extra resistor is an issue? Resistors are cheap. I would add a resistor for each LED...
As far as a hand-drawn diagram, there should be no line betwen the anode & cathode of each LED. But, I assume you know that and it was a quick diagram...
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.