While trying out my recently completed staging/fiddle yard and associated eye level turnout control panel I was soon disturbed by the penetrating brightness of the 3mm diffused bi-color LEDs. Desiring a quick fix that wouldn't require less current going to the Tortoises, nor tearing into the finished panel I ended up punching out some 3/16" dia. discs from white sheet styrene and gluing them to the face of the LED bezels with canopy cement. .010 wasn't thick enough, .020 seemed too much, but .015 was just right.
The LEDs show a bit brighter than the attached photo depicts and not sure how the discs/glue will hold up over time, but for now my sensitive eyes are happy.
Regards, Peter
Peter,
That's one approach. Makes me wonder how many LEDs and hoe the circuits are powered. Throwing a resistor in the circuit could accomplish the same thing, but at a single point. It should be something like a 1/2 watt or larger just to provide lots of margin, but LEDs draw so little you could probably get away with a 1/4 watt one if each panel is like in your pic and just has a handful of them.
Conversely, adding a resistor in paralell with some existing resistance already in place can be brightened by adding more resistance in paralell, i.e. basically tagging one onto the existing resistor, with solder.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
mlehmanMakes me wonder how many LEDs and hoe the circuits are powered.
Mike, Thanks for the reply and info. Only four Tortoises are being LED indicated with back up manual control at the panel. They are being powered and seeing 10v from the DCC bus thru a Jack Wabbit Quad.
I put the two lead LEDs in the power leads from Jack outputs to Tortoise terminal #1. I might should have used the Jack's seperate feedback LED terminals, but chose not to use them as they require three-lead LEDs.
I have the same problem with the bi-color LED's I am using for turnout switch lanterns. I power them through the Tortise contact #1 and had to put 2 or 3 coats of white Testor's enamel on them to 'dull' the light coming through. They are still a little too bright but tolerable for now. I couldn't use additional resistors or it would reduce power to the Tortise and I use the internal contacts for my frog power switching.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Yeah, if you need 10V for the Tortoise, then you'd probably need individual resistors for each LED or something, which would make you methof more cost efficient. Some of our electrical whizzes may have an idea.
I run my Tortoises on 9V and they perform well. You will get faster service so to speak with 10. But if it helps calm those lights, might be worth a try?
10V to the Tortoise motor with a series LED is hitting the Tortoise with about 7.6 volts. Current is around 15ma, which for a red/green LED is less than half the rating - unless these LEDs happen to be high efficiency or high brightness types, in which case 15ma will make them very bright.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
LION had used standard LEDs for wayside signals. When him started stripping out color Christmas sets, him found the LEDs far too bright.
Him builded visors for them made out of coffee stirrers. Works good.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Gentlemen, Thanks for your time and info.
Mike, Most of the Fastrack turnouts I'm using could likely get by with 9v at the Tortoise or less, but some of them need some extra oomph. Actuator wire dia. is already maxed out with a couple that have shorter point rails.
Bob, Like you I tried a couple coats of white enamel paint at the workbench, but was surprised at how much light still came thru, was still too bright for my peepers, especially at eye level.
Randy, Pardon my not being clear. I am seeing 9.5-10v at stalled Tortoises with measurement taken at Tortoise terminals 1 and 8 with multi-tester. DCC bus voltage unknown, not set up for measurement. Did not measure Jack Wabbit Quad output voltage. LEDs not purchased as "bright", but might still be possible that they are.
Lion is clever, but then lions have to be or they would not get dinner. Every holiday season my eyes get blasted by our brightly lighted LED Christmas tree, but my wife would not take kindly if I were to try and tone it down.
My panel photo was taken with the styrene discs in place and green light indication, red light indication seems a bit brighter. I'm going to stick with my homemade light filters as long as they stay stuck.
Have a good week and regards, Peter
OK, if you are getting 9.5-10 volts at the Tortoise then the Jack Wabbit is putting out at least 12 volts or a bit more - the LEDs are likely dropping 2.1-2.5 volts each. When I last used Tortoises, I drove them with a 12V power supply (old computer supply I modified), but I had 2 LEDs on each one - one on each leg of the panel diagram, so one would be red and the other green, whch flipped when I changed the position. That gave me a near 5V drop which ran the Tortoises slower and quieter.