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Do you route or drill for your lighting wires?
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[quote user="tstage"] <p>I'm still working through this. Since I want to have individual control of my lighting (especially my interior), I have quite a number of wires running from my lights scattered acroos my layout to my Atlas controller switches. I need to come up with a way of routing them so that they are easily tracable, use up less wire, but still have independent control. </p><p>Tom </p><p>[/quote]</p><p>I actually tried the same thing for my current layout where I have individual switches for say industrial lights, street lights, residential and then signals. I even colour code the wires for easy trouble shooting later and I also got one of those DC R/C power supply an goes to a PD block and goes to individual switches. But I tell ya, it's still a nightmare because I light every structure on top of street lights and what not and I still have lights I haven't used yet. Way too many wires and under the layout just a maze of wires and if I don't look at it for 2 weeks, I seriously don't what is what anymore. I think I now just by pass all the switches and just use the main on the power supply.</p><p>So I don't want to do that on my second layout anymore. Initially I even solder every joint but at the end, I just twist and use a heat shrink tube. BTW, I rant surface wires to the edge and then route to PD blocks and then njust try to hide wires later. That didn't work out too well because too many wires to hide everywhere and some have to go across the entire layout hence I was wondering if drill holes would be easier. But then that introduced another factor to consider, I am using WS 2" risers this time and then a nother layr of foam base underneath that, that's a lot of space to drill! I think I am already going to give up on lighting building interiors, too many and too much trouble, but signals and exterior lights still essential of a realistic layout so...<span class="smiley">[sigh]</span></p><p><span class="smiley">And that brings to another wuestion! If you do all the pre-wiring first which means the lights have to be installed before the scenic is finished, would that cause any problem? As far as I know, if I want lights, that would be the chronological order of doing the layout, am I right?</span></p>
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