Another of my part time projects I’ve been working on is lighting one of my HO tugs using LED’s, and so far it has been working out OK. It took a lot of trial and error testing with the light positions, materials, and voltage. Because of the small size of the running lights I started with some fiber optics and LED’s which worked OK, but didn’t have the depth of color I wanted. I wound placing 3mm LED’s in the roof where the running lights were molded. I had to file the tops of the LED flat so I could put a top back on the light housing and keep the light from shining out the top. I still have a long way to go on the model, it is only in rough finishing stage now. The model is a Lindberg, which is OK but a lot of the detail is too big and I may remove some of it and put more to scale parts back.
I built a battery holder for the 9-volt battery that I have been using for power and I may replace it with direct power from a wall wart. I like the portability with the battery as I can place the tug anywhere on the water without drilling holes. I put styrene tubes in the undersides to guide and hold the LED’s. They still need to have seams sealed and painted black to block stray light. I put a warm white LED in the floor of the pilothouse to create a warm glow that would show the captain at the wheel and his first mate watching with his binoculars. This may still need some difusing but the overall effect is good.
I also have a Walther’s RR tug model that I will use the same procedure on when I get to that model. It just adds another level of detail and realism to the layout. I may even put a speaker in it and add a sound track!
I posted a few photos of the model and how it is constructed so others can get inspired to ‘illuminate’ their models.
-Bob
Life is what happens while you are making other plans!
Great Idea Bob,
A very nicely done model and very tidy work.
My compliments to you.
Johnboy out....................................
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
Neat looking tug,Bob,the lights add a lot of interest! I run the markers on my cabooses(On3) off 9 volt batteries,too.I put magnetic latching switches in,so I can turn them on/off without having to handle them - just pass a magnet over them. The bodies are just a slip-fit,so when I do have to change the batteries(which should be quite awhile from now),they'll be easy to replace.
Uhh...the lights don't actually blink....
Judging from the tug,and your recently scratchbuilt Fisheries bldg,this should be a very impressive water scene.
Mike
middlemanJudging from the tug,and your recently scratchbuilt Fisheries bldg,this should be a very impressive water scene. Mike
Mike,
thanks for the kind words. I just finished another building for the harbor scene (well, 98% finished!), the City Island Fish Processing plant, a RDA kit (Fisherman's Cooperative). BTW, what brand are your caboose marker lights? They are very nice and I have a few cabeese? that could use them.
Bob and Mike:
Nice work!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
'Very kind of you,Dave.The projects you've shown on the forum are way beyond my abilities,but I surely enjoy seeing them.
Terrific work,Bob,can't wait to see that all come together,although when I think of the amount of time/skill needed for that,I'm glad I picked a land-locked,semi-arid area for my efforts - and in a larger scale.I hope you'll keep us posted on that scene's progress.
My markers are from Precision Scale(These are from their O scale catalog,but I'm sure they have several styles in HO,too). I stuck short bits of brass tubing into one side of each lantern as a mount/wire pathway. The plastic tubing inserted in the lantern bottoms was so I could pour lenses from 5 minute epoxy without filling the centers.I used Tamiya clear yellow and red paint to color the lenses,then slipped some warm white nano LEDs in through the brass tubing.
Mike:
I was wondering how you managed to get your caboose marker lights to shine so brightly. Now I know - O scale!
I recently did a bunch of cabooses in HO and the brightness of the marker lights is OK but not as bright as I would have liked.
Bob, Good job,but you have the colors reversed.Green= starboard,right RED = Port, Left. I hope it wont be to difficult to fix. Sorry RR George
OOPS!
RRGeorge Bob, Good job,but you have the colors reversed.Green= starboard,right RED = Port, Left. I hope it wont be to difficult to fix. Sorry RR George
OOPPSS! And I thought it was Port/Red/Right side? The LED's are just pushed into the styrene tubes (no glue at this stage) so I can just pull them out and reverse them. I meant to check this out but never got around to it. I was going to send some pics to my marine artist friend and I am sure he would have noticed that also. Thanks for pointing it out, I can fix it today. Now I have to take the photos over? Well I could just reverse the images!
middlemanMy markers are from Precision Scale(These are from their O scale catalog,but I'm sure they have several styles in HO,too).
Thanks for the info and now I see why they look so good, being O scale. I have some nano LED's I picked up at a recent train show and they are so small I think they would work in the markers. I may also try them in the mast lights on the tug model, just have to find a good/easy way to hide the wires going down the mast (solid plastic). Maybe a groove cut on each side to bury the magnet wires.
Didn't take long to switch LED's and after researching the light requirements I found that a white mast light is also required (actually 2 mast lights for this size ship). I used one of the nano LED's and a pc of clear styrene sprue, cut to fit a slot in the light housing. I drilled a hole thru the mast and cut a slot down the back side of the mast to conceal the wire. I don't have enought room to put two wire runs so I will leave just the one light. I think it came out pretty good but I 'burned' 2 of the nano LED's in the process.
Bob - 'Glad to see it was a relatively painless fix. That mast light came out great.Cutting a slot down the back of the mast sounds tricky - How'd you do that? I have some light poles that could use that treatment.
Speaking of burning out LEDs: All my On3 locos have been changed over to LEDs(cab,class lights,# boards,headlight,firebox flicker).I secured the LEDs with 5 minute epoxy,no problems.I don't know why I decided to do one engine with CA. 'Might have been okay,if I hadn't used "kicker"...I didn't even think about the heat the reaction generates,but evidently it was hot enough to melt the very thin "transformer wire" insulation. When power was applied,everything worked incredibly well...for a fraction of a second.Luckily,the decoder survived.
Live and learn(or not).
middlemanBob - 'Glad to see it was a relatively painless fix. That mast light came out great.Cutting a slot down the back of the mast sounds tricky - How'd you do that? I have some light poles that could use that treatment.
I used a razor saw, the one that cuts on the pull stroke, and then finished with a Micro Mark scriber tool. I haven't filled the slot/wire yet but will use some white paint and a little putty; it isn't very noticable from 3' so the paint may be enough. Just have to take it slow, the mast is delicate with the hole in it for the LED.
-*Bob
Don't forget a white stern light.
Bob:
You could have wired two white LEDs in parallel to get the second light on the mast.
One way to deal with the wiring is to substitute a brass tube for the plastic mast. The wires can be run inside the tube, or you can even use the tube as one of the conductors.
I would also mention that it would not be unusual to have the wires visible as they run down the mast.
Looks good regardless!
Eric97123 Don't forget a white stern light.
hon30critter Bob: You could have wired two white LEDs in parallel to get the second light on the mast. One way to deal with the wiring is to substitute a brass tube for the plastic mast. The wires can be run inside the tube, or you can even use the tube as one of the conductors. I would also mention that it would not be unusual to have the wires visible as they run down the mast. Looks good regardless! Dave
Dave,
I thought about putting a second light on but with the delicate wiring on these nano LED's I wanted to get one to work first. Now that I have the wiring concealed I think I could put a second one with wires running down the sides of the mast. The mast is tapered and I would have to use a round one if I went to brass tube, unless I built up one side with plastic to make it a taper? Not sure I want to make this too complicated right now, but that would be doable. Thanks for the suggestions.
farrellaa hon30critter Bob: You could have wired two white LEDs in parallel to get the second light on the mast. One way to deal with the wiring is to substitute a brass tube for the plastic mast. The wires can be run inside the tube, or you can even use the tube as one of the conductors. I would also mention that it would not be unusual to have the wires visible as they run down the mast. Looks good regardless! Dave Dave, I thought about putting a second light on but with the delicate wiring on these nano LED's I wanted to get one to work first. Now that I have the wiring concealed I think I could put a second one with wires running down the sides of the mast. The mast is tapered and I would have to use a round one if I went to brass tube, unless I built up one side with plastic to make it a taper? Not sure I want to make this too complicated right now, but that would be doable. Thanks for the suggestions. -Bob
Bob
Have you thought about drawing an electrical path down the sides using an electrical trace pen?
For example:
http://www.amazon.com/CircuitWriter-Precision-Pen-silver-based-grams/dp/B00B88B9KI
I used paint myself. But I may try the pen next. After you apply the paint and affix the wires (while the paint is "wet") you paint over it with your standard colors. You can even draw traces stright to your nano leds.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
DigitalGriffinBob Have you thought about drawing an electrical path down the sides using an electrical trace pen? For example: http://www.amazon.com/CircuitWriter-Precision-Pen-silver-based-grams/dp/B00B88B9KI I used paint myself. But I may try the pen next. After you apply the paint and affix the wires (while the paint is "wet") you paint over it with your standard colors. You can even draw traces stright to your nano leds.
Thanks for the link, I hadn't thought about this product. I have used the copper tape used for stained glass and soldered wires to it, but it wouldn't work as well in this situation, but the pen looks like an easy fix.