I've been fooling around/experimenting with using white led's (Light Emittting Diodes) as a light source for loco headlights and certain building lighting situations. I haven't been able to find any smaller than 3MM.....Any body know of a source????
you can go to radioshack i know they have them i got 2mm from them last week they can order them for you if they don't have them in stock or you can go to www.walthers.com they have them also
VIc,
If you're careful, you can file them down with needle files. Especially around the base, to give a more "globe" affect, and/or paint then black or whatever around the base.
I use white LED's on some street lights. They look pretty good. You can get them at Radio Shack, but they are not cheap. Remember, we Hams can find stuff like this cheap at Hamfest! Did you go to Dayton this year?
Hi Andy, Gosh I wish I could have gone to Dayton but that's a bit of a trip for me at the present time. I have some of the white LEDS from R/S but looking for something smaller. I don't think at present they are being made. Just fooling around the other night and took one and put it in one of those little circuits that simulate an arc welder. Its sure a lot more realistic than a blue LED.
I was putting a decoder into an old Kato that has the one bulb in the center. I was thinking that if I could glue a couple of white LEDs into the carbody and then run wires down to the decoder....
All you need to do is connect a 1000 Ohm (1K) in series with the LED. Also remember current only flows one way in LED's. So what will happen, the LED will go out when the loco is in reverse. Not big deal. The back ones can come on!
Well Andy, I'm just not sure about things like glueing the LED's into the shell. What type of glue? Then I'd need a couple of inches of wire on each lead to reach down to the resistor and decoder. I'm just not sure that I could shove all that loose wire safely under the hood!! I have an Athearn SW1200 that I want to do as well, and there is even less room under it! I just don't want to get the lights nicely installed, and then I can't get the carbody back on!!!
Hi Drew, Right now I don't have any particular ideas in mind on installing the LEDS.....Haven't owned a diesel loco in years....Steam Rules!!!
Doesn't seem that installing the LEDS in your switcher would be a hard job. Just need some real flexible wire so you can keep the wiring out of the way of everything. I use 30ga "flexwire" for lights and sound in my locos but its real hard to find.
While thinking about this I went over to one of my junk boxes and found an old flat cable that was used to connect the controller card to the motherboard of a computer. I cut the connectors off and pulled the individual wires apart and BINGO!!...nice 18" pieces of real small flexiable wire!!! Sometimes I amaze myself!!!