Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => The "Black Arts!" ( Electrics & Electronics ) => Topic started by: tony b on September 16, 2012, 01:52:41 pm
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I am going to build the "Maggie M" from Model Slipways over the Winter months,
i am hoping to fit a lighting system to her.
Could any one tell me the best type of Leds to use i.e Standard or Ultra Bright,also would Telephone
wire or Alarm wire be better?. I am going to fit a resistor to each Led.
Thanks Tony.
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I have found standard leds to be ok, I think ultrabright would look, well, too bright!
I used alarm wire without any problems, also, you dont need to fit a resistor to each led, have a look here:
http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz
Ian
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i use these they are 5mm leds and each led already has the resister fitted
http://www.horizonhobby.co.uk/aeroonline/e2eflite/e2accessories/e2_lighting_kits/e2_lighting_kits.html
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I am going to build the "Maggie M" from Model Slipways over the Winter months,
i am hoping to fit a lighting system to her.
Could any one tell me the best type of Leds to use i.e Standard or Ultra Bright.
That's suitably vague. What lights are you talking about - nav lights, interior lights, deck lights, search lights, underwater lights (to attract fish? I don't know), all of the above? I'd make a different suggestion for each.
LEDs on the same circuit can be wired in series and share a resistor, which will also be a lower Ohm value and dissipate less heat. It also reduces power consumption as one LED worth of current drives several LEDs.
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Thanks for the replys lads, :-))
Mike i am going to fit Nav Lights.Deck Lights,and Interior Lights;
for the interior i am going to use Fibre Optics from the LEDs up to
the specific instuments.i do not want to use GOW Bulbs.
I have been reading some of the older posts on lighting and thought i would
give it a go,i do not fully understand some of it but with a little perseverance
i think i will get there in the end,may have to ask some daft questions, but
if you don't ask you don't learn as i was told when i was younger.
Thanks Tony.
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for the interior i am going to use Fibre Optics from the LEDs up to
the specific instuments.i do not want to use GOW Bulbs.
You don't get a great deal of light through a fibre optic - each length will need a bit of treatment - heat the end that will show the light until it forms a blob - this makes a sort of lens which also stops the end of the fibre falling right through the hole. Do the same for the other end, but tamp it to flatten the blob. This maximizes the amount of light that can get in. You can get about ten of these into a paper sleeve ferrule that can slip over the light source, whether it is an LED or a min bulb. The power requirements for either will be comparable. The difference between a high brightness LED and a normal one is often that the high brightness one concentrates its output into a narrower viewing angle - there are also high output ones that require a high input.
The optic threading was something I found out about when helping a mate do a control panel for his train set.
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Mike i am going to fit Nav Lights.Deck Lights,and Interior Lights;
for the interior i am going to use Fibre Optics from the LEDs up to
the specific instuments.i do not want to use GOW Bulbs.
OK. One thing to watch with LEDs is, as Malcom says above, they have different beam angles. For your navs 'ordinary' LEDs will probably do, but just check the angles are OK.
Instrument lights, you could also consider the tiny surface mount LEDs which might avoid the fibre malarkey; but they will be a bit tricky to mount themselves.
Deck flood-lights would I guess be halogen so I'd be looking for high brightness 'cool' white LEDs for that. For any other incidental 'ordinary' tungsten lights you might want 'warm' white LEDs. (White nav lights might fall into either category of 'white'.)
Try to avoid (usually cheaper) 'white' LEDs that are distinctly blue - they really look horrible on models - unless it's flashing on top of something :)
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Hi Malcolm and Mike,
Thanks for the reply's it is much appreciated,i am going to buy my
LEDs and Resistors from the Component Shop,as they seem to have
a good reputation.
Thanks Tony.
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Ive used some of these..
Its trick to wire them up ,you need a magnifying lens,but produce enough light to be scale.
http://catalog.osram-os.com/catalogue/catalogue.do?act=showBookmark&favOid=000000000002602900090023
I got them here.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/50-OSRAM-LWY87C-2D-WHITE-LEDS-280-355-mcd-3-4-1V-120-MICRO-SIDELED-1mm-SMD-SMT-/271057305274?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1c463eba
They be tiny.
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alternatively buy the led tapes from component shop and take the leds off the tape, - its fiddley to do but the results are worth it....
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What about? : http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/251127547460?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&cbt=y (http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/251127547460?var=lv<yp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&cbt=y)
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There's only 120 leds.
Unless a guy has use for the driver and R/C.then pick them off..a guy could buy a thousand leds for that money.
The driver is easy to make,,
Leds are not that hard to wire,As a general rule on a 12v system I use a 1k resistor (1000ohm) down to a 470ohm for single leds
on three leds/12v 220-100ohm resistors.
the leds on that reel are the 3246 type
http://sielement.com/ledlightsblog/archives/192
http://ca.mouser.com/leds-smd/
http://www.lc-led.com/ecommerce4.html
The only thing with SMD leds ,two sided tape, a pointy soldering iron,lots of patience.
For leading the really small leds ,I have used armature wire,or small power transformer or audio transformer wire(magnet wire)
I did two dozen once ,fishing .006" wire through .008 holes super glue the led in place ,and set the leads with a hot glue gun ,then wire them accordingly.Essentially I'm trying to solder a hair to a larger wire.. terminating the final joibt with hot glue..
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I find this web site to work out for me what resitor to fit to my LEDS.
http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz