Welcome to the forum   
Welcome Guest! To enable all features please Login or Register.

Notification

Icon
Error

Share
Options
View
Go to last post in this topic Go to first unread post in this topic
Offline Danlake  
#1 Posted : 01 May 2012 01:59:45(UTC)
Danlake

New Zealand   
Joined: 03/08/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,571
Good day fellow hobbyist,

I have started working on the lighting circuit for my small layout.

I decided to go with a 12V DC supply with dimmer and use of LED's. I believe is the most cost effective solution and safe as you don’t end up installing buring hot lamps in small plastic enclosures... Regarding LED I found below websites really handy:

General about LED:
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/led.htm#colours

Tinting of LED:
http://www.ngineering.com/led_coloring.htm

With inspiration from another user here (https://www.marklin-users.net/fo...st16932_Jornebanen.aspxk) – thank you JorgenBigGrin - I also constructed my own platform lights. Cost me about 1.5 USD a piece.

The lights are made up of 3mm warm light LED, 460 ohm resistor and brass tubes from K&S engineering:
UserPostedImage

I used the brass tube tube itself as a conductor. Used an automobile grey coloured primer spray can, which gave a really nice finish.
UserPostedImage

The hood is made from dome studs (clothing accessories found on Ebay). Hardest part was to drill the hole in the top...
UserPostedImage

Final result:
UserPostedImage

UserPostedImage

And most importantly it was lots of fun to make it yourself!

Brgs - Lasse

Digital 11m2 layout / C (M&K) tracks / Era IV / CS3 60226 / Train Controller Gold 9 with 4D sound. Mainly Danish and German Locomotives.
thanks 3 users liked this useful post by Danlake
Offline Chris6382chris  
#2 Posted : 01 May 2012 02:13:28(UTC)
Chris6382chris

United States   
Joined: 27/11/2009(UTC)
Posts: 1,215
Location: Middle of the US
Danlake:

Great post. The lights look great. Did you taper the tubing at the end where the light fixture attaches or does it just look like that?

Chris
Offline Danlake  
#3 Posted : 01 May 2012 02:32:15(UTC)
Danlake

New Zealand   
Joined: 03/08/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,571
Hi Chris,

Thanks - the 2 pins from the LED is used to secure to the brass tube. The minus is soldered to the brass tube itself and the plus is soldered onto the cable which you can see just penetrating from the open end of the tube. The black part above the hood is just the top part of the actual LED painted black.

Brgs - Lasse
Digital 11m2 layout / C (M&K) tracks / Era IV / CS3 60226 / Train Controller Gold 9 with 4D sound. Mainly Danish and German Locomotives.
Offline river6109  
#4 Posted : 01 May 2012 03:08:57(UTC)
river6109

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 14,636
Location: On 1965 Märklin Boulevard just around from Roco Square
Lasse,

Looks very neat and realistic.

John

https://www.youtube.com/river6109
https://www.youtube.com/6109river
5 years in Destruction mode
50 years in Repairing mode
Offline Maxi  
#5 Posted : 01 May 2012 03:34:53(UTC)
Maxi


Joined: 28/04/2003(UTC)
Posts: 757
Location: Wawa, Ontario
Very nice design.

I also made my own lights and found the project to be rather satisfying.

A sample of my designs can be seen at the following site.
Home made street lights

Matthew
Offline Lollo  
#6 Posted : 01 May 2012 14:05:24(UTC)
Lollo

New Zealand   
Joined: 22/06/2009(UTC)
Posts: 365
Excellent work, it gives me inspiration to make my own.
Thanks for sharing.

Brian.
Brian
Yaasan's Desktop Station/Railuino & Marklin MS2, DB Era III/IV Diesel & Steam, ESU Loksound/Lokpilot & Lokprogrammer, Marklin mSD, Tam Valley Depot Octopus III Servo Controller.
Offline Iamnotthecrazyone  
#7 Posted : 01 May 2012 14:33:11(UTC)
Iamnotthecrazyone

Australia   
Joined: 22/01/2012(UTC)
Posts: 1,044
nice work
Offline kariosls37  
#8 Posted : 02 May 2012 04:52:34(UTC)
kariosls37

New Zealand   
Joined: 02/01/2009(UTC)
Posts: 1,067
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Nice lights. Those K&S tubes are suseful arent theyThumpUp
Offline Danlake  
#9 Posted : 02 May 2012 12:54:05(UTC)
Danlake

New Zealand   
Joined: 03/08/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,571
Thanks for comments.

I was hoping to make some other versions (for street lights) where the top is bended 180 degress (u-shape), but keep getting sharp kinks in the tube. I was wondering if anyone had some good techniqiue to bend the tubes smoothly (maybe by heating them)?

Enjoyed browsing trough your website Matthew. Nice layout you build.

Brgs - Lasse
Digital 11m2 layout / C (M&K) tracks / Era IV / CS3 60226 / Train Controller Gold 9 with 4D sound. Mainly Danish and German Locomotives.
Offline jeehring  
#10 Posted : 02 May 2012 14:10:21(UTC)
jeehring


Joined: 25/09/2003(UTC)
Posts: 2,786
Location: ,
...that's what I was wondering tooo : how to bend the tubes without "flatten" them, to make a nice curve...
Good idea, well inspired .thank you.
Offline kbvrod  
#11 Posted : 02 May 2012 14:56:31(UTC)
kbvrod

United States   
Joined: 23/08/2006(UTC)
Posts: 2,597
Location: Beverly, MA
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by kbvrod
Offline Danlake  
#12 Posted : 02 May 2012 16:23:14(UTC)
Danlake

New Zealand   
Joined: 03/08/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,571
Excellent - I shall order some of these springs nowBigGrin
Digital 11m2 layout / C (M&K) tracks / Era IV / CS3 60226 / Train Controller Gold 9 with 4D sound. Mainly Danish and German Locomotives.
Offline Maxi  
#13 Posted : 03 May 2012 00:19:32(UTC)
Maxi


Joined: 28/04/2003(UTC)
Posts: 757
Location: Wawa, Ontario
Originally Posted by: Danlake Go to Quoted Post
Thanks for comments.

I was hoping to make some other versions (for street lights) where the top is bended 180 degress (u-shape), but keep getting sharp kinks in the tube. I was wondering if anyone had some good techniqiue to bend the tubes smoothly (maybe by heating them)?

Enjoyed browsing trough your website Matthew. Nice layout you build.

Brgs - Lasse


Thank you, it was a real joy to build and play with.

To bend the 3mm tubing to a virtual U-shape, I created a simple jig. Wasn't a perfect U-shape, but created the shape I was looking for.

Here is a few pictures of the jig I created.

Jig parts with a sample bent tubing.
Jig parts

Tubing is inserted until it reaches the screw.
Jig parts

Views of jig
Jig parts

Jig parts

Jig parts

Hope this gives some ideas for trying to create your U-shaped lamp posts.

Regards
Matthew
Offline Danlake  
#14 Posted : 03 May 2012 02:54:56(UTC)
Danlake

New Zealand   
Joined: 03/08/2011(UTC)
Posts: 1,571
Good idea Matthew,

Thanks for tips!
Digital 11m2 layout / C (M&K) tracks / Era IV / CS3 60226 / Train Controller Gold 9 with 4D sound. Mainly Danish and German Locomotives.
Offline Johnvr  
#15 Posted : 03 May 2012 17:01:11(UTC)
Johnvr

South Africa   
Joined: 03/10/2010(UTC)
Posts: 1,269
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Great lights !

Regards,BigGrin
John
Offline nevw  
#16 Posted : 16 May 2012 12:05:32(UTC)
nevw

Australia   
Joined: 27/08/2005(UTC)
Posts: 11,071
Location: Murrumba Downs QLD
Very good tips and sites.

NN
NOt wearing the Pink Pinny, which is hard to see and now I have a white Pinny which also is hard to see against MY pure white Skin Still have 2 new shiny tin Hips that is badly in Need of Repair matching rusting tin shoulders
and a hose pipe on the aorta
Junior member of the Banana Club, a reformist and an old Goat with a Bad memory, loafing around
Users browsing this topic
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

| Powered by YAF.NET | YAF.NET © 2003-2024, Yet Another Forum.NET
This page was generated in 0.732 seconds.