How to wire led lighting to lay out

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Does any one know how you would connect small led lighting to a lay out? I recently found 3 department 56 billboards which go well with my o guage lay out but the led lighting does not work due to the wire be cut off on all 3 and no power supply. I purchased these for cheap. It would be nice if I could get the lighting to work again on these. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

David[:)]

2

Can you figure out how what you have is wired?

3

Are you sure they are LEDs or are these Grain of Wheat incandescent bulbs?

I assume you are talking about the 3 billboard set from 2000 - 2003.

http://www.department56.com/products/product_detail.asp?itemNumber=56.55109&si=883173242&ts=2%2F28%2F2005+12%3A14%3A07+PM&filter=ALL&pg=1&rf=products%2Fproduct_thumbnail.asp&qs=dt%3D2%252F28%252F2005%2B12%253A14%253A07%2BPM%26si%3D883173242%26cat%3DVL%257C%2B%257CSV%26key%3Dbillboard%26pg%3D1

BTW - If you have an ohmmeter, we can instruct you how to test the wires from each billboard to see what you have. Many Dept 56 lighted accessories (not the 110 VAC night light that goes in the rear of many of their buildings) use a 3 VDC power supply.

Regards,
Roy

4

If you can find out what the output was for the original power supply it won’t be a problem. Do you know if it was a battery pack or a transformer pack that can be plugged in an AC outlet. LEDS require a resistor between them and the power supply.
In your case the resistor(s) may be in the sign…or they may have been in the power supply. Not a problem job even if you have to add a resistor(s).
underworld
[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]

5

David sent me this:

"The wire has been cut at the the base on all three and no power supply came with it. I was thinking about splicing into the wire and running it to a power supply but I am not sure what kind of power supply I would need to get. I am thinking that the lights run on very low voltage but I am not very familiar with small led lights. I am no electronics expert. I am new to the forum Is there a way I could send a picture of what I have?

"Thanks "

If the thing uses LEDs, we have to figure out the circuit before we can know what sort of power supply to connect to it. LEDs are easily damaged by driving them from a low-impedance voltage source or by the wrong polarity. Unless someone on the forum knows what is actually there, you will have to get to the components and describe or photograph the wiring. I don’t know how to put pictures on the forum; but others here do and could probably explain that to you.