Hello,
could anyone recommend a good brand and website to purchase LED’s
for my main light connectiion to my decoder for Athearn locomotives?
I have tried 1/4 watt grain of wheat with 200ohm resistors, that work fine, but are not bright enough.
Are LED’s the way to go, or maybe grain of rice? Or perhaps a different resistor?
Thank you for your advice and direction in this matter.
dj
You probably want a 3-mm “Golden White” or “Yellow-White” LED with a 1K resistor. These have a nice “warm” color and look more like headlights than the plain white LEDs. I get mine from my LHS, but they are available on-line from various sources. They are much cheaper on-line, but if you’re only buying a few of them then the shipping costs will more than offset your savings.
Check these sources for bulk or specialty LEDs, especially the Golden White ones from Litchfield:
Agreed. 3mm golden-white LEDs is the way to go for that older headlight look. And they really put out a direct beam of light. Following the shadows around the layout at night is almost as fun as watching the train…
Tom
I have been using the 3mm Golden White LED’s from Miniatronics. Here is the web site.
They sell them in a 10 pack that come with two different resisters (10 LED’s, 20 resisters) per pack. Once installed, they really look great. I have been busy replacing about a dozen Proto 2000 E-7 and Athearn Genesis F units headlights with these LED’s. Once I’m done with this, I’ll move on to my GP-7’s and GP-9’s.
When you think about it, they average out to be about $1.50 per light. It is said that they will outlast the engine under normal usage. As mentioned above, these little LED’s really create a nice beam of light.
Michael
Neither resistor packaged with the Miniatronics LEDs is really correct for DCC operation though. You want a 1K resistor. I picked upa few packs of Miniatronics LEDs at the LHS only because it actually was cheaper than most mail-order sources. I now have a alrge stack of resistors that aren’t commonly used in any electronic circuit, but no biggie. I later picked up a pack of LEDs from Empire Northern Models - he includes 1K resistors so you have everything you need to install them in DCC locos. They workout to under $1.40 in a 10 pack, so the price is competitive. For installing on DC locos, the smaller resistor included with the Miniatronics LEDs is suotable, since you will rarely be running at maximum voltage.
–Randy
Try this site:
They specialise in LED’s and have excellent prices and quick service.
Dave