Hey guys-
I’m venturing into the diorama making business. One question. I want to power a few things on my diorama, but don’t need it to run trains. Is there some sort of simple power source I can use to light some signals, maybe some street lights, or the interior of a structure? I have a decent grasp on wiring, so getting in there shouldn’t be an issue. I just need to know where to get started. Thanks!
Kyle
You might consider a trip to your local Goodwill, or other charity thrift store. Look for a wall wart that would have the voltage and amperage capacity that you need. Our local GW, has shelf bins full of wall warts, they usually cost around $2.99, and they usually have quite a few that are 12VDC.
To make your wiring simple for making your diorama portable, go to Radio Shack or any other electronics stores and get the mating socket to match the plug on your wall wart.
Neither part should be hard to find and the project shouldn’t cost more than 5 or 6 bucks.
Doug
I’d agree that the wall wart is the way to go.
To simplify things, I’d recommend using the same voltage bulb for everything. I would use a 16-volt bulb with a 12-volt power supply, or a 12-volt bulb with a 9-volt supply. By running the bulbs well below their rated voltage, you get much longer bulb life, and generally a better appearance from the lights, which many of us think are too bright when run at their rated voltage.
Each of the 16-volt bulbs that I use runs about 30 milliamps. So, you can run 33 of them with a 1-amp power supply. This is pushing it, of course, but I wouldn’t hesitate to run 20 of them on a 1 amp supply.
Typical wall warts have a fuse inside, but it’s not replaceable. It’s there for safety. If you put too much load on a wall wart and blow the fuse, it’s time for a new wall wart. I’ve taken to putting my own fuses in my lighting circuits, rated a bit lower than the power supply. Again, you can get fuses at Radio $hack.