I’ve been playing with LED’s to light the interior walls of my subways. They look good, but they are very directional and the light only shows up in a narrow cone from the front. So, I was going to try mounting one in the base of a building, and using a white interior ceiling as a reflector. Not sure how that will work, but I’ll keep you posted. (Don’t hold your breath. The subways are going well, but the surface is still pink foam.)
Welcome back from active duty, Dave, and thanks for doing your part. We all appreciate the sacrifices you guys make to keep our country the way it is.
Tom: That has been used for porch lights and other point light usages like marquee lights, automobile lights, etc. You hold the end of the fibre over the match flame, a small distance away to make it mushroom. I haven’t tried playing around with fibre optics yet, but plan to some day–yet another thing to keep me from getting to running trains! It might work to reflect the light off something as the fibres do put out a fair bit of light. Can’t help you on the frosted globes. Haven’t heard about them. Do they just slip over a bulb? Sounds like a good thing.
I’ve also been playing around with LEDs for building lighting - with the goal of developing a small system for retail. I don’t want this to sound like an ad - but mrr layout lighting is one of the things I sell at shows.
Here’s my take so far. I prefer using LEDs because they rarely, if ever, burn out. That means far fewer replacement problems than with incandescent bulbs. I also install lights in cop cars and fire engines and those are permanent installs, so longevity is important.
The smaller Surface Mount LEDS (SMDs) are a far better choice to use for house lighting than the traditional T1 because they have much wider light dispersal due to their “top hat” shape - virtually 360 degrees. The trade off is soldering the wire. SMD’s don’t have metal leads, but small pads on the back. It’s a bit daunting the first time, but once you master the technique, it’s easy.
The typical white LED (T1) can be used, but only in a commercial/business setting to simulate flourescent lighting. Few homes have that kind of lighting. But even for flourescent lighting, I prefer using a frosted white SMD I’ve found that really looks like flourescent. Since they don’t have that point intensity that T1s have, you don’t need elaborate blocking. I put a couple in a service station and they look very nice.
For house lights, I’ve found that yellow SMD’s at a reduced level using resistors come very close to the real thing. By varying the resistor , you can get different intensities from room to room. I’ve played with orange SMDs but they tend to look too red when compared with the yellows. Because the SMDs vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, you can also use different ones and end up with different color combinations. I’m playing around with this now.
Again, the reason the SMD’s work so well is their light dispersal. Mounted in a ceiling, they disperse light thoughout the room.
The system I’m working on will provide a blend of “always on” lights with some
I have used flat black paint on the inside walls as well as black construction paper. I found the construction paper to be more to my liking. This is true when you make the construction paper a little be longer than the diagnol lenth of the building. The construction paper will curve and add a little depth when you look through the windows. You can also dulcote some of the window glazing as well.
Mike: I’ve done some work with SMD LEDs too. Never considered them for structure lighting, but I’ll have to look into that. I made a flashing yellow light on my N scale power company line truck since I built it in a working position at a pole. I epoxied the SMD to the top of the toolbox at the rear, relying on the paint to insulate it from the cast metal truck and ran a pair of magnet wire leads hidden inside the truck to a flasher under the layout. Looks neat. I can think of lots of uses for those tiny little things–caboose marker lights, signs, car turn signals. Too many things to try, not enough time.
I’ve got sequenced lights too, but I just used 555 timers to turn them on and off. I’ve got a welder simulator too, but it uses incandescent lights and 555 timers. Sounds like we both like playing around with electronics for our layouts. Now if I can just get away from the workbench and build my layout to the point where I can really run trains …
Hey, Seamonster, any chance you could post the schematic for the welder simulator? I’m giving my roundhouse the full Martha Stewart decorator treatment, and I think a workbench with a couple of guys standing around welding would be a terrific addition.
Martha has been a big help on my layout. For the last few days, her book has been holding down the hydrocal castings while the silicone adhesive sets.
A tip I got from one of the guys at the local club is cheap, and quick, but a bit inelegant…
Line the building with aluminum foil. Blocks light from escaping through cracks, and intesifies light coming out the windows. Of course, this approach requires frosted windows/no interiors.
The ultimate light-blocker, in my experience, is aluminum foil, which can be used to form a rough set of interior partitions as well as wall and ceiling lining. It shapes easily (fingers only) and, if used as a ceiling lining, reflects the light back down into the structure.
One caution - if used too close to a high wattage bulb, aluminum foil will concentrate heat. I’ve been using the ultimate `el cheapo’ bulbs - 2.5v christmas string lights powered from a 1.25v AC source, and haven’t had any problems.
One more final suggestion as if the others were not enough. Glue aluminum foil on the interior walls. It is cheap enough and stops all light from coming through. You then have the opton of painting it your desired color either dark or light. It also will enhances the amount of light provided by a small bulb if left unpainted. Let me know how it works out.
Doc
Bob
No. They where just like a regular frosted light bulb only the size of a pea. I’ve tried many HS’s & online with no luck. Car nuts use aproduct called VHT paint to paint their headers. Ithink this might work to coat GOW bulbs.
Tom
MisterBeasley: I’ll e-mail you re the welding flasher. If anyone is interested in it, it was published in the Nov/Dec, 1996 issue of N-Scale magazine by Hundman Publishing.