Large Scale Central

LED lighting of coaches and cars

Electronics Power and Sound
#1

OK guys, I’m not an idiot (well most of the time at least), I’m not really strong in the electronics. That being said, I can figure the resistance using a chart thou.

I run DCC and variable DC on SS track. I would like to light my coaches and cars from track power. I have a “Reel” of the LEDs that can be cut into 3s and wired by them selves. The whole spool came with a 12VDC wall wort to power the whole reel.

What I would like is a simplified digram on how to power them up with a listing of the little things that I will need to NOT blow things up. I can solder things together, and I even have shrink tubing on hand.

I have read up at several sites on line, and most of the time they quickly lose me. What I would like ( and probably others i think), Would be a simple A, B, C, 1,2,3 type plan. Pictures and diagrams ( even on Napkins) would be helpful.

#2

Use the lights on a real, all over our MotorHome. Real simple, can’t (shouldn’t say that) hurt anything.
Cut a 3 section, or even 1, hook a + to the side marked +, - to the -, you have light. If you hook it up backward, no problems, just no light till you hook it up “forward” which allows you to turn lights off when backing, on when going forward.
I find they work down to about 4 v, although have not thought of using them low, or up to the
20+ volts your transformer puts out.
Cut a pc off, hook it to the transformer, run it up, see what happens? My guess it will burn out about 18/20v.
As they get brighter with more Vs.
I use some little clippy leads I got from somebody to power the strip, although I have soldered to the copper strip with good success.
Keep us informed.

#3

Use the lights on a real, all over our MotorHome. Real simple, can’t (shouldn’t say that) hurt anything.
Cut a 3 section, or even 1, hook a + to the side marked +, - to the -, you have light. If you hook it up backward, no problems, just no light till you hook it up “forward” which allows you to turn lights off when backing, on when going forward.
I find they work down to about 4 v, although have not thought of using them low, or up to the
20+ volts your transformer puts out.
Cut a pc off, hook it to the transformer, run it up, see what happens? My guess it will burn out about 18/20v.
As they get brighter with more Vs.
I use some little clippy leads I got from somebody to power the strip, although I have soldered to the copper strip with good success.
Keep us informed.

#4

Dave

not all of what you are looking for, but here is what bought to connect the little LED’s you are describing. Of course I’m figuring on powering with the on-board battery or whatever in maybe a building or 4.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/con-120/power-connector-for-flexible-light-strip/1.html

someone smarter than I will follow

#5

Dave, a simple bridge rectifier and 12 volt voltage regulator would allow you to run with more then 12 volts on the rails. Below 12 volts the LEDs would be dim or not lit at all.

#6

I have a tendency to try to start at the beginning.

So, maybe I would start with power.

Since you run track power, we need pickups for the wheels.

So, there are:

bushing type pickups, where the power is picked up from the end of the axle.

carbon brushes on the back of the wheels

ball bearing wheels with integral power pickup.

For low current applications, you can use any of the above, the carbon brushes cause drag and need maintenance. The bushing types are good as long as you have several wheels with them (the axles bouncing inside makes small interruptions, which can be handled) and the ball bearings are the most “elegant” but expensive, good if you only have a few axles.

I prefer the ball bearing ones myself.

I’ll stand by a bit for questions on this, before I go to the “power supply” and schematic part.

Greg

#7

I use the same type LEDs on a spool. The only difference is that I power them from on-board 9 volt batteries. I have found these battery boxes that have a small slide switch at one end. I mount the battery box under the coach and it looks like it should be there. Since I run only battery power for my locos, it makes lighting for rolling stock really simple.

#8

Dan, I ran the 9 volt battery solution on my Bachmann passenger cars for a while. Fussing with 9 volt batteries for each car eventually turned me off to that idea.

Greg, I have scavenged some phosphor bronze from from old copier assemblies. I am hoping that I can make wipers from them to pick up power off of the wheels. If I do it right, they should be less draggie them the carbon brushes.

#9

Greg, Thanks for the reply. I run standard Bachman off the shelf engines, Annie’s, a 3 truck shay, Connie, and a BBT 2-8-0, a couple of porters ( 1 new and one old). I think that they are all of the bushing type. I run Digitrax DCC and decoders mostly 3 and 5 amp. And DC variable to the track ( not at the same time) for my own and visiting engines.

I have no power pick ups on the cars as of yet. What would be the simplest/best ( not necessarily the cheapest) way to get the power from the track? Just How expensive is the Ball bearings per axel? I have a lathe and a mill if that makes a difference in the conversion. Do we convert the truck or replace the wheel set? Are we talking a couple dollars per axel or $10 ?

#10

Dan Padova said:

I use the same type LEDs on a spool. The only difference is that I power them from on-board 9 volt batteries. I have found these battery boxes that have a small slide switch at one end. I mount the battery box under the coach and it looks like it should be there. Since I run only battery power for my locos, it makes lighting for rolling stock really simple.

I go with that Dan…

#11

Check these out. There the esiest solution in my opinion. I’ve installed 4 of them in Bachmann coaches.

http://www.trainelectronics.com/LED_Articles_2007/LEDs_for_Coaches/index.htm

Doc Watson

#12

Doc, I use a similar system for my passenger cars. LED light strips with a 9volt battery in the bathroom compartment and a latching reed switch glued to the inside of the roof. They look much better in person. It was tough to get good pics.

Dennis

#13

I also use the LED strip lighting as mentioned and did all my Aristo heavy weights using a simple bridge rectifier and wire two LED strips in series and large capacitor to prevent flickering of the lights. Later RJD

#14

Guys, telling someone with DCC, i.e. constant voltage easily turned into DC to use batteries is like going to the car dealership and having them cut holes in the floorboards so you can run like Fred Flintstone.

Dave, it really depends on the cars you are lighting. If they already have pickups, try using them first.

Ball bearings are not cheap, but you can use 2 axles per car and you have 4 wheel pickup.

Check the prices on Train-Li and AMS (Accucraft), or maybe find some new old stock Aristo.

See if that is in your price range.

I don’t like carbon brushes or wipers, they tend to gather gunk and need maintenance, but many people do fine with them. The carbon brush assemblies can be found in NOS Aristo, and I believe USAT also has the parts.

If you use the “sleeve” type, you put a brass eyelet in the journals with a wire between it and the journal or a “ring type” connector to pick up the power, but NOTE: you are picking up from the axle, thus only one wheel per axle is picking up power, so you really need 4 axles set this way.

http://www.elmassian.com/trains/dcc-battery-rc-electronics/misc-electronics/electrical-power-pickup

Greg

#15

#16

#17

Greg Elmassian said:

did i miss something, thought this was LED lighting

#18

yes, you missed reading…

These are examples of power pickup… start at the beginning, get your power source before you do wiring and the leds.

Greg

and you surely did not have to quote a huge picture.

#19

Well, I multi-metered my wheel sets, and it is obvious to me that what I really need is a standard way of getting current thru the wheel /track combo. The insulating of the wheel to the axle makes the axle journal box pick up a no go unless I figure out some way to bypass the insulating hub.

Sugestions?

#20

OK, so both wheels have insulators?

If so, then you need carbon brushes like you see above, or you need to change the wheels to ball bearings with pickups, or change to wheelsets with one non-insulated wheel.

Did you evaluate the cost of ball bearing wheelsets yet?

Greg