Coach Lighting

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:46 pm

Sir haydn · Post by **Sir haydn** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:48 pm

Brilliant!!!!!

MDLR · Post by **MDLR** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 6:20 pm

Not only brilliant, but cheap! will you bring it to Peterborough? I'd like to include it in my presentation!

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:07 pm

MDLR:66096 wrote:Not only brilliant, but cheap! will you bring it to Peterborough? I'd like to include it in my presentation!

Best wish me "good speed" with my attempt to fit one in a signal lamp next - I reckon they'll look neat flickering behind a red or green lense

MDLR · Post by **MDLR** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:26 pm

That was actually easier with a grain of wheat bulb as it was smaller, so involved less drilling out.

Dr. Bond of the DVLR · Post by **Dr. Bond of the DVLR** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:39 pm

Is there any way to reduce the amount a flicker?

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:35 pm

Mr. Bond of the DVLR:66112 wrote:Is there any way to reduce the amount a flicker?

i don't think so, it's one of the mixed blessings that it's completely self contained - you wire the LED direct to the power without a dropper resistor in series

EDIT Also, bear in mind that you're viewing the result of a digital camera reacting to the changes in light level in a low ambient light environment ~ what you see with the human eye not as extreme.

Keith S · Post by **Keith S** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 2:22 am

What a clever idea.

tom_tom_go · Post by **tom_tom_go** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:27 am

Could you not use a variable resistor regarding the flickering?

Cheers,

Tom

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:34 am

tom_tom_go:66135 wrote:Could you not use a variable resistor regarding the flickering?

Cheers,

Tom

Could I (or Mr B)?
Well I could try, but that would defeat the whole object of the excercise as a quick and cheap project - I'm more than happy with the result and am currently completing the rake before moving on to fit a flickering light in an old Roundhouse signal lamp.
If anyone wants to take the idea and try any alterations / improvements / refinements, please go ahead (and be sure to report back on the Forum

) ~ that's why I post my bodges in the first place

DolwyddelanLightRail · Post by **DolwyddelanLightRail** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 10:49 am

I rather like that! Shame all my rolling stock's open carriages

gauge · Post by **gauge** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:20 pm

Nice,Thrt have some slighty smaller ones, in my local pound land a pkt of 3, I got some for a flickering fire on a oo gauge layout, so now i know what to do with the other 2, Oh Narrow minded i just love your vidio clips,that theme tune made me chuckle

gauge

LMS-Jools · Post by **LMS-Jools** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 5:52 pm

Excellent.

Pendo Pilot · Post by **Pendo Pilot** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:40 pm

Right thats it, I'm off to the pound shop. Excellent idea, so I'm nicking it as well.

sstjc · Post by **sstjc** » Tue Feb 07, 2012 11:53 pm

".....fit a flickering light in an old Roundhouse signal lamp."

Last week I purchased a bedside nightlight thing for one of my children at a service area garage on the M25. It was £1.99 with a fuel purchase. It gradually changes through a range of colours. As he is now asleep i've sneaked up for a quick look. Having pulled it apart it seems to be just a small LED fed via an on/off switch and a resistor. Thinking about it i'd say the resister only determines the rate of colour change. If the rate of colour change was slowed right down it would probably look very good in a signal. I assume other garages may be selling them as well.

Just a thought.....

I'd better go and put it back together now !

Barry

big-ted · Post by **big-ted** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:11 am

sstjc:66179 wrote:".....fit a flickering light in an old Roundhouse signal lamp."

Last week I purchased a bedside nightlight thing for one of my children at a service area garage on the M25. It was £1.99 with a fuel purchase. It gradually changes through a range of colours. As he is now asleep i've sneaked up for a quick look. Having pulled it apart it seems to be just a small LED fed via an on/off switch and a resistor. Thinking about it i'd say the resister only determines the rate of colour change. If the rate of colour change was slowed right down it would probably look very good in a signal. I assume other garages may be selling them as well.

Just a thought.....

I'd better go and put it back together now !

Barry

FYI, I suspect your emitter (LED) is actually at least 3 LEDs packaged in one. You see, LED's due to their nature, only emit a certain colour of light. "White" LEDs typically operate on one of two principals.

1) A blue LED, which illuminates a phosphorus screen, similar to that in old CRT TVs. The phosphorus emits light of all colours when excited, giving what appears to be white light. This principal is typically used on high power emitters like those used in fancy car headlamps. The "unfriendly" blue tint is caused by some of the residual blue light making it through the phosphorus screen.

2) Multiple emitters in a single package. Remember what happens when you mix red, green and blue light? White light!

By packaging multiple emitters together, and making them individually addressable, that is, I can regulate the current through each one independently, I can tune the colour of light emitted. For example, if I only apply a voltage to the red emitter the light will, obviously, look red. If I apply a voltage to the red and the blue, it will look purple-ish etc. Most of these devices will have four terminals, consisting of a common ground, and an anode for each emitter in the package.

Your lamp works on the second of these principals. It is highly likely that, whilst there are only two wires coming out of the package, there is some internal circuitry doing all of the above in order to continuously vary the colour balance. It's pretty amazing what can be fit into small electronics packages these days!

big-ted · Post by **big-ted** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:16 am

tom_tom_go:66135 wrote:Could you not use a variable resistor regarding the flickering?

Cheers,

Tom

Unlikely. The flickering is produced in a microcontroller. See, for example, http://hackaday.com/2008/10/30/flickering-led-circuit/. Sticking a resistor in would probably just upset the microcontroller by depriving it of it's necessary power supply.

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 11:23 am

Finished the rake of 3 W&LLR coaches now, so I've made a start on the signal.
I'll have to post here first as an "errata" since I said it was an old Roundhouse kit

I've dug the instruction sheets out and it's actually an old Tenmille kit (c1990) - everything present and correct except the ladder supports which I'll have to scratch.

Anyhow, before leaving this thread, the lamp casting is drilled through to accept the LED (and countersunk at the rear to take the LED base)

et voila

METHSSNIFFER · Post by **METHSSNIFFER** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:21 pm

Greg well spotted these are perfect and having just cleared the shelf of them at my local pound shop Im following your lead and I think most will. A quid for three flickering leds and button cell batteries you cant go wrong..as well as an on off switch, dont need to get into technical stuff here common sense rules ..even the plastic flame can be modified to resemble a lamp shade in a coach etc. Its unfortunated its amber cos on a signal lens red and green it doesnt work but there are clear ones on the market im sure

Narrow Minded · Post by **Narrow Minded** » Wed Feb 08, 2012 9:53 pm

Now being continued on the "Projects" board

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