Changed out coach lighting
- Thread starter Huh? What?
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Having done the observation car, I turned my attention to the coach this morning...
First, I took the bottom off the car...
Followed by removing the 9-volt battery box, and the wiring for the current lights...
These are the lights I'm using, purchased from the local craft store, already wird to a battery box for 3 AA batteries...
I attached the battery box where the old box came off using two-part epoxy...
The wired LEDs get run through a hole in the bottom of the car. The hole gets sealed with clear silicone sealant.
I ran the LED string back and forth along the rib for the old lights 3 times. The extra wire and LEDs get cut off. The lights get held in place with tape until the silicone I used to hold it in place dried.
Exterior of car after new battery box is painted, and the car is reassembled with the wire routed where I wanted it.
Car lit up with new lights...
Now I have the combine and baggage car to do.
First, I took the bottom off the car...
Followed by removing the 9-volt battery box, and the wiring for the current lights...
These are the lights I'm using, purchased from the local craft store, already wird to a battery box for 3 AA batteries...
I attached the battery box where the old box came off using two-part epoxy...
The wired LEDs get run through a hole in the bottom of the car. The hole gets sealed with clear silicone sealant.
I ran the LED string back and forth along the rib for the old lights 3 times. The extra wire and LEDs get cut off. The lights get held in place with tape until the silicone I used to hold it in place dried.
Exterior of car after new battery box is painted, and the car is reassembled with the wire routed where I wanted it.
Car lit up with new lights...
Now I have the combine and baggage car to do.
All four cars are done. How do they look?
Next I have to add lights to the station.
Next I have to add lights to the station.
Been quite busy lately, but had time to tinker yesterday.
This is the basis of my idea - Those magic LED strips, powered from the track through a rectifier and regulator so that the lights are on all the time, but not over bright, but behind a yellow filter to take the edge off the brightness and harshness....
The filter is off-set and the lights have to be off-set, as I don't want to butcher the LGB roofs. This would be good in an Essex Tanning Salon, but more work is clearly needed to make it less bright...... This was off just 9v on the rals too!
However, without the filter, you need welding goggles!
I am also not happy with my circuit board either, but have though through a better and less creaky design.
Must try harder!
James
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So, going forward from here.
I am reminded of that episode of the Simpsons were Apu tells Ned "Trouble is, there is too much electricity in that room!"
The plan going forward is to reduce both the voltage to the diode strip to 9v using a 9v regulator instead of a 12v. To experiment further by running the output from that through one or more diodes to drop it further and see how that looks.
Finally, one of those strips can be subdivided to do two coaches - Because all that have had up until now is one dismal bulb!
My PM coach modules only have three diodes. Six is OTT. This will save on the filter perspex too!
The strips cut easily with scissors and then the gell over the contact pads needs carefully paring away to be touch soldered.
More fiddling to do!
James
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Hello,
No I am DC analogue with everything powered off the track. Lighting is supplied from a roller bearing fitted pick up van, and passed through the train using LGB connectors,
As the layouts I do are all automated, the voltage in the track is usually constant, but with the LGB lighting units this results in very dim bulbs!
The idea of fitting a regulator is to avoid them going over-bright when the track power is higher, as it sometimes can be.
James
Sorry James - I should have remembered the beginning of this thread.
On the coin operated railway I built we put lighting in the coaches similar to your ideas. As soon as the train starts and the motor pulls power, the light dim significantly. So far we don't have a solution so I'll follow this closely.
On the coin operated railway I built we put lighting in the coaches similar to your ideas. As soon as the train starts and the motor pulls power, the light dim significantly. So far we don't have a solution so I'll follow this closely.
Ok - I have stolen a moment to do some more tinkering......
My 9v regulators have arrived, along with some adjustable ones from Phil. Thanks Phil.
I have found that the LED strips light up at around 8.25v and the brighten up slightly to around 8.8v, which is the output of the fixed regulator.
Here is an image that hopefully shows the difference?
Apologies, but my camera is rubbish and my skill worse, however I hope the difference can be seen?
The one at the top is powered via a 12v regulator, wheras the one below is from the 9v unit. The 9v output is much more palatable (despite how it looks) AND varies much less in service. The 12V unit allows considerable variation and is far too bright.
My next test is to mount each variant in a coach and run it.... see how it looks. I would like to at least be able to see that the lights are on inside in normal lighting conditions. At present the LGB bulbs barely show up at all at my normal running speeds, unless you are in complete darkness!
More to follow.
James
Three more images:
The coach at the left end still has two LGB lights. The one in the middle has the 9v regulator. The one on the right has the 12v regulator.
This is on 8.8v
This is on 14v.
Sadly my camera (or perhaps my lack of skill?) fails to capture the real difference betweeen in the look of the lighting from the 9v regulator and from the 12v one. The 9v feed gives a great level of lighting whilst the 12v reg is simply too bright. The diffence is more noticeable than the camera shows. Bucks Fizz were wrong about cameras!
Next stop to run the coaches!
James
The coach at the left end still has two LGB lights. The one in the middle has the 9v regulator. The one on the right has the 12v regulator.
This is on 8.8v
This is on 14v.
Sadly my camera (or perhaps my lack of skill?) fails to capture the real difference betweeen in the look of the lighting from the 9v regulator and from the 12v one. The 9v feed gives a great level of lighting whilst the 12v reg is simply too bright. The diffence is more noticeable than the camera shows. Bucks Fizz were wrong about cameras!
Next stop to run the coaches!
James
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The photos show it all, James, (including the first one) and your decision is the right one. The regulated 9v lighting looks spot on.
Good to see some of those delightful 3050 coaches.
Good to see some of those delightful 3050 coaches.
Just given the rake of three a quick test run with an LGB pick up van and one of my Playmobil coaches fitted with the super capacitor units that my chum made a while ago.
At around 9.75v the train trundled around nicely. The only LGB bulbs that could be clearly seen to be lit, were the tail lamps on the pick up van! The 12v unit flickered, but the 9v unit looked good. However the best unit of all was the super capacitor unit, which was constantly bright and smooth.
One downside is the side effect that Phil predicted - the moment the loco comes off power, the 12v unit and the fillament bulb lights brightened considerably, but the 9v unit, no so much......
I am quite pleased with the results so far. I am going to proceed with the 9v plan, although I will also try out Phil's adjustable units which are really small and neat.
I now need to make my production version of the revised circuit board a little bit smaller and more compact as I won't need to add any extra diodes after all.
My intentions are to allow the units to lie of the floor of each coach, with wires trailing up one end to the roof, probably taped back to look less intrusive.
James
As a PS to this: I adapted the 12v unit to 9v and reduced both to the new shape (small enough to sit between the seats) and then gave them a good run this afternoon. I think the verdict is that whilst these are better at lighting up the interiors than the LGB bulbs, when running they are a little disappointing and a voltage of around 11v was needed on the rails to give a good light inside the coaches.
This is better than the LGB units, but not what I had hoped for. Sadly I am not yet happy. Don't fully understand this. Must experiment some more and try harder
If I had to chose - I would still go for those super capacitor units that my chum made for me. They light up at a lower voltage, stay at constant brightness irrespective of speed and then remain lit for several minutes after power had been switched off!
At around 9.75v the train trundled around nicely. The only LGB bulbs that could be clearly seen to be lit, were the tail lamps on the pick up van! The 12v unit flickered, but the 9v unit looked good. However the best unit of all was the super capacitor unit, which was constantly bright and smooth.
One downside is the side effect that Phil predicted - the moment the loco comes off power, the 12v unit and the fillament bulb lights brightened considerably, but the 9v unit, no so much......
I am quite pleased with the results so far. I am going to proceed with the 9v plan, although I will also try out Phil's adjustable units which are really small and neat.
I now need to make my production version of the revised circuit board a little bit smaller and more compact as I won't need to add any extra diodes after all.
My intentions are to allow the units to lie of the floor of each coach, with wires trailing up one end to the roof, probably taped back to look less intrusive.
James
As a PS to this: I adapted the 12v unit to 9v and reduced both to the new shape (small enough to sit between the seats) and then gave them a good run this afternoon. I think the verdict is that whilst these are better at lighting up the interiors than the LGB bulbs, when running they are a little disappointing and a voltage of around 11v was needed on the rails to give a good light inside the coaches.
This is better than the LGB units, but not what I had hoped for. Sadly I am not yet happy. Don't fully understand this. Must experiment some more and try harder
If I had to chose - I would still go for those super capacitor units that my chum made for me. They light up at a lower voltage, stay at constant brightness irrespective of speed and then remain lit for several minutes after power had been switched off!
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OK, so I didn't really acheive what I wanted this time, but am I downhearted? No, because I have bought some different and smaller LED strips that come in yellow and are said to be 9v.....
eBay item number: 121977494657
Here is what they look like next to the larger types: This is on around 7 1/2 volts, but tests like this don't mean a thing until you see how good or otherwise they look when actually running in the carriages...
More tinkering to do. I am hoping that these will avoid the need for the yellow filter in the coaches.
I will get there - in the end!
James
eBay item number: 121977494657
Here is what they look like next to the larger types: This is on around 7 1/2 volts, but tests like this don't mean a thing until you see how good or otherwise they look when actually running in the carriages...
More tinkering to do. I am hoping that these will avoid the need for the yellow filter in the coaches.
I will get there - in the end!
James
Will this work if you are running DCC track power, looking at adding lights to some of my carriages, I have the 12v LED strips already that I bough for buildings but changed my mind on using them as they were too bright 
Carriages are like some of yours a pair of 3050s that have metal wheels all ready, so I was going to buy some LGB 63193 wheel pickups and add a regulator, but don't know if it works on DCC.
Carriages are like some of yours a pair of 3050s that have metal wheels all ready, so I was going to buy some LGB 63193 wheel pickups and add a regulator, but don't know if it works on DCC.
yes it will work. You only need a resistor in circuit. No need for a regulator. Just be aware that the wheel pick ups will create some drag. You might want to add a diode for the alternating nature of DCC but this is not actually necessary as the lights are diodes anyway.
Thanks the LED.s are 12v and the track power is 19v currently so I assumed that's what the regulator was for to limit the voltage to the lamps ? Appreciate that I will get some drag but should be OK, the max train length will be three of the coaches when and if I find the third one
.
James do you have reverse loops on your line ? LGB 63193 wheel pickups came today so fitted a set to one carriage and wired it up all good except the LED's go out when you go round a reverse loop and back onto a single line as the carriage has now turned 180 deg so the polarity has swapped at the wheels and the LED's don't work anymore 
think I am missing something.
think I am missing something.
You need a bridge rectifier as the first thing your supply to the lights see's..
You could also use some form of regulation.. Lighting would be constant brightness and polarity / DCC / analogue would not matter.
You could also use some form of regulation.. Lighting would be constant brightness and polarity / DCC / analogue would not matter.
Thanks there's more to adding a light than you first think there is, I might just buy a Massoth 8124502 it says it works on DCC might be less hassle