When Mth asc tech's replace lighting what are the most common led's light intensityand color's preferred to install and why?
Alan
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Heavy weight cars had incandescent lights, so they should have a warm color look. Modern light weight cars had fluorescent lights, so they should have a brighter and cooler color look. To me, a mix of HW and LW cars should not all have the lights the same color.
I install amber or yellow in heavyweights, warm white in most others, and occasionally the bright white in modern cars on request to emulate florescent lighting.
To me, in the real world and model world, it really sticks out (like a sore thumb) when the color temperature is overlooked and/or not understood. Many also seem to think that the cooler whites are "brighter" and "better" when in reality they are jarringly inappropriate.
The gentlemen above pretty much have it spot on. Just about everything should be a warm white unless the prototype would be fluorescent, then cool white would be used.
I've been wanting to try these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NRMX43G/
@A. Wells posted:I've been wanting to try these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NRMX43G/
Seems like an unneeded expense to me. You would typically pick the color temperature based on application, and single color LED strips can be had for less than $5 all day long from a variety of sources.
Another point, did you check this specification?
The 16.4ft strip light working voltage is 24V, extremely low heat. It is touchable and safety for children.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Seems like an unneeded expense to me. You would typically pick the color temperature based on application, and single color LED strips can be had for less than $5 all day long from a variety of sources.
Another point, did you check this specification?
The 16.4ft strip light working voltage is 24V, extremely low heat. It is touchable and safety for children.
Didn't notice that. It's been sitting in my saved cart on Amazon for a while. Guess that rules them out.
@A. Wells posted:I've been wanting to try these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NRMX43G/
I've installed trimmable strips similar to these (sans color temp change option) for under kitchen cabinet lighting. Even with the minimum of 6 LEDs per small strip, I think they may be too bright for use inside a passenger car. Difficult to say for certain since the lumens/LED is not specified in the listing.
EDIT: I see you replied before I did.
Depending on the application, I prefer to used LEDs in the 2700K to 4500K spectrum. The LEDs that ship with the MTH upgraded kits look to be a 4500K to 5000K color temperature which is about perfect for a modern diesel engine.
It helps to understand where various light sources fall on the color temperature scale which is measured in degrees Kelvin, not to be confused with the same scale used to measure absolute zero.
- Incandescent light is 2800K-3000K
- Fluorescent light is 4000K
- Daylight balanced light is 5000K
When looking at various LED's this may help.
Everything else mentioned in this thread is great info.
@SteveH posted:I've installed trimmable strips similar to these (sans color temp change option) for under kitchen cabinet lighting. Even with the minimum of 6 LEDs per small strip, I think they may be too bright for use inside a passenger car. Difficult to say for certain since the lumens/LED is not specified in the listing.
EDIT: I see you replied before I did.
I'm wondering if they would tolerate a lower voltage rating since they are LEDs, thus making them not as bright. I have then along with warm white strips and neutral white strips in my Amazon saved cart that I have eyed for many months...all with the possible intent of shoving them into passenger cars or as under table edge lighting.
@SteveH posted:I've installed trimmable strips similar to these (sans color temp change option) for under kitchen cabinet lighting. Even with the minimum of 6 LEDs per small strip, I think they may be too bright for use inside a passenger car. Difficult to say for certain since the lumens/LED is not specified in the listing.
One of the reasons I have an intensity adjustment pot on my LED lighting modules. 
I've shipped thousands of the lighting modules, and they allow you to adjust the intensity from very dim to sunlight in the cars.
@A. Wells posted:I'm wondering if they would tolerate a lower voltage rating since they are LEDs, thus making them not as bright. I have then along with warm white strips and neutral white strips in my Amazon saved cart that I have eyed for many months...all with the possible intent of shoving them into passenger cars or as under table edge lighting.
It's your money, but I'll bet if they're rated for 24V, they won't light on anything under about 17-18 volts. The 12V strips have three LED's in series and then a 150 ohm resistor, they start lighting around 8-9 volts. In order to be rated at 24 volts, they probably have at least six LED's in series, so I'd expect their dimmable range to be in the 18-24 volt range.
Just by coincidence, I recently came across this in my YouTube recommended feed:
Also made of LED's, just a lot smaller and a lot more of them. Current draw is a little high, but supposedly there are measures you can take to ease the amperage demand.
---PCJ
