Passenger Car LED Lighting for Conventional Operators

Rod

quickie design.

it needs more detail; more diversity in the bags.

Rod

Quickie design

needs more detail; more diversity in the bag types.

Also  needs to be hollow for John's Circuit to fit under.

Good idea to make a place to hide the regulator.

need sizes of the regulator or one!  !

@AlanRail posted:

need sizes of the regulator or one!  !

The LVLEDLR is fabricated on a small printed circuit board with the dimensions of 1.15" x 0.85" in size.  The overall LVLEDLR module height including components is approximately 0.9" tall.

I suspect that maybe 1.25 x 1 x 1 would be a comfortable fit.

Alan...

For a first effort, looks great!  Thanks for responding...I hope a shareable file...or two...or,...will come from your effort in due time.  Unfortunately, 3D printing is not something on my personal tools wish-list.

BTW, I also mentioned that luggage/baggage pieces would certainly be handy for station baggage wagons, like the 4-wheel type Grandt Line, Bar Mills, et al, offer.  I just measured the decks of a couple of those sitting empty on a station platform on my layout...they vary from about 2-2.25" long, about 3/4" wide.   I'm really hoping to find a source of individual luggage pieces of various shapes/sizes, though.  Steamer trunks were often part of the baggage car loads on passenger trains in the heyday of rail travel.  Painting pieces...or piles!... should be much easier than painting figures!

------------------------------

John...

Of course different cars of different interior configurations pose different solutions for placement of your module.  As the combo car shows, however, for this genre of cars, the integral plastic floor extension of the non-vestibule end molding has just the perfect amount of space...and places the module in a position hardly visible without extremely close viewing into the car from an awkward angle.

But Alan's suggestion for creating a baggage load to cover your module raises an interesting question: Would such a containment of the module jeopardize any heat dissipation necessary for component durability?  Also, there are four wires entering the module...either directly soldered, or using connectors (e.g., JST type) for which a cover would have to accommodate.

---------------------

Appreciate all the suggestions.  All part of the fun!

KD

Would such a containment of the module jeopardize any heat dissipation necessary for component durability

I'll add vents!! 

Here is a set of O scale luggage, 12 pieces for $7.

And here is a set of 6 for $4.95.

Steamer trunks here 3 for $3.50

Bob

Thanks, Alan & Bob!!

@AlanRail posted:

Would such a containment of the module jeopardize any heat dissipation necessary for component durability

I'll add vents!! 

Vents wouldn't hurt, but this module is using a switching regulator that minimizes the power dissipation, so it shouldn't get too hot in normal operaiton.

I wonder if it would be possible to mount/hide SGJeff's lighting unit on the underside of the passenger car amongst AC unit and other equipment,  If you are detailing the car's interiors it might not be possible to hide John's unit.

Jan

I just checked. It is totally hidden recessed onto the flat bottom of a N&W 580 series, but the protrusions on the bottom of a plastic Amtrak car doesn't leave enough room for it.

Hi John and all,

What is the part number and source for 5-volt LED strips?  I assume these are warm white?

I buy them on AliExpress, just search for 5V Warm White LED Strips.

John,  are your units ready for sale yet ?  I could use a few.

Doug  

Here is alternate to LEDs, a cheaper and easier way to add lower wattage light bulbs to passenger cars.

Small 12v mini Christmas tree lights are used. These 12v Christmas tree lights are replacements only for stings of 10 bulbs and each bulb draws only 0.4 watt per bulb.  This is much less wattage than the light bulbs Lionel used for passenger cars.

I cut up the junk mini Christmas tree light strings, from trash or garage sales, and use the pig tails and sockets for the passenger car lights.  A small plastic loop can be used to suspend the light socket in the ceiling or attach them to the supports Lionel used for the original higher wattage bulbs with wire ties.  Pickups from the original Lionel passenger cars are used.  I also hook up the lights with plastic wire nuts to pig tails coming through a hole in the cars end bulkheads which shares several car pickups to eliminate flickering lights.

I can find replacement 12v mini Christmas tree bulbs, in packs of 6 for about $1 before Christmas at Walmart and fifty cents after Christmas if they have any left (or eBay).  The 6v mini Christmas tree bulbs, for 20 bulb light strings, are also useful as I hook them up, two in series, when two bulbs are needed.

Charlie

I finally got around to mounting John's lighting boards in my Polar Express coaches and there are two things I would like to say: a vary easy install and they work flawlessly! Thank you John for remembering us conventional operators. Too bad I can't leave a 5 star rating on Google.

Love success stories.

Gunrunnerjohn,

How do you think they would perform on vehicles like the attached K-line van? Your unit is definitely small enough to fit in the vans, which is what I have. Thought would be to paint 2 leds red for taillights.

Thank you, Terry

@EastonO posted:

Gunrunnerjohn,

How do you think they would perform on vehicles like the attached K-line van? Your unit is definitely small enough to fit in the vans, which is what I have. Thought would be to paint 2 leds red for taillights.

Thank you, Terry

It's certainly no problem for the board to power a couple of LED's, is this for conventional use?

Yes, definitely conventional. Thank you!