Does anybody know if while using one of those cheap ebay ac/dc buck converters to power LEDs...the lights will stay on over intermittent track power interruptions?
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No, you have to add a cap. Unless it has it already. Mine don't. I added caps, poly fuses, chokes, etc.
Its this...
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Looks like a post for Stan to see! I'm not sure how the caps work in the circuit or how big they are. They may do the job for you. Those are more advanced now than the older ones I got. Looks like a bargain!
1.Input voltage: AC 5V-30V or DC 5V-50V
2.Output voltage: DC 3.3V-33V(adjustable)
3.Output current: Max 2.2A
4.Module size: 51mm*26mm
You could set up a simple test by setting it to the right voltage, connect it to a LED light(s) and kill the power. See if the light goes out slowly and/or how long it stays lit.
You could/ should still add a choke if you use DCS.
There are many posts about using LED lighting in our cars. GRJ has a board ready to go at Hennings.
All of it requires some easy work to tune it for what you are doing.
Hopefully the electrical gurus will post.
If you want to use one of the eBay regulators, that one is probably a bit of overkill, not to mention pretty large! You may have a problem hiding those in some passenger cars.
As Joe says, I'm a fan of the easy way. LED Lighting Regulator
If you don't mind a little building, Rod had taken my module design and created a simple thru-hole easy to assemble board for that task, I believe someone is still selling the blank boards and/or the parts kits. These boards are .75" x 1.0" and if you fold the top tab of the regulator, only about .6" high. They're small enough to stick to the ceiling of most passenger cars with DS foam tape and be out of sight. They're also a constant current design that is ideal for passenger car lighting with the 12V LED strips.
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I’ve tried using a couple of the eBay units with caps and yes, they will “bridge” a very short power interruptions BUT, as GRJ says, they are overkill in terms of size and you’d need to add an RF component to avoid compromising a DCS signal if you use that system.
Basically the smallest ones I found were actually the full width of a scale passenger car (c. 2” long) and so take up a lot of space. You are better off with GRJ’s dedicated LED lighting sets that have the DCS protection built in.
If you search back through then forum archives, there were several threads on home-built units. I ran off a dozen or two using perforated boards and used them in my cars and elsewhere (stations). The design I used was constant voltage output, and that voltage was determined by the sizes of 2 resistors. I also bought some CHinese units, largewr, but for about $1 more they saved me a lot of work. Note that these are good for powering Menards buildings.
Gibson, can you furnish a link to those?
Did you guys look here?
Creating a List of Electronics Projects developed on the OGR Forum
Specifically, for passenger car lighting...
https://ogrforum.com/...ighting-module-files
Or if you prefer constant voltage, a variation on that board.
https://ogrforum.com/...t-module-build-files
Here's a link to a large post with a host of useful DIY electronic projects.