“Just Plug” lighting system question

[Jim Corcoran]

Just curious if anyone has used the Woodland Scenics "Just Plug" lighting system.  Can any LED light configuration be used with the Woodland Scenics Hubs?   I have a scratch built structure which incorporates three LEDs (plus current limiter) for lighting.  Would it be feasible to add this circuit to one port of the Woodland Scenics Hub without any additional modification?  The reason I'm curious is that I like the idea of the use of a "Linker Plug" connecting to the Hub.  It would simplify my overall lighting wiring scheme.

As always, any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Jim

[fsmcollector67]

Jim,
It should work fine, though not sure about the current limiter. When I did mine, I wired the LED straight , as the control hub has built in resistors. I am inclined to say do not use the current limiter. The on/off switch is a nice feature if it is a stand alone diorama.

Loren...

[Jim Corcoran]

Loren,
Thanks for the input.  Did you plug only one LED into a individual hub port?  The structure I'm currently working on has three LEDs (to light multiple areas) in series with the current limiter.   Four of five structures I want to convert to LEDs have multiple lights.  If I have to use one of the Hub ports for each of the individual LEDs then I'll probably need at least one hub per building - which may make me re-think the idea.

Thanks again and regards.

Jim

[JusticeCity]

Two or three Micro or nano LEDs will work to a max of 15ma.

[fsmcollector67]

Jim,
As Marty says, two or three per port on the hub. I used 0402 LEDs, which run at a lower ma, so I got five to run off of one port. It can get $ if each building has several lights.

Loren....

[Jim Corcoran]

Loren & Marty,
I much appreciate the input.  I stopped by my LHS yesterday and had them order me a couple of the hubs so I can give it a try.  Now I need to get my several structures mounted to a module so I'll be able to see what it looks like when they are lit up together.
Thanks again and best regards.

Jim

[JusticeCity]

I would suggest that you confirm the plug voltage, it will be around 3 VDC. This means you might not not have enough umuph to drive the LEDs. However, wiring in parallel will work. Take a look at my NCE Light-it video on YouTube for a bit more.

[jbvb]

Note that 'current limiting diodes' use an internal Field Effect Transistor with its own voltage drop, which seems to be at least 1VDC for parts I've used.  So if the WS hub is providing ~3VDC, I'd expect light from your LEDs but probably not as bright as you'd get from a 6VDC or greater input to the same CLD/LED circuit.

[Slim Jerkins]

Hey Jim - Sorry I didn't see this sooner.


The WS hub has outputs that drive single LEDs. Since you've already wired the building with a CL and 3 LEDs (all in series I assume) you'll need at least twelve volts to get it lit. The CL drops about 3 volts and white LEDs drop a little over 3 volts each. The CL limits the current to 20mA - the "usual" current rating for most LEDs.


Here's a link to my articles in case you haven't seen it before: https://microlumina.com/p/lightbites


The WS system makes it easy (and I'm not knocking it) but if you're not afraid of soldering you can get way more bang for your buck with other methods.


-slim

[Jim Corcoran]

Slim,
Thanks for the response.  I do have your "LiteBites" downloaded.  It was these that propelled me to buy your LED's and current limiters.  The first structure I wired is exactly as you said - one Cl and 3 LED's (in series) that I lit up with a 12 volt battery.  My soldering skills are adequate (spent my time in the USAF as an airborne radio repairman back in the vacuum tube days).  I was hoping to find an easier under table hook up and hoped the WS hubs would be an easier solution than terminal strips and lugs.

My thinking now is that if I wired the structure's LED's in parallel, I could possibly use the WS hubs for power and under table connection.  That's why I ordered a couple of hubs just to play with.

If it doesn't work, I'll go back to doing it the old fashion way.

Once again, many thanks!

Jim

[Slim Jerkins]

Slim,
Thanks for the response.  I do have your "LiteBites" downloaded.  It was these that propelled me to buy your LED's and current limiters.  The first structure I wired is exactly as you said - one Cl and 3 LED's (in series) that I lit up with a 12 volt battery.  My soldering skills are adequate (spent my time in the USAF as an airborne radio repairman back in the vacuum tube days).  I was hoping to find an easier under table hook up and hoped the WS hubs would be an easier solution than terminal strips and lugs.

My thinking now is that if I wired the structure's LED's in parallel, I could possibly use the WS hubs for power and under table connection.  That's why I ordered a couple of hubs just to play with.

If it doesn't work, I'll go back to doing it the old fashion way.

Once again, many thanks!

Jim

Hey - let us know how it turns out. And let me know if you happen to have an old 12AU7 hanging around for me to pop into my headphone amp. 


-slim

[Jim Corcoran]

My Woodland Scenics "Just Plug" light hubs arrived at the LHS this week and I picked them up.  The first problem I encountered was with the dimmer knobs on the light hub.  I had ordered two and each one had one of the knobs broken off internally.  Apparently, they came from China in this condition. 

The remedy was to disassemble the hub and unsolder the variable resistor from the PC board.  This was necessary to be able to push the broken plastic shaft out of the center of the VR (the shaft was broken off flush and could not be pulled out).  Once the broken shaft was removed it left a slot into which I could insert a small screw driver (the kind that comes with a eyeglass repair kit).  I re-soldered the VR to the PC board and it is again functional.  I also removed the knobs from the other three VR's so as not to repeat the problem.

The model I am lighting needed three lights in three different locations.  I wired three LED's in parallel and plugged them into one socket on one of the hubs.  It worked. These were connected directly to the hub port without any resistors or current limiters involved.  I left it on for some time to see if any issue would occur, but none did.

I plan to experiment by adding more LED's to determine if there is an optimal number and what if any effect it has on brightness.  Otherwise, this appears to be a solution to my under table wiring issue.  This facilitates easier wire connections and requires less soldering and hardwiring.

Will report more later.

Regards,
Jim

[JusticeCity]

Jim, good going. Which LEDS were you using?

[Jim Corcoran]

Marty,
The LED's are 3mm 20ma thru hole warm white flood that I bought from Microlumina.  I think the actual lighting of the model would have been an even easier task had I used surface mount LEDs.  So I'll try that next.  Also, one thing I neglected to do when I had everything hooked up was to see if I could measure the current draw through the circuit.  Although the results from my 40+ year old RCA analog VOM may not be that reliable in any case.  But I'll give it a try as I piddle with this some more.

Regards,
Jim

[JusticeCity]

I had to use a 45 year analogue meter to read my mAs, the new digital one was horrible. I think the old meter was FET based.

Each Just Plug plug  is rated for 30ma. https://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/Item/JP5700/page/1

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