Winter Challenge 2024 - FOS Background Flats

[Zephyrus52246]

Good idea marking the leads on the LEDs.  I usually cut them when installing them in locos.  I'm using that tip (not the first I've taken from you).  Thanks.  

Nice builds on the structures as well. 

Jeff

[ReadingBob]

Now, the absolute most nerve-wracking part (for me). Forming the goose neck lamp shape. Bending steel tubing so it doesn't collapse and pinch the wires inside takes care.  I use my 10x Optivisor and make a series of tiny bends moving the tubing as I go along. The best tool I found (so far) for this is a pair of needle nose pliers where both jaws are round.



After all the bends are made, I pull the wires through the tubing (if possible) to snug the LED into the lampshade and test it again.  The moment of truth, so to speak. If the wires got pinched in the tubing, they won't move, or they may have been broken.



(No picture) At this point I apply a tiny drop of 5-minute epoxy to the end of the steel tube to keep the LED from pushing up against it and to secure the lampshade in place.

To prep all the Current Limiters, LED's, wires, and copper tape I apply liquid flux to the places where they'll be soldered.



Then I add a little solder to them.  This will make it easier to solder them in place later on.



The copper tape is on the top of the 'floor' so I drill holes through the tape and 'floor' where I want to mount the current limiters and LED's.  Then I push the leads through the holes (being careful to orient them correctly, the current flows in one direction).



Not a great picture but I'm bending the leads at a 90-degree angle with a needle nose plier.



More in a moment...

[ReadingBob]

Then I trim them off a bit with an old pair of rail nippers.



I then pull the current limiter or LED down to the bent leads are against the copper tape and solder them in place as quickly as possible. I don't want to overheat them, so I don't hold the tip of the soldering pencil there any longer then I have to.



Next, an incredibly important step, especially for the current limiter.  Take an X-Acto knife and remove the copper tape from between the leads.  I forgot to do this, one time, for the current limiter and blew out each LED in the circuit (which happened to include two goose neck lamps  ).



Here's the main bus being mounted to the board I cut out to be the back wall of the structure.



Here's the nearly completed interior.  The LED on the lower right isn't lit because I haven't soldered the leads for the goose neck lamp in place yet so that circuit is incomplete.  Once I do that the interior will be tethered to the structure by those thin wires, so I saved that for last.

I originally build this with only an upper floor of lights but didn't like the effect.  The third-floor windows were well lit, but the second-floor windows were not quite as well lit.  I decided to add another floor.



Now I've added the goose neck lamp to the circuit.



Here's the finished model.  I didn't worry about the lighting the two windows on the extension on the front left nor the tiny windows on the cupolas.  For the extension I just figure that's a storage room and the lights are off. 



That's it for this one.  Hopefully I'll be able to post it in place on a layout one of these days!

[ReadingBob]

Good idea marking the leads on the LEDs.  I usually cut them when installing them in locos.  I'm using that tip (not the first I've taken from you).  Thanks. 

Nice builds on the structures as well.

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff!  Even with them clearly marked I still install one backwards on occasion.  At least it makes it easier to figure out where I went wrong. 

[GPdemayo]

Great work Bob, love the lighting.....

[ACL1504]

Great job on the lighting as usual Bob.

Tom 

[friscomike]

Howdy Bob,

Your creative approach to the lighting looks fantastic.  I agree about making goosenecks, they are my least favorite part of lighting.   The distillery looks amazing with the lights in all the rooms.

Have fun,
mike

[Rick]

Bob, excellent how-to on lighting.
Thanks for sharing that.

[tom.boyd.125]

 Bob, great work ! This FOS kit is one of my favorites he released and it is not one my shelf yet. Can accept a gift of one for my birthday or xmas though...Tommy

[Jerry]

Bob another great tutorial!

And a beautiful build.

Jerry

[ReadingBob]

Great work Bob, love the lighting.....

Thanks, Greg! This one was fun. Now I need to figure out CadRail and come up with a track plan that includes these two. 

[ReadingBob]

Great job on the lighting as usual Bob.

Tom

Thanks, Tom! It took more LED's than I expected but not near as many as Sokol's did. That one probably lights up the shed by itself. 

[ReadingBob]

Howdy Bob,

Your creative approach to the lighting looks fantastic.  I agree about making goosenecks, they are my least favorite part of lighting.  The distillery looks amazing with the lights in all the rooms.

Have fun,
mike

Thanks for the kind words, Mike! This one came out better than I had hoped. I'll take that. 

[ReadingBob]

Bob, excellent how-to on lighting.
Thanks for sharing that.

You're welcome and thanks, Rick! I enjoy the challenge of adding lighting even though it adds a few extra workbench sessions to the build process. 

[ReadingBob]

Bob, great work ! This FOS kit is one of my favorites he released and it is not one my shelf yet. Can accept a gift of one for my birthday or xmas though...Tommy

I hope you end up getting this one, Tommy! It's a fun build and will add an interesting industry to the layout.