Lighting upthe RailroadKITS Depot Station

[Slim Jerkins]

This topic is about lighting up the Depot Station kit available at RailroadKITS http://railroadkits.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=58

I'm going to cover just the lighting instructions here. Painting, weathering, and general assembly will be left to the modeler.

We're going to use a piece of illustration board to mount the electronic bits and pieces so the first step in lighting comes during Step 2 of the kit's instructions. This is where we add bracing to the walls. Shorten the bracing by the thickness of the illustration board. The photo below shows the illustration board sitting on top of the bracing. The top surface of the illustration board should be even or slightly lower than the top of the wall. The bracing for the end walls should not be shortened.



Cut the illustration board so that it fits inside the main portion of the building. Notch the illustration board to allow for the longer end wall braces. The photos below show the illustration board located inside the building. Don't glue the board in place yet




In the next step we'll mark the locations for the LEDs

-slim

[Dave K.]

This'll be a cool thread. Don't worry about being too basic (for us electronic knuckleheads).

[ranny9]

Lovin' it!

[Erieman]

Looking forward to this thread. I have been remiss on lighting, but really should consider adding it to several buildings. I'll be watching.

Frank / Erieman

[GPdemayo]

A must watch thread for me Slim.

Thanks!

[Slim Jerkins]

I like to use the Intelligent LED tester to power up an LED so I can play around with the locations for LEDs. The great thing about the Depot Station kit is that it has a nice overhang that allows us to hide a regular LED up into the overhang. The same thing goes for any model that has such a roof or overhang where we can hide an LED.



Good spots for lights are over doors...



For the inside, a regular LED lights up about a 2" x 2" area with the light about 2" above the floor...







Keep in mind I'm not detailing the interior of this kit. I'm keeping things simple by just painting the inside walls black and spraying the the inside glazing of the windows with Dullcoat.

[Slim Jerkins]

Once I've figured out the locations for the LEDs I mark them on the ceiling card...


Then I draw out my connections...



Now I believe I've made a huge jump here and think I should do a little more 'splainin' before going on. In the next post I'll backup a wee bit and go over my plan a little better. I'll need to draw up a couple of diagrams first.

-slim

[MAP]

This is a great thread Slim.  Keep the photos & 'splaining coming.

[BandOGuy]

Slim,
When you have the opportunity, please show the 9v gizmo you're running your tests with. How is it fabricated (made up 'Gnat) or where did you buy it?
Thanks in advance.

[Slim Jerkins]

Slim,
When you have the opportunity, please show the 9v gizmo you're running your tests with. How is it fabricated (made up 'Gnat) or where did you buy it?
Thanks in advance.

The 9 volt gizmo is the Intelligent LED Tester. It's an indispensable tool for me. It really does three different things so I'll mention in it a separate topic.

-slim

[Slim Jerkins]

I never mentioned a basic item before starting this project. That key item is:

What is my power source going to be?

This is a question that needs answered with any lighting project. Am I lighting a diorama? am I adding a structure to an existing layout?

Since we're going to be using LEDs we'll need to have a DC source. This can be a battery or regulated power supply. Batteries are nice for dioramas  in that they're already DC, they're self contained and don't require require plugging into a nearby outlet. Furthermore, going cordless eliminates the tripping hazard or something that can cause a model to get yanked off of a table. The down-side to batteries is that they only last so long. However, if you're only lighting a dozen or so LEDs, you might be surprised how long a nine volt battery can power up a model.

Anyone who knows me or has been to one of my clinics knows that I like to use current limiters rather than resistors for regulating current in my lighting circuits. Resistors are perfectly fine and very affordable but using them locks you into whatever voltage you decided to start with.  Current limiters automatically adjust current regardless of the input voltage. For more information on them check out the LightBites articles http://microlumina.com/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=1&zenid=1fc4b202efad15483c9b667146e559dc

I'm going to light up Depot Station with a nine volt battery. Nine volt batteries are nice and compact and they supply a high enough voltage so that I can connect two LEDs in series off of each current limiter that I use. If I later decide to run the model off of a higher voltage source it will be ready to go since the current limiters will compensate for the higher voltage.

-slim

[Slim Jerkins]

Here's a quick diagram that I made up to act like a road map of sorts:



Looking at the plan view I have five 3mm flood LEDs tucked up under the eaves for the exterior lights. These are located over each door with the exception of the the freight door on the end wall of the structure. I'll use three 5mm flood LEDs for the interior lighting.

I've grouped the LEDs into four groups with two LEDs in each group.

Each group will use a current limiter.

The wiring pictorial shows how everything is connected. Picture the wiring pictorial as a ladder or bookcase. It has four rungs (or shelves) and each rung (or shelf) has nine volts.

It is important to understand what is going on here before taking the next step. I'll let this simmer for a bit and see if any questions pop up.


-slim

[Slim Jerkins]

No questions?

Bueller?...Bueller?

Hello? Is this mic on?


-slim

[NEMMRRC]

No questions?

Bueller?...Bueller?

Hello? Is this mic on?


-slim

How much wood...

What are the benefits/drawbacks of wiring the whole circuit like you've done above?

Jaime

[jlgrove]

...great info Slimmer....thanks for posting....