light in passenger car


C

ccool

Member
Hi !

I have some branchline passenger car that i want to put some light inside.

For the alimentation i have thing that i can put battery inside the wagon and i want to install something like between 6-10 LED to illuminate them.

My first question is to know how many time i can illuminate them with the same kit of battery if i put 10 LED by exemple ?

For the material anyone can sell to me or know where i can find the smallest switch as possible and a battery holder ?

It's the first time that i try it, any idea are welcome.

Thanks !
 
Hi !

I know that rapido have a "system" of lightning but i don't had check if they sell separatly.

You are sure that i can put them in a branchline kit without a lot of modification ?

Thanks !
 
Only problem with the Rapido System is that it uses 2 Green LEDs on each end so you get dimmer toward the middle and the greenish light does not look prototypical. I have a bunch of the lighting kits and I am not impressed with them at all.
 
Hi !

I check what i can find on walthers and other method look to take the power on the track and it's not what i need.

If someone know other product i'm open to any suggestion.

Thanks !
 
Yes, if you look at the link, Rapido sells the kits separately, for $15.95 each. I've seen them in operation and don't much like the green LED's either. A friend who installed them in his Branchline cars tinted the LED's amber and the light looked much better. He used Tamayia clear amber paint to tint them. They do fit exactly in the Branchline roofs. I'd still order a kit and see if you like them.
 
Hmm...I dont know about battery operated lights. I would use a capacitor that is charged by track power (to avoid that flickering you get when the consist rolls down the track) and maybe a resistor to bring it down to appropriate voltage. I would also add a small electrical switch to the underside of the car to turn off the lights when the set is parked- no need to have the lights on if there are no Passengers!

Try Jameco for the components. If you are adventurous, you could probably find the components you need for $5 a car.
 
Hi !

I will check that but i'm not a specialist of electronic and i don't want to take the power on the track.

Where i can buy jameco part ?

Thanks !
 
thaddeusthudpucker said:
Hmm...I don't know about battery operated lights. I would use a capacitor that is charged by track power (to avoid that flickering you get when the consist rolls down the track) and maybe a resistor to bring it down to appropriate voltage\.
Click to expand...
and some sort of rectifier since polarity of the rails is changing and LEDs are polarity sensitive (or square wave AC altogether in DCC version)
 
Switch for car lighting

You might try a reed switch that uses a small magnet wand to turn on and off. They are avalable on ebay. They were used for that very purpose many years ago in model rr.


Armchair
 
You wont need a rectifier, a rectifier is just 4 diodes. And an LED is a Light Emitting DIODE. LED's are not "polarity sensitive", but merely will not work when current is flowing the wrong direction. The capacitor will also handle this problem as well as handle intermittent contact. Imagine if you will a large tub that has a small pin hole at the bottom. This hole lets water flow out at a certain rate, while you have a bucket that you are using to put water into it. This is kind of like AC, which is made of pulses. If you are using your water hose instead of putting in a little at a time with the bucket, this is like DC. The point is that you are handling the pulses and evening them out with the tub or capacitor. It essentially acts as a quick-charge battery with enough capacity to handle 1-2 seconds of power being turned off.
 
LEDs are "polarity sensitive." Rectifier diodes have reverse voltage ratings in the tens, hundreds, or even thousands of volts, whereas LEDs usually have reverse voltage ratings of less than ten volts. You might get away with running LEDs off of track power with no reverse votage protection, but you definitely run the risk of blowing the LED, especially if you are using DCC where you have constant track power of 12 volts or more. If you are running DC and you want the LEDs to work in both directions, then you have to either have a rectifier or two sets of LEDs, one set for each direction. If you have a capacitor in the circuit and no rectifier, you better make sure the capacitor is non-polarized, because applying reverse voltage to a polarized capacitor can make it blow up(literally), and the capacitor will not take care of the reverse voltage problem. In addition, if you are using DCC and the capacitor is connected directly to the track power it can affect the DCC waveform.

Armchair said:
You might try a reed switch that uses a small magnet wand to turn on and off. They are avalable on ebay. They were used for that very purpose many years ago in model rr.


Armchair
Click to expand...

That is what the lighting kits from Rapido use.
 
Nathan
i'll take back the "rectifier" word but if you want to get all technical about it, while rectifier can be"just 4 diodes" it doesn't end there. i rather meant a complete abstract device that will take DC of any polarity and reverse it upon need, will rectify DCC and reverse the polarity upon need (since you can potentially place car both ways), will stabilize the voltage to a constant value to prevent dimming.
diode bridge and say a 7805 regulator will do.

as far as your water tub example, its great that you understand how capacitors work. but you probably forgot that capacitors also conduct AC which DCC essentially is. and they definitely will affect wave form.
also it is great that you know what LED acronym stands for but you lost me however when you said LED devices are not polarity sensitive.
 
Hi !

I receive the kit of light of rapido today.

I don't find that it's the invention of the year...

First of all i did not fit on branchline car ( it's sure that it's not the fault of rapido)

Like other member tell it have only 2 LED.

I will try to remove the clear plastic and change the LED for some white and try to add 2 other.

I will try something !

THanks !
 
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