I didn't get anything done on the layout over Halloween weekend, and I continued work on the track feeders on the afternoon of 11-7. And then:
https://www.modeltrainforum.com/threads/where-is-everyone.442/page-2#post-2551170
I'm not going to be able to get back under the layout until at least Friday, so I decided to do some "workbench projects". The first will be to add some lighting to the RustEze Medicated Bumper Ointment shipping/receiving building.
That's going to be a great build. Can't wait to see it take shape. Thanks, Warpiper! Since most of the layout will be flat, the plan is to build conventional benchwork. I think the inclines will be Woodland Scenics foam risers. After the benchwork is built, I'll do the outer loop just to get...
modelrailroadforums.com
Hard to believe it's been over a year and a half since I started that kit! My faithful assistant, Wally, has graciously 'volunteered' to help with this project.
The plan is to install a small surface mount LED each of the three lighting fixtures that attach to the front of the building, and an LED strip down the center below the roof. The 3 outside fixtures just popped right off. I plan to drill a small hole angled from the bottom center to the rear center, hold it in place against the building, mark the hole with the drill bit, then drill a hole through the wall of the building.
I will need to keep track of which fixture goes where, otherwise it will be like the line in the Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time": When we tried to put in the bolts, all the holes were gone!
The LED strip will be mounted to a piece of styrene running from the front wall to the back wall. These are the lights I plan to use:
The three surface mount LED's are 0603 Yellow Gold nano's from lighthouseleds.com
I realize I probably should use white LED's, but these are what I have on hand. I can always change them out later if I want. The LED strip is from this kit I got at Menards:
I had a couple of in-store credit check rebate coupons, so it actually didn't cost me anything! I can always do free! I didn't notice before I bought it, though, that the LED's have a silicone rubber coating over the strip which must be removed from the soldering pads. Oh, well. For the price I guess I can't complain! The silicon does seem to diffuse the light output, so I may end up going with a 9 LED strip instead of the 6 LED strip shown.
The 0603 LED's come pre-wired with a resistor. They are rated at 12 volts with the resistor. I used my bench-top power supply (behind Wally in the first pic) and they do function on 12 volts. I want to use them on 3.3 or 5 volts, and they were pretty dim on those voltages. I was curious to find out what the rating of the resistor was, so I cut it off the LED on the right. It was 1.45K OHM's! I used a 470 OHM resistor and it gave a decent brightness on 5 volts, so that's what my plan is.
The LED strip is also rated at 12 volts. It will not light up on 3.3 or 5 volts, but it does at 12 volts. It has a resistor wired into each 3 LED segment, so no further resistor is needed.
This kit came with a couple of bollard posts designed to be installed between the tracks. I'm going to drill one out down the center and mount a red LED on it.
The wires will run across the inside front of the building and down front wall through a hole drilled in floor. The LED strip will have a separate positive wire form the three 0603 LED's, but they will all share the same negative (black) wire. The bollard post will have it's own positive, but will share the negative with the LED's. The negative wire will be switched with a SPST switch, so using one switch will enable turning all the lights for the building on or off at once.
Before I start wiring it up, I want to weather the outside of the building. Right now it's been washed with soap and water and is air drying. This will be the first building I've ever added lights to.