JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
Hi
Could anyone recommend a source for an LED kit for this application?
Thanks
Could anyone recommend a source for an LED kit for this application?
Thanks
Source for LEDs
- Thread starter JiminSTLouis
- Start date
Constantine
Well-Known Member
You could try here Model Train Software, they sell pre-wired led with resistor at about $2.50 - $3.50 each. You can get all types of sizes down to the smallest which is a pico. You can get different colors, steady burn, flashing and flickering. I've used them and I have been happy with them. Good Luck
https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/ledlights1.html
https://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/ledlights1.html
JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
Thanks for the replies!
star-art
Sr Member
Be careful as many products being sold these days are cheap Chinese junk. Cheap LEDs might work one minute and quit the next. I'd be particularly wary of getting stuff like this on eBay.
While they are not exactly inexpensive, I've found that SuperBrightLEDs.com offers pretty good quality components. I've been buying stuff from them for years now.
While they are not exactly inexpensive, I've found that SuperBrightLEDs.com offers pretty good quality components. I've been buying stuff from them for years now.
On this note, I believe it’s a good practice to test every LED I use in a model by continuously running for 24 hours before it is installed. I have NEVER had one fail (not to say they won’t...but for that matter, USA made LED’s fail too).
My go to sources for LEDs is Lighthouse LED and HDA Modelworx. Personally I don't get prewired LEDs because the resistor is usually for 12VDC and depending on what I am doing I use different voltages so I use the appropriate resistor. If you look on eBay you can buy a resistor package that has 2600 resistors with 160 different values.
I really like Lighthouse LED, they ship super fast and have good prices.
I really like Lighthouse LED, they ship super fast and have good prices.
xl97
Master Member
^ this!
Getting pre-wired leds lumps into a pre-defined power source (voltage)...
Most accent leds run @ +3-+3.3v voltage...
unless you wires your leds in groups.... you would be chopping the 12v (or higher) power source down to (roughly) +3v... thats +9v!! I bet things get hot.
I have not had any problems with purchasing BULK leds from ebay/China.. or anywhere else for that matter...
They 'blow' when I am being foolish. not because of their shipping country.
I also (sorta) THANK China! Without their goods.. many of my projects wouldnt have gotten off the ground if I had to pay 3-4 times the price for a US based product (when they bought it from China anyways!)
Pick your led
Pick your battery source
Calculate the value for the correct resistor.
That being said.. looking at the image you supplied..
I'm betting there are some semi-trans pieces either tubes or sheets.. that are used to line the holes/slots int he gun. Putting an led behind it illuminates the whole piece.
Throw in a DFPlayer mini (roughly $2.00 USD off ebay) in the mix.. and you can get some gun sound FX as well.. (dont even need an Arduino or microcontroller of any kind!)
Getting pre-wired leds lumps into a pre-defined power source (voltage)...
Most accent leds run @ +3-+3.3v voltage...
unless you wires your leds in groups.... you would be chopping the 12v (or higher) power source down to (roughly) +3v... thats +9v!! I bet things get hot.
I have not had any problems with purchasing BULK leds from ebay/China.. or anywhere else for that matter...
They 'blow' when I am being foolish. not because of their shipping country.
I also (sorta) THANK China! Without their goods.. many of my projects wouldnt have gotten off the ground if I had to pay 3-4 times the price for a US based product (when they bought it from China anyways!)
Pick your led
Pick your battery source
Calculate the value for the correct resistor.
That being said.. looking at the image you supplied..
I'm betting there are some semi-trans pieces either tubes or sheets.. that are used to line the holes/slots int he gun. Putting an led behind it illuminates the whole piece.
Throw in a DFPlayer mini (roughly $2.00 USD off ebay) in the mix.. and you can get some gun sound FX as well.. (dont even need an Arduino or microcontroller of any kind!)
I also use buck converters a lot. You can step down and regulate your voltage and they are very inexpensive. Where this comes in handy is if you are using LED tape that runs off 12VDC but also want to use individual LEDs for different lighting or FX. You just run the LED strip from the 12V source and then step it down with the buck converter. It's still a good idea to use a resistor even if you have the buck set to 2.8-3V... you only need a 1ohm resister and actually could get away without using one at all since you're supplying the correct forward voltage, but why take chances? The last thing anyone wants is to button up their build and have an LED go out after everything is all glued and sealed shut.
I also run my LED strips at 9V not 12V. They are plenty bright, in fact 12V is often too bright in my opinion. You'll still need to drop the voltage for single LEDs and the buck does that nicely.
I also run my LED strips at 9V not 12V. They are plenty bright, in fact 12V is often too bright in my opinion. You'll still need to drop the voltage for single LEDs and the buck does that nicely.
JiminSTLouis
Sr Member
Thanks for all the replies everyone!
vismus
Active Member
I buy my LEDs from Evan Designs which was recommended previously by Constantine...except for the larger 5mm which I buy from Ebay (Chinese). Have used them for years with no issue as most all LEDs come from China. The 5mm are pre wired with resisters and look just as well made as the more costly. I buy bunches of 50 or 100 for peanuts!
mattinglymint23
New Member
Great OP and replies. Been wondering the same as I get into this more deeply. Great insights and community. Thanks all.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pixelworks
Active Member
I agree with xl97, It looks like the lighting is central, my guess is that the barrel as well as the revolver cylinder part is filled with something translucent... acrylic maybe. Nice even spread of the lights with no real hotspots. Nice material whatever it is.
The blue haze at the end of the barrel probably isn't real... not sure where the picture is from, but my guess is that the haze is photoshopped
Depends where you want to go with it. You could very easily connect an LED in the barrel with the trigger so that it lights up only when the trigger is pulled. The shells in the revolver you could leave "always on", or if the revolver part is also functional you could give each of the translucent shells its own LED and as the revolver cylinder turns, the LED for the round that is shot is turned off. whether you turn the cylinder manually or connect it to turn when the trigger is pulled is up to you.
I also highly recommend, embracing the unknown and wire the LEDs yourself. It is really not that difficult to hook a resistor up to a LED. There are a ton of LED calculators out there to help you determine which resistor to use in either a serial or parallel setup... most even with a diagram ( This is the one that I usually refer to). As mentioned above, then you can choose which voltage is right for you. I generally tend to put more resistance on an LED as actually needed... they don't burn quite as bright but bright enough for my purposes and importantly you extend the life of the LED.
If you do decide to go that route, remember to group only the same LEDs on one resistor. Every LED color has its own mix of current and "voltage drop" and strange things will happen if you mix and match them. As a rule of thumb, this also applies to the same color of LED but from different companies.
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NEVER use one resistor for more than one LED in a parallel configuration.
It may appear to work for now. It may have worked in the past, but in the same way you may have crossed the road with your eyes shut in the past, it does not mean this is a viable long term strategy for success.
You are building in a failure vector for the price of a few pennies. Ask yourself "do I really want this circuit to fail once I have sealed it up inside the model?"
Where do you get/how would you build the buck convertor?
I have a few builds I am planning that will be suing some of those 9 volt LED strips plus a few individual LEDs
* all leds need a resistor
* always use resistors..
This is the right answer.
I get mine off eBay. They are really inexpensive too... the last lot I bought I got a five pack for $7.50. There is nothing to build, they are a completed circuit board. They can take up to 20VDC or more and have a potentiometer to adjust the output voltage. So you just wire your higher voltage items and then tap off and run over to the buck and adjust the output to whatever you want. It's a lot easier and safer than just using resistors to drop a power supply from 9-12V down to 3 or less for regular LEDs. As xl97 and JKirkon said, you still want to put a limiting resistor on your LEDs even if you have the voltage set to it's forward voltage. Resistors are cheap and it's just smart and good insurance.
Also, and I am sure most on here already know about Adafruit, but they have a TON of great products. Their addressable RGB LED light strips and trinket controller are really cool and you can do a ton of things with it. I also really like Lighthouse LED. They have good prices and ship really fast AND the owner is very knowledgeable and will answer questions either through email or on the phone. He can help with basic questions and concerns and is a good guy. Frentaly is also an ebay seller I use and trust. He does free shipping and has great prices.
I was an Electronics Technician 1st Class in the Navy (E6) and I'm all about keeping things inexpensive and simple
Our motto was KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. When you are half way across the world and out to sea you can't just run down to the local store and buy parts, so we tended to fix things however we could. The easiest way was always the fastest. Here's a tip/trick for those really right spaces that are hard to run wires through- I use copper guitar tape to lay down 'wire runs'. It conducts just like wire and is so thin I never had an issue with parts fitting together and never needed to hog out a channel for the wire. This works especially well for doing the 1701-D nacelles. The tape comes in very thin widths and makes wiring nice and neat too. You can make a power and ground buss and just tap into it.
Apologies if I hijacked this thread, I know the OP had a specific build and questions. Some of these tips might work for him, but will definitely help in other builds.
As far as resistors- there should always be a limiting resistor. IF you have access to the LEDs you CAN get away with using just one if you have the forwarding voltage correct, BUT... in most cases in our builds we can't access the LEDs once we button everything up. LEDs are cheap and so are resistors. Buy a resistor bundle and just wire each LED with a resistor just to be safe. That said, most failures happen due to over voltage OR too much heat too close to the LED when soldering the resistor. Always make sure to use a heat sink between the soldering point and the electronics (LED). Alligator clips or 'helping hands' handle this nicely.
Also once you do your soldering, do a burn in. I usually do at least a 48-72 hour test and if the LED/resister combo doesn't burn out it's pretty safe to say it should last the life of your model/prop.
Also once you do your soldering, do a burn in. I usually do at least a 48-72 hour test and if the LED/resister combo doesn't burn out it's pretty safe to say it should last the life of your model/prop.
