lighting & electronics

cerberus · Post by **cerberus** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 7:00 pm

Okay I'm going blind reading all I can find on lighting models, and I'm still not sure what I'm doing. What are cmos chip's & what do they do, also what is a micro pulse driver what does it do & are they things I need to light my models. Every time I think I have a handle on this something else pops up. I can't afford to buy all these things if I don't need them.

severedblue · Post by **severedblue** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 9:40 pm

Start with what you want to achieve first,

then move back and decide what components you need.

What model are you fitting it to?
Do you need a simple light that is always on, attached to a battery?
Do you need it to blink, or a complex light pattern?

Tell us what you are planning first in detail rather than flooding your mind with meaningless electronic trivia you will probably never use.

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 11:25 pm

To light a model, all you need is:

Power - like a BATTERY.
A light - like ONE LED
Often ONE RESISTOR
Usually a SWITCH
Some WIRE

Stop.

That's it. Really.

You can get more complicated, but start there.

KISS - Keep It Simple Soldier (as I learned in the Army).

Once you've got a few simple kits lit, then add things.

Like several LEDs in one model.

Then maybe a blinking marker light (one SELF BLINKING LED).

Then....

Start easy.
Work slow.
Have fun.
Don't burn youeself out trying to do much the first time.

cerberus · Post by **cerberus** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:58 pm

Okay I have the Defiant with the DLM colored inserts so I'm looking at about 12 LED's Ten for the inserts One for the fiber optics for the crew windows & One flasher for the formation lights. I also have the Maquis ship w/ the DLM colored inserts about 15 LED's for the inserts & 1 flasher for the formation lights. So what all do I need other than lights and wire, I have some 470 & 820 ohm resistors and micro toggle switches & I want to run it all hopefully off a 9v battery for each ship if possible.

brt · Post by **brt** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:04 pm

Buy yourself a breadboard then and play/ experiment with the parts. Look at your other post in this section where I put in the calculator link to check resistor values.

severedblue · Post by **severedblue** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 6:22 pm

Breadboard is a great idea

Start small, connect a battery, resistor and LED on your breadboard
slowly work up until you have the entire circuit put together.

The flasher may be tougher but get the breadboard and the basic ones done first. Then we can talk about hooking up the flasher.

ModlrMike · Post by **ModlrMike** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:20 am

There's lots of different LED ideas here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/47-proj ... ith-a-555/

Take a look around the net and these forums. You'll find lots of ideas. There are some good tutorials out there as well.

This site will help you wire up a simple parallel circuit:

http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz

You can build a simple 11 LED circuit for your main lighting, and then a 555 circuit for your flashers. You can also get flashing LEDs, but the flash rate may be too brisk for formation lighting.

Note: I'd build a parallel circuit, a series circuit will have to dissipate too much heat and will probably be too hot for your model. About 700mW vs 2100 mW.

USS Atlantis · Post by **USS Atlantis** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:01 pm

ModlrMike wrote:There's lots of different LED ideas here:

http://www.instructables.com/id/47-proj ... ith-a-555/

Take a look around the net and these forums. You'll find lots of ideas. There are some good tutorials out there as well.

This site will help you wire up a simple parallel circuit:

http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz

You can build a simple 11 LED circuit for your main lighting, and then a 555 circuit for your flashers. You can also get flashing LEDs, but the flash rate may be too brisk for formation lighting.

Note: I'd build a parallel circuit, a series circuit will have to dissipate too much heat and will probably be too hot for your model. About 700mW vs 2100 mW.

See now, I'd go the reverse - a series circuit uses more voltage, allowing higher rated power supplies but still keeps to the 20-25ma current flow - great for extending battery life

With a parallel circuit, you'll probably have to have resistors to bring the voltage down, and they generate more heat than the LEDs do

And for the 555 circuit, to get a long-off/short-on duty cycle don't forget the signal diode in there

Schematic

Results

ModlrMike · Post by **ModlrMike** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:05 pm

I see what you mean. I didn't use a diode on my 555 circuit because you can vary the flash through one of the resistors. My circuit only has three resistors, one capacitor, and one LED, in addition to the 555. If I vary the value of R2 on the instructables LED flasher project, I can speed up or slow down the flash rate. The voltage through the LED is unchanged. Smaller resistor = faster flash, and larger = slower flash. It's also easier to build for a novice like me. My circuit was also for a different purpose, so I don't need a longer off than on period. When I do my next PL Enterprise, I'll use your circuit for the navigation lights instead.

USS Atlantis · Post by **USS Atlantis** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:16 pm

ModlrMike wrote:I see what you mean. I didn't use a diode on my 555 circuit because you can vary the flash through one of the resistors. My circuit only has three resistors, one capacitor, and one LED, in addition to the 555. If I vary the value of R2 on the instructables LED flasher project, I can speed up or slow down the flash rate. The voltage through the LED is unchanged. Smaller resistor = faster flash, and larger = slower flash. It's also easier to build for a novice like me. My circuit was also for a different purpose, so I don't need a longer off than on period. When I do my next PL Enterprise, I'll use your circuit for the navigation lights instead.

Just to give you the details

Without the diode in parallel with R5, your best timing will be 50% duty cycle (1/2 the time on, 1/2 the time off) - it's the nature of a resistor/capacitor oscillation feeding a 555

What the diode does is invert the timing

In the case of the circuit I posted - the resistor/capacitor setup is for a 90% duty cycle (90% on, 10% off) - putting the diode in there inverts it to a 10% duty cycle

Make sure the diode is oriented correctly, reverse it and you'll get nothing

DLMatthys · Post by **DLMatthys** » Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:43 pm

Cerberus
I am sure the Defiant and the Maquis raider could be lit up an blinking with half them LEDs at half that power of your own devising. Yes the nice clear cast parts can make some nice lighting possible.

But if you shopped further on the www.DLMParts.com page with electronics kits.
http://www.dlmparts.com/electronics.html

You could buy the educational style, high school level, circuit board setups with the right chips and parts with instruction sheet in big readable fonts that these gentlemen here so eloquently have written here about in so many many words.

cerberus · Post by **cerberus** » Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:48 pm

Just got back from a model contest and even though I did place in the two categories I entered in I came up short against models that had some kind of lighting package. After talking to some of the judges the general consensus was good work but I need that extra oomph to put me over the top. So I've ordered the things you guys have suggested and hopefully with all the directions and guidance I'm getting from you all I'll get this lighting thing down. Thanks Guy's!!

severedblue · Post by **severedblue** » Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:48 pm

Did you place in the competition?? wow

show us some photos of your paint job ...

cerberus wrote:Just got back from a model contest and even though I did place in the two categories I entered in I came up short against models that had some kind of lighting package. After talking to some of the judges the general consensus was good work but I need that extra oomph to put me over the top. So I've ordered the things you guys have suggested and hopefully with all the directions and guidance I'm getting from you all I'll get this lighting thing down. Thanks Guy's!!

Madman Lighting · Post by **Madman Lighting** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 9:37 pm

cerberus wrote:Just got back from a model contest and even though I did place in the two categories I entered in I came up short against models that had some kind of lighting package. After talking to some of the judges the general consensus was good work but I need that extra oomph to put me over the top. So I've ordered the things you guys have suggested and hopefully with all the directions and guidance I'm getting from you all I'll get this lighting thing down. Thanks Guy's!!

Really? Congrats on placing. I'm surprised the judges wanted lighting as "oomph" to make it better. At our local IPMS shows the judges often go by the "fewest mistakes or errors" rule so often its the guy with the simplest, cleanest build that takes the prize.

What kind of show was it and where?

ufd108 · Post by **ufd108** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 9:37 am

[quote="cerberus"]Okay I have the Defiant with the DLM colored inserts so I'm looking at about 12 LED's Ten for the inserts One for the fiber optics for the crew windows & One flasher for the formation lights. I also have the Maquis ship w/ the DLM colored inserts about 15 LED's for the inserts & 1 flasher for the formation lights. So what all do I need other than lights and wire, I have some 470 & 820 ohm resistors and micro toggle switches & I want to run it all hopefully off a 9v battery for each ship if possible.[/quote]

Why use a 9V battery? Are you going to put the battery inside? If not I would use a plug-in AC adapter putting out 5V or so. Most IC's these days run off 3.3V so the drop you need from 9V is inefficient.

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