So, yeah

jedeye · Post by **jedeye** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 8:24 am

Another pesky electronics question (several, actually). Just got the 1/350 Refit and I am wanting to light that bad boy up. I am planning to follow Ian Lawrence's techniques as they seemed simple enough and produced a great kit (http://www.ianlawrencemodels.com/wipplent.html), but when it comes to LED/electronics, I am a complete dork. I found a great website that will calculate the resistance I need based on my LEDS-just ordered 100 white (20 MA, 5mm) as well as show my the layout of the circuit (http://ledcalc.com/), which is CRITICAL, because my math skills are about as sharp as Barbie's.
But here's the issue(s). That site will only let me enter up to 32 LEDs, that refit is going to need a LOT more (I plan on using all 100). I need to know how to lay out the circuit (I am guessing parallel would be better than series?). Also, as far as power goes, I would rather use my home's 120 current as opposed to 9v batteries, as 100 LEDS will no doubt kill them in minutes. I have scoured the internet and watched about 20 hrs of video, but I cant find what I am looking for, namely: HOw do I hook up regulated Wall wart to this kit? You guys are the jedi council, please point this humble padawan in the right direction. Thanks!

brt · Post by **brt** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:56 am

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/114

Something like this I guess. I'm working on smaller stuff where a 9 volt battery is fine though.

Are you planning to have flashing Nav and Strobe lights? That will mean a 555 or 556 timer on a PCB board that the above breadboard power supply could be mounted on.

jedeye · Post by **jedeye** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 11:15 am

Actually, I was planning on wiring the wall wart directly to the positive and negative strands for the LED/Resistors; i have zero experience with PCB boards. Assuming the voltage calculators are correct, that should work, yes?

brt · Post by **brt** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 2:58 pm

It's not that simple. This is a very ambitious 100 LED+ project. You should start with something smaller and a few LEDS. The wall wart will have a barrel connection. How were you planning to connect bare wires to it? Do you know what to look for in a wall wart? You are going to need something in the area of 2 amps for 100 LEDs. Make sure the wall wart is a regulated power supply. Do some googling on the subject and/ or check you tube for some primers on the subject.

Again, I am at the breadboard stage making nav and strobe lights flash with 9 volt batteries and timer chips. It sounds like you are going to dive into the deep end without swimming lessons and I caution you to slow down and start small.

jedeye · Post by **jedeye** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:50 pm

Probably should have been more specific. I have done a few small LED projects with AA and 9 volt batteries, easy peasy. However, when stepping up to such a large amount, I figured a wall wart was the best way to go about it. I do have a regulated wall wart, so no worries there.

steam235 · Post by **steam235** » Mon Jun 03, 2013 10:43 pm

Think of it as a series of buses your going to have your main wires branch off to each portion of the ship. Saucer, Neck, Hull, Right Nacelle, Left Nacelle, The Bus is the group of LEDs in each section. So your calculator should work fine for each seperate section. as long as no section has more than 32 LEDs