How do you attach LEDs to the inside of your model?

krako · Post by **krako** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:31 am

Hi, and thanks in advance for your advice. I'm at the wiring and lighting stage in assembling my PL Refit. What's the best way to attach LEDs to spaces inside the model? If you use glue to hold them in place, what type do you recommend? I've heard that using CA glue is bad, as it could eat through the wires. I really don't want to use electrical tape...

100's of little LEDs are waiting for your tips...

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:30 am

I've used hot glue, 2 part epoxy, and yes even CA. Epoxy seems best for when you're exposing the LED to the world. Hot glue is great but you've got to be careful of your paint & plastic, the new low temp glue guns might be superior for that. And CA, which I've only used to spot glue LED's to a tube.

Styrofoam_Guy · Post by **Styrofoam_Guy** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 9:46 am

I also would say hot glue and 5 minute epoxy.

I would use hot glue as it is a bit quicker and you can pull up mistakes easier then with epoxy.

Alex
Styrofoam Guy

Disillusionist · Post by **Disillusionist** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 4:36 pm

Honestly, I've used CA on quite a few projects, and have never seen it attack the wiring. In fact, it works great with accelerator for tacking down lose wires.

jwrjr · Post by **jwrjr** » Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:22 pm

On my refit, I used warm-melt glue mostly. On models not so massive, my preferred method is to tack leds down using CA, then use squardon shop putty over the whole thing. Do NOT use CA for light bulbs. The plastic flexes, the set CA doesn't, and glass (in the light bulb) doesn't - it breaks.

krako · Post by **krako** » Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:21 am

Thanks everyone! And, not to turn this into a sappy infomercial - I just had to say thanks to jwrjr for making my lighting kit for my refit. Top-notch, first-class work.

However, he didn't include a hot glue gun, so how good could it really be???

Anyway, I'll stop by Hobby Lobby tonight to see if I can find one of those "low temp glue guns" you mentioned kylwell.

Again, thanks for your advice, everyone! That's why I love this site!!!

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 2:29 am

Just so you know, we used ca on the wires needed to 'fix' prototyp circuit boards at work, you know when the reset line didn't get routed to the other chip that needs to reset it. The wires were glued down to the board since they're so small that snaging them on anything will pull them off.

BTW this was the first time I ever used accelerator. Don't want to sit their holding down a wire forever. I had never seen it used or used it, so accelerator is safe to use too on circuit boards near chips and resistors.

Recently we used ca and kicker to tack all the wires in Neil's Mausi. Last minute wiring stuff.

jwrjr · Post by **jwrjr** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 10:25 pm

The tricky part about using CA accelerator is that it eats paint - including (especially?) acrylics. The electronic parts are unaffected.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Jun 24, 2006 11:19 pm

jwrjr wrote:The tricky part about using CA accelerator is that it eats paint - including (especially?) acrylics. The electronic parts are unaffected.

Used to. The newer zip kicker is much more paint friendly. Old stuff used to soften styrene even. Or maybe that was the really old stuff.