newbie lighting question

BDK · Post by **BDK** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 10:34 pm

Okay, so like a lot of new guys to the lighting and effects side of modeling I have questions. First off, is it too ambitious for someone like me who has no electronics experience to want to light to the fullest extent possible my forth coming PL refit? By "to the fullest extent possible" I mean that I want to light the nav deflector, impulse engines, warp nacelles, as well as running lights and strobes. I realize I'm in for one hell of a reality check once I start getting replies from all the modelers on here with lighting experience but what are we without our dreams? I've done some research and I'm fully aware of Trek Modeler's lighting kit and the three hundred dollar price tag to go along with it. From the limited research I've done in the forums I've seen that, while there are some calculations that are necessary, it seems that building the lighting system myself is potentially a lot cheaper. So, hit me with it. Destroy my dreams and then point me in the right direction to light my big E to perfection. I'm looking forward to hearing from you all. Thanks in advance

BDK

jwrjr · Post by **jwrjr** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:37 pm

A Refit is not a good choice for a first lighting project. Nothing personal here. Try something simple (and expendable) first. Make any mistakes there and NOT on the Refit.

photoguy · Post by **photoguy** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:42 pm

Zero electronics experience? I'd really suggest getting a plug and play lighting kit IF you are going to move forward with the big E as your first project. However, as I suggested in another thread viewtopic.php?t=69622 I would strongly urge you try a couple of simpler lighting projects before diving into the deep end with the PL kit. Pick up a Monogram BSG Viper, or an old Ertl USS Defiant kit to "get your feet wet". Check out the stickies here on the Forums, and build a couple of simple lighting circuits OUTSIDE of your model First as learning projects. As with any modeling skill, it's not rocket science, but there is certainly a learning curve. It is much better to take your time and learn it right, rather than rush into it, get discouraged and decide to give up in failure!

photoguy · Post by **photoguy** » Tue Jan 27, 2009 11:45 pm

And Welcome to the Boards!

BDK · Post by **BDK** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:55 am

You know it's funny how you know what to do but still need to hear it from somenoe else? I like the idea of making simple lighting circuits outside of a model so here's what I'm thinking. Making a progression from just an LED hooked up to a power source to refine my soldering skills and start getting familiar with working with them, then moving to blinking and strobing LED's and so on. I've read here that to learn lighting this way is really inexpensive which is what I'm looking for. So, with that in mind where's a good place to get the supplies I need to start practicing?

And thanks to you guys for the replies and welcoming me to the forum.

BDK

photoguy · Post by **photoguy** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 10:35 am

As much as I dislike Radio Shack "You've got questions, we've got cell phones"; they are usually the only game in town as far as a local source for parts and instructions. There are also sources on the web - look through the threads here, and do a Google search - there's plenty. You might want to get some electrical experimenter's project books (available from RS), the listed components (LEDs, resisotors, a couple of diodes and capacitors,any IC's that the various projects require, a spool of hook up wire) and an experimenter's bread board. The project books spell out the directions very clearly, and explain how to read the wiring schematics (very important skill for once you start putting together flashing circuits, etc) You'll also need a soldering iron and some solder (NOT acid core) that you will want to practice with (soldering is another important skill that takes some practice to get right) and some heat shrink insulating tubing to keep connections from shorting together.

Good luck to you, and don't be afraid to ask questions. There's a lot of guys on here that have been doing this a LOT longer than I have. And MOST of them aren't afraid to share their knowledge

BDK · Post by **BDK** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:30 pm

First off I loved the re-write of the RS ad. Brilliant. Okay, bare in mind I'm completely new to this so forgive what I'm about to say. I was mulling it over in my mind trying to straighten out how the different lights worked. Blinking vs strobing vs steady. Now that comes down to the circuit it's hooked up to correct? You have power source connected to the circuit connected to the LED right? Which makes sense to me but then there's the first obstacle in my thinking. I know that there is a power loss across multiple LED's. So what kind of power out put do I need? I think I may be getting a little bit ahead of myself. I'm trying to take this as slowly as possible so when I do go to wire my refit I'm armed with as much knowledge as possible. I also liked your suggestion of building a smaller, simpler kit to get experience wiring however I'm not a huge fan of the Defiant. Any other small, inexpensive kit you might suggest? As far as soldering, I'm a novice model railroader so that doesn't scare me. I actually really enjoy doing it. Looking forward to hearing back.

BDK

photoguy · Post by **photoguy** » Wed Jan 28, 2009 7:03 pm

Most of the simpler "blinking" circuits run about 3 volts. I got a bunch of 3V wall warts at a HamFest/Electronics show that I attended with my Dad a few years ago. You can also use "AA" battery packs to achieve this voltage.
Check out the "How To" http://www.starshipmodeler.com/tech/techmain.htm#howto section here on SSM for some basic lighting tips. Also, the books I mentioned from RS have some basic projects designed to take you through the basics of wiring up this kind of project. I don't care much for the Defiant either. That's why I mentioned it. If you screw it up, you're not out a whole lot.

jwrjr · Post by **jwrjr** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 12:13 am

In practical terms, there is not much difference between a "blink" and a "strobe". The difference being that a "blink" is usually on for a period and off for the same period. A strobe is a short pulse on with a longer period off. Both can be achieved with a "555" if you know how.

Madman Lighting · Post by **Madman Lighting** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:39 pm

These guys are right, try something simple for your first try. How about a Polar Lights TOS Enterprise and a kit of mine? Have a peek at
Madman Lighting and see how to do some of it.

My kits are good for beginners and dont require soldering.

-John C.

BDK · Post by **BDK** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:09 am

I think I'll try the PL TOS Enterprise. She's a classic ship and with as cheat as it is I might as well have the big E's predecessor. I actually want to have a lighting system that requires soldering. I enjoy soldering and I want to cut my teeth a little more on it. Okay, so now I have a subject that I want to model. Any suggestions on how I should go about lighting her?

BDK · Post by **BDK** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:12 am

Quick question, would the Enterprise E be any more difficult than the TOS to light?

Pat Amaral · Post by **Pat Amaral** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 1:03 pm

Here's my suggestion for a simple "geting started" lighting gig. I slapped together an ST Nemesis Scorpion just to do a lighting test and got passable results. It just has two blue and two amber (yellow) LEDs running off a 9v battery. This was a while ago so I'll have to tear it appart to see how I wired it up. I'll do that later tonight and post the reults if you like. The whole job took about 30 minutes. There are no "blinkies" or "strobes". Just a simple "get your feet wet" experiment.

Here are a couple pics:

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If you're looking for a simple build to get started (as was suggested), I recommend a subject (like the scropion) that doesn't require a lot of attention in the building phase. You want a project where you can focus on the lighting aspects and not so much on "getting the model itself right"

Just my share of 2¢

BDK · Post by **BDK** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:35 pm

Yeah, that would be really helpful if you could go into detail about what you did to light it. I've been looking around the web for the scorpion but haven't been able to find one just yet. So, please let me know what you find when you tear it apart.

Thanks much,

BDK