Advice sought on Class 20 lighting

[lnerjp]

I'm wanting to venture into the land of DCC and am thinking of adding lights to my JLTRT class 20 (disc headcode), but I've no practicle experiance of these engines, what lights where used around 1987. I'm guessing that the headcode lights where all white and the two without disc are the red tail lights? How many lights would I be able to control using a South West Digital, sound/DCC chip. And lastly can anyone recomend a good supplyer of minature LED's/Lamps.

Cheers
J.P.

 

[Dog Star]

As yet I have no experience to offer you Jeanpaul... suffice to say that your questions about implementing a lighting scheme are the same questions which I have asked... and as yet I am not 100% sure of the way forward for a Cl.37/4. I have obtained sample packs of LEDs from Helmsman and different shape LEDs and fibre pipe from DCC supplies. Steph and Martin have posted info in the "S7 Another JLTRT 37/4" thread. There has been slow progress here as the current obstacle is installing SWD decoders and configuring the chips.

regards, Graham

 

[Pugsley]

In terms of where to get the LEDs from, I can heartily recommend this ebay seller:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/ledbaron/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

I'm not totally sure, but I think you are correct - all of the disc lights are white and the two disc-less ones are the tail lights. You should have enough functions on the SWD chip to have independent control of the head/marker/tail lights at both ends, but you'd have to check with them to be completely sure.

HTH

 

[lnerjp]

Thanks Pugsley, thats just what I'm looking for, however can I seek your guidance a bit more and ask what Type/size/colour LED's I should be looking for.

A bit more searching on the web and it looks like, for my period the two bottom outer Discs lights where used i.e. displaying class 1 train and the two above are red tail lights, so I will need two white/ two red for each end.


Cheers
J.P.

 

[Dog Star]

Jeanpaul, Martin suggested that I get some "lens"for model car modelling from Little Cars. I have bought red and white, in several sizes, to try in the JLTRT mouldings... and the use or otherwise of these lens has a bearing upon the form / shape / type of the LEDs.

Graham

 

[Pugsley]

As Graham has mentioned, I've bought some little lenses from Little Cars.com, so will be using the small surface mount type behind them. I've got some of these to use:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30x-SMD-L...dellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item5650cd3d39
and some of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10x-SMD-L...dellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item5650cd2fee

Although I might use the white LEDs behind a red tinted lens, instead of using the red LEDs - I haven't quite decided yet.

These also look like they could be of use:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10x-SMD-L...dellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item5650cd4e1a

The lenses come in mm and .5mm sizes - measure the internal diameter of the light fittings and get the closest you can, you'll just need to adjust the housing, or the lenses, slightly to fit.

 

[Heather Kay]

The lights on the real thing would have been tungsten bulbs, and would generally have had a slightly yellow quality to the colour. I find white LEDs very bright and towards the blue end of the spectrum, so I'd look to try and tone the colour and brightness down somehow.

 

[lnerjp]

I was thinking of using this sought of shape http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/30-x-LED-...dellbau_Modelleisenbahnen&hash=item4abb4241d6 without lenses as the lights on Class 20's are very small. Hmm much to think about.

J.P.

 

[mickoo]

I'm not totally sure, but I think you are correct - all of the disc lights are white and the two disc-less ones are the tail lights. You should have enough functions on the SWD chip to have independent control of the head/marker/tail lights at both ends, but you'd have to check with them to be completely sure.

HTH

Correct and general practice in the later years from about 80 onwards was to only use the lower two outer ones as general marker lights, discs may be down or even removed at other positions but invariably they will not be lit, same for class 40.







All copyright unknown authors

 

[lnerjp]

Thought I would share with the good WT people the solutions I have come up with, this will not be new to probably most already in the world of DCC, but might be worth somthing to anyone like me, just trying to dip your fist toe in to see what the waters like.

I first got some 1.8mm red and warm white LED's from DCC Supplies. Next took a trip to Maplins and came up with this.


Next I drilled out the holes for the lights on the 20 at 1.5mm and obtained some optical fibre. The rest should be pretty self explanitory from the pictures.





I have used two LED's in series with a 1K resistor and I think they are still a bit bright, I may have to smoke the ends of the optic fibre, or looking through my instructions for the SWD chip I belive the output voltage might be adjustable.

J.P.

 

[AJC]

Stick a bigger resistor in, neatly done though that is, they're massively too bright. I can't ever remember seeing flare (or whatever the technical term is) like that in pictures of the real thing.

Adam

 

[iploffy]

where did you source the optical fibre from

 

[lnerjp]

Stick a bigger resistor in, neatly done though that is, they're massively too bright. I can't ever remember seeing flare (or whatever the technical term is) like that in pictures of the real thing.

Your absolutly right, but unfotunatly I have hot glued it all in place now, they are not quite as bright as they appera in the picture as that was taken in very poor light, but somthing will have to be done.

where did you source the optical fibre from​

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-MTR-FIB...al_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item3ccf8e0aa1

I should add the optic fibre is "connected" to the led by some heat shrink, if that's not apparant in my pictures.

J.P.

 

[Heather Kay]

Your absolutly right, but unfotunatly I have hot glued it all in place now, they are not quite as bright as they appera in the picture as that was taken in very poor light, but somthing will have to be done.

Humbrol does a range of transparent paint. You might get away with a coat of that kind of stuff at the lamp end.

 

[Steph Dale]

JP,
I think your approach is correct for DCC. Once the current limiting resistor is in place it makes sense to alter the dimming on the decoder. That way you can try various levels of dimming without worrying about swapping hardware in and out. At the very least it reduces any chance of damage.
Steph

 

[alcazar]

How about a small variable resisitor, so you could have day/night settings?

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Humbrol does a range of transparent paint. You might get away with a coat of that kind of stuff at the lamp end.

I've used a transparent paint from my local art and craft store to 'yellow' white LEDs.
Vitrail by Pebeo, a French company.

 

[iploffy]

Thought I would share with the good WT people the solutions I have come up with, this will not be new to probably most already in the world of DCC, but might be worth somthing to anyone like me, just trying to dip your fist toe in to see what the waters like.

I first got some 1.8mm red and warm white LED's from DCC Supplies. Next took a trip to Maplins and came up with this.
View attachment 18727

Next I drilled out the holes for the lights on the 20 at 1.5mm and obtained some optical fibre. The rest should be pretty self explanitory from the pictures.

View attachment 18728

View attachment 18729

I have used two LED's in series with a 1K resistor and I think they are still a bit bright, I may have to smoke the ends of the optic fibre, or looking through my instructions for the SWD chip I belive the output voltage might be adjustable.

J.P.

Did you have to dome the end of the GF, I vaguely remember an article in the modelling press stating that is what he had done