General question about lighting

[glueman]

Hi everyone, 

I'm toying with adding lighting to my rebuild of the 2001 Discovery kit.  Nothing fancy, just a simple light in the cockpit area of the command module.

 

I've never done this sort of thing before and don't really know where to start or what is involved.

 

My absolute beginner questions ...

i) Where do people 'shop' for lighting components?

ii) What are the minimum components - set up required?

iii) Could people point me to a basic 'How To' guide or web article on the subject. 

 

Many thanks and apologises if this has been covered elsewhere.

 

Pete

Edited March 24, 2017 by glueman

[Madhatter]

Google will be your best friend here. It's not as scary as it looks and you can get everything you need from an electronics shop (which one will depend on where you live)

Just search for Basic lighting circuit and you shall have your answers.

 

Trust me - it is not rocket science to do a simple LED set up. It only gets complex when you do stuff like programming lighting boards etc which sounds like your not exactly close to doing (neither am I for that matter - which is why I outsource to people who know more about that than I ever will - AKA Warren AKA Madmonk). Other members like Will Vale or Kallisti have a wealth of practical experience in lighting and I know there are heaps of others out there but those are just 3 names off the top of my head who I have seen use lighting to great effect. 

 

In a brief answer though to your question, all you need is an LED, a resistor, some wire, a power source  - e.g.: 9v battery or even button cells plus holder , and a switch.

6 items and you've got a lighting set up - how easy is that? You can even find most of these things in a child's light up toy if you don't have access to an electronics shop.

 

For what your looking to do, set up is mega simple - from the positive terminal of a 9v battery - use a 'cap' for this part - its the bit that sits over a 9V battery with 2 wires coming out of it (red and black). Run the red wire to one side of a 2 way switch. From the other side of said switch, run another piece wire to one side of a *suitable resistor then solder (or wrap) the other side to the longer leg of the LED. From the shorter leg, run a negative (black) wire to the other contact of the battery. Hey presto - instant circuit with an on/off switch. easy peasy

 

*The trick to effective lighting is to light to scale and not use the brightest LED you can find which is where choosing the right resistor comes into play.  Trial and error will tell you which one to use but there are calculators on the net which will help you to determine which sort to use.

 

Also, make sure you use the right colours - generally, it's warm white for interiors and white for exteriors but it also comes down to personal taste and what your wanting to depict. 

 

There are quite a few people here who can also offer advice on this subject but TBH - your best off using Google to learn how to wire a simple circuit. A wire wrapping tool is the best thing since sliced bread if your not comfortable with soldering and it's super easy to use. Again, if your not sure - Google  its the answer to everything

 

Hope the above helps you. As I said - it's not as scary as it sounds or looks. 

[John Laidlaw]

To add to Madhatter's excellent post, here's a link to @Madmonk's webstore:

 

http://www.tirydiummodels.co.uk/

[glueman]

Thank you Madhatter and John ... that is exactly what I was looking for.  Fantastic web site ... I can see some shopping coming on.

I guess the next step is to give it a try, see what happens

 

Thank you again for your help.

 

Cheers

Pete

 

 

[glueman]

On 24/03/2017 at 0:58 PM, John Laidlaw said:

To add to Madhatter's excellent post, here's a link to @Madmonk's webstore:

 

http://www.tirydiummodels.co.uk/

 

Thanks for the link John. I've just placed an order for a light set.  Interesting times ahead.

Cheers

Pete

[John Laidlaw]

Have fun, Pete!

[Madmonk]

Hi Pete,

 

Got your order, thanks, will be posted out today so if RM do their job it should be with you tomorrow.

 

Madhatter's advice is spot on.  To make it slightly easier you can buy battery boxes with switches built in.  If its a single LED you could use a 2 x AA battery box with a 180 Ohm resistor.. If you look on eBay there are prewired LEDs that will save you having to invest in a soldering iron until you get the hang of it.  Shops like Maplins will stock all the bits you want but you will pay through the nose!

 

Just shout if you need any help, advise or just a couple of bits to play with!

 

Cheers,

 

Warren

[rockpopandchips]

I can recommend Jennifer at https://www.smallscalelights.co.uk

 for custom light kits and advice really nice and helpfull.

[glueman]

On 27/03/2017 at 11:18 AM, Madmonk said:

Hi Pete,

 

Got your order, thanks, will be posted out today so if RM do their job it should be with you tomorrow.

 

Madhatter's advice is spot on.  To make it slightly easier you can buy battery boxes with switches built in.  If its a single LED you could use a 2 x AA battery box with a 180 Ohm resistor.. If you look on eBay there are prewired LEDs that will save you having to invest in a soldering iron until you get the hang of it.  Shops like Maplins will stock all the bits you want but you will pay through the nose!

 

Just shout if you need any help, advise or just a couple of bits to play with!

 

Cheers,

 

Warren

 

Hi Warren,

 

Many thanks!!!  I received the kit ... and very nice it is too.  I've got a simple battery box with an on-off switch.  I've included a couple of photos below to show the lights.

Two questions ...

i) If I only want to use the blue LEDs can I simply cut the wires to the other lights to disconnect them?

ii) The instructions say that 2 AA batteries are required.  Could I power the blue LEDs only using a series of button sized batteries of the same voltage?  The battery box is just a tad too big to fit inside the command module.

 

Many thanks

 

Pete