Hi Guys, looking for some LED help?

[JollyStoner456]

Well, hello guys,

After bring a far admirer of the 1:18 diecast model cars I thought I would best get on the forums haha!

I have an idea, don't know if, and how well it will work..this is where I need your expertise.

My friend has a row of 10 model cars on his "illegal cruise meet" shelf and I thought it would be a great idea to stick some LED's in his cars so they look better at night etc.

IDeally, i want these all to come on alltogether rather than 1 by 1 switch each battery on and off when your wanting darkness.
Basiclly each car wil have 4LED's (2xwhite, 2xred) for headlights/brakelights (maybe stick 4xwhite so i can use 2 foglights on couple aswell.)

I hve looked into the 9v battery with switch and each LED in parallel with resistor on each one which I am quite capable of doing but im worried that the battery wont last that long/LED's wont be bright enough...would I be correct?

Is there any other way I can power each car with 4LED's off 1 source without having a complete mess of wires and a PITA when moving the cars etc.
Is there anything im missing??

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

[JollyStoner456]

Good Morning guys!

After reading the tripe i wrote earlier at 2am this morning, (please excuse me guys, i was tired.) i thought I would be a bit clearer today haha!

I understand the method of putting a 9v battery > switch > resistor > LED (or several LED's in parallel)
That part, i can do.

But a row of roughly 10 cars, each with its own 9v battery inside is easiest to move around but changing batteries will be a daily occurrence.

What I am looking for is a better/longer lasting power supply (maybe 9vdc converter?)

I'm sure i've heard of people using 12v batteries and using resistors to bring everything into line etc. but ideally I don't want anything outwith the model. I choose the 9v battery as it fits in the boot (trunk for you yanks lol!)

OR

Could it be possible to wire up the LED's in the model, have the pos/neg wires running to the back from underneath and tapped into a power rail running behind the row of cars? This way i can imagine a sort of "plug n play" to put each model onto the power rail and away you go!
I take it it's not as easy as that..? Or is it...?


This is what I am trying to achieve:

1. Get each model fitted with 9v batteries, switched?
2. Get a longer lasting power supply so as not to be buying/recharging batteries all the time?
3. Get the ~10 cars to switch on simultaneously off 1 switch/1 power supply?
4. Have a power rail running along the back of all the models and tap into it from each model?
5. Once i get more models made with lights, i would like to swap models in and out of the line so a plug n play type system needed?

[[KRAFTIG]]

Welcome, I wish I could help, but this topic is not my forte.

[JollyStoner456]

Is it something you enthusiasts prefer to keep it original?

Anyone with LED experience please give your inputs. I am just wanting to do as much research as I can before I go and attempt something I don't know 100% about

[[KRAFTIG]]

I personally bought the IKEA kit. Easy to install, though when the cabinet is full lighting is quite weak.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/20119418/

[Atalante]

He wants to mod the cars to install LED for headlights/brakelights (or foglights) with a realiable plug 'n play source of Power. By far I am not an expert in this is kind of mods but this is certainly feasible.

[JollyStoner456]

I could maybe use that Ikea setup and do away with the strips, cut them off and use the wires for my pos/neg for 4LED's on 4 seperate cars operating off 1 plug. I take it the adapter must convert 230v mains to 9v or 12v which i could potentially see working but VERY VERY messy. Thank you for your input KRAFTIG

Atalante, you know exactly what I'm wanting. Do you any type of plug n play rail that you can tap into? Or who do I talk to that could teach me how to make 1 Haha!

Cheers again guys

Keep 'em coming

[slartibartfast229]

LED's tend to come in regular and high brightness variations. When I want a cheap source for front and rear I buy 'bicycle' lamp sets that pop up from time to time in Aldi or Lidl German retailer stores (to be found all over Europe). Battery holders designed for electronic projects are easy to find on e-bay for a longer lasting power source, aside from an AC power supply of course. Some dismantling and modifiaction is required, as is the ability to use a soldering iron.

[Emil_SWE]

This webshop from Germany specializes in lighting for models. They mainly aim at RC but also stock lighting kits for diecasts. Maybe worth a look.

http://www.rc-beleuchtungen.de/en/

[/bp]

Just read this post... What you can do is is -
1. Use a generic Phone charger to step down from 120V to 5V
These - http://i.pictr.com/46678ap8pq.jpg
Or pick an old Nokia Charger
2. Solder or stick a power jack to the cars , that'll give easy plug/pull
http://www.sunrising-elec.com/productli ... wer%20jack
3. Connect the adapter to the wall outlet and switch on

All the LEDs will under same voltage, however if you are using a 5V LED and 330 Ohm resistors ; An adapter with 1000mA current can sufficiently power 1000mA = 100 LEDs x ~10mA each

Also check this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p1LnwWfDqU

[Q-DawgVFR]

Wow that's the extreme end of ingenuity using a microprocessor and IR remote like that. Love the idea though: if you have it permanently powered up with a little power jack in the display case as mentioned with the phone charger step-down idea, you can keep it locked in the case with the remote outside to play with the lighting effects.

Any specifics on the microprocessor / IR set up or how to configure that set that up? Video blasted through all that without really explaining.