wiring lights on the layout


U

up- raliroader

New Member
Hi, I was wondering on how you go about wiring lights? for ex, small LEDS in houses, street lights, etc. What would you use to power the accessories? Don't say the power pack, I want a separate power source ;-)
 
First, I'd use small grain of rice or grain of wheat lamps for for streetlights and signs. Larger and less expensive bulbs can be uses for the inside of buildings, where no one will see them.

Second, I am going to tell you to use a power pack...just not the same one you're using for trains. You can get nice power packs cheap on e-bay as modelers switch to DCC. Wire all the lights that you want to have intensity control over, like street lights, to the variable DC terminal of the second power pack. You can then dial up or down the intensity of the bulbs without worrying about series wiring or resistors. I've got an older MRC that puts out 18va that's powering about 110 light bulbs, two sets of traffic lights. two sets of crossing signals, several lighted vehicles, and bunch of lighted signs. It's now reached capacity so I'll be looking for another cheap powerpack to split the load. I think I paid about $15 including shipping for the one I have. You'll never find a cheaper rheostat controlled 12 volt power supply than that.
 
UP2CSX said:
First, I'd use small grain of rice or grain of wheat lamps for for streetlights and signs. Larger and less expensive bulbs can be uses for the inside of buildings, where no one will see them.

Second, I am going to tell you to use a power pack...just not the same one you're using for trains. You can get nice power packs cheap on e-bay as modelers switch to DCC. Wire all the lights that you want to have intensity control over, like street lights, to the variable DC terminal of the second power pack. You can then dial up or down the intensity of the bulbs without worrying about series wiring or resistors. I've got an older MRC that puts out 18va that's powering about 110 light bulbs, two sets of traffic lights. two sets of crossing signals, several lighted vehicles, and bunch of lighted signs. It's now reached capacity so I'll be looking for another cheap powerpack to split the load. I think I paid about $15 including shipping for the one I have. You'll never find a cheaper rheostat controlled 12 volt power supply than that.
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Thanks that sound really kool i'll most likely do that, now the dc side won't burn the bulbs out?
 
Because my layout is so big I use a cheap RR power supply for each section. I now have 4 on the layout. I also use a power supply to run my turntable. All on controlled DC.(track voltage)
 
The light bulbs in most train engines are incandescent that run right off track power. DC won't harm the bulbs at all. Just make sure you don't overpower them (check the ratings of the bulbs). Most power packs the DC side has better amperage than AC anyway, so if you have a lot of bulbs, this will help!
 
Correct, and whole point of wiring the bulbs to the variable DC terminals is so you can turn them down without a lot of complicated wiring. Running incandescent bulbs at about 70% of rated apacity will make them last as long as your natural life. LED's are much more picky about power supply. They need a steady power supply and LED's are all over the board, from 1.5 volts, to 12 volts. That means have to put dropping resisitors in line for the lower voltage LED's. Polarity is also an issue, whereas incandescent bulbs could care less about polarity. You can buy inexpensive regulated power supplies to run you LED items at Radio Shack but run all the rest of your lights off a regular power pack.
 
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