|
Post by Commodore on Jun 17, 2020 9:44:24 GMT -5
Hey web master: could we move this to a new thread "Lighting cars"? This is quickly becoming too interesting to lose under the "New Member" thread. Mark ... Especially the part about being βlitβ for Christmas π
|
|
|
Post by markm on Jun 17, 2020 11:23:06 GMT -5
I picked up the lighted Christmas car for a train under the Christmas tree. It's a nice car, colorful, well-designed, but it is HEAVY. I'd venture a guess it has a D cell inside and weights nearly as much as the entire CZ train.
With the constraints of Z, what I've been looking at are the AAAA and button cell form factors. Problem is low cell capacity. Could possibly add a power-saver circuit, but that's more real estate. My current thoughts are along the lines of battery powered plus trickle charge from the tracks.
|
|
|
Post by neverland on Jul 20, 2020 12:59:48 GMT -5
I bought a Southern heavyweight passenger car someone had added a watch battery powered LED lighting strip inside. So I have 2 comments. 1) Weight. Even the tiny battery & strip lights adds enough weight that my Marklin F7 can pull it, but put on additional cars and boy does it bog down, especially on a grade. 2) Without a finished interior, the lighting only under-scores the blank interior.
|
|
|
Post by BAZman on Jul 20, 2020 14:13:25 GMT -5
Mark et. al. Batteries sure solve the flickering and general lifetime of a couple of hours (Mark, I have seen stack holders for 41 size cells) and you could make stack cell holders say for a 76/LR44 out of straws dropped in between 2 tension contacts (amazon, ebay, AliExpress). I use 80-120 mAh, 3.7V LiPo batteries. They come with integrated chargers. Amazon, ebay, yadayada. You can get USB or 5/12V chargers from same, $3-$5. Use Micro JST connectors (SH or GH) if you want to plug it in instead of pulling things apart. With SBS4DCC frequently sold out of wheel-wipers or trying to get phosphor-bronze wires bent and thru bolster pins to get axle pick-up, I just find it easier to put a charged Lipo battery in. But for each passenger car, this becomes a big project and they won't last too long. Ngineering has a REALLY small Rectifier board solving polarity reversals and a space for a SMALL capacitor that really won't hold the DC to the LEDs for a blink of the eye well. www.ngineering.com/n8101_dcc.htmRokuhan solved theirs with the short pulse to the rails but they also have commercial manufactured wheel pik-ups.
|
|