# Passenger Car LED Lighting Revisited



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I am working on a new passenger car lighting project, so I figured I'd post here and show how this is done. As you can see, it's pretty simple to replace the lighting with LED's, and the results will be superior lighting for almost no power drain. I've incorporated a number of things that may not be obvious at first. There is a 22uh RF choke in the pickup roller feed for MTH DCS signal compatibility. There is also a 3A PolyFuse between the pickups to prevent a derailment from cooking the internal wiring. These passenger cars use the commonly available self-stick LED strips, usually sold in 5-meter rolls for around $10. You can cut them to size to fit in the space available, each three LED segment stands alone if desired. The components are simple and readily available from a number of on-line parts vendors. I've also included a couple of shots of the finished product in low light and in brighter light. As you can see, the lighting is very even and more than bright enough. Note that the entire car is lit with 20 milliamps of current for all the LED's!

So, without further ado, the conversion in pictures.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Looks great John...

The beauty of O gauge.

I've got the strips installed waiting for metal
pickup wheels...

I'm powering mine at just under 7 volts which
gives a nice flourescent light effect on my
HO silver side cars.

Dealer sent plastic wheels instead of metal...
pshaw.

Don


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Note that the miniature connectors I use are actually made from snappable headers and a little heatshrink, that makes the connectors dirt cheap. I got tired of trying to chase down miniature connectors for a reasonable price. 

I like O-gauge, lots of space to work.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

John,

You were discussing the use of hot glue in another recent thread. I see here that you've positioned your wire runs with (what looks like) cellophane tape. If so, do be aware that that dries out and becomes brittle, over time ... likely cracking to let the wires run loose, and always a pain to remove neatly for future work. Maybe a couple of daps of hot glue, instead of the tape?

Thoughts?

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The tape is Kapton tape, and after the floor goes on, the wires can't go anywhere. The tape is really just to position the wires until I bolt the car back together. Once the interior is in place, that channel where the wires are is totally enclosed.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Ahh ... got it. That Kapton tape is good stuff, as you know!

Thanks,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I like the Kapton tape because it's so thin that I can put it almost anywhere and it doesn't interfere with fit. I use it to insulate tender shells for TMCC conversions, works great.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

Kapton does several things better than other tape.
The adhesive does not leave residue whan removed.
It has a 600 volt dielectric rating (super non conducting)
Extreamly high wear threw resistance.
Adhesive holds under extreme heat.
Will not release over time like cellophane tape.
Is very thin!
This is a must have for any Electrinics instalation, especially DCC installs!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Yep, I have rolls of it in several widths. Expensive stuff however...


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## yak-54 (Nov 7, 2012)

Hi John are they "Cool White Light" or "Warm White Light"

Thanks


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Those are the "warm" white LED strips. Other than modern locomotive headlights, that's what I normally use.


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## yak-54 (Nov 7, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Those are the "warm" white LED strips. Other than modern locomotive headlights, that's what I normally use.


are they 5mm x 5mm or 3.5mm x 2.8mm led


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

They are 3.5mm x 2.8mm.


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

The LED's on that strip are SMD SMT PLCC-2 3528 or easier 1210 LED's


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## yak-54 (Nov 7, 2012)

thank you gentlemen


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## yak-54 (Nov 7, 2012)

Hi all will these light work ok on dcc 16 volts with a rectifier ?



yak-54 said:


> thank you gentlemen


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The run on 12VDC, if you have more voltage, you probably should consider a regulator. The easy way to do it is with the CL2 constant current source. Feed it DC with minimal filtering and you get 20ma out for any input voltage. I find that 20ma lights an 15" or 18" passenger car more than enough.


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