:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

My new blinky universal LEDs work!!! Even two at a time with four other LEDs on!!!! My lil meat wagon gots a new strobe and looks COOOOL!!!! I've got 4 more...2 for another ambulance and 2 for secret project W.. Honestly, I'm getting cold feet about disecting one..They look so cool!! But what if the parts are readily available???? Hmmm.. I better sleep on it before I decide... For those of you who are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, here's the link for blinky universal LEDs that work in slotcars!!!

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/bl-213-f.html

These lil buggers work good. The ones I got were water clear bulbs and flashed a nice deep red!!! It has that nice old pre 70's twin light bubblegum machine look to it. For something newer go for the 2.5 hz model which looks more "strobish". They aren't cheap, which is the main reason I'm delaying the butchering of one, plus I think the meat wagon would look even better with 2. What would be cool is if I could remove the blinky red, and put one I got in my other LED order today. It's a water clear flasher led and it alternates red and blue!! That would be the bomb on a JL fairlane cop car!! I guess I better get used to the fact I'll be painting windshields!!! Thanks for visiting!!

UtherJoe:wave:

How plans change!! Please keep in mind my original intentions for the table way back when it was just an idea mostly in my mind and a few scribbles on graph paper.. When the concept was born it was a train table. The slotcar thing was done before, but the table then was 8X12. Talk about a stretch!! My game plan was to run 2 4 lane tracks..half on the table and half under it. I was prepared to get lane fences and whatever else needed to get the cars (at the end of "Main St.") to do a bridge track dive under the train track and under the table do a 180 on 9" curves and double back to the other end of the world. With a few strategically placed junction turnoffs I could run 10+ cars at once. The cars would do a reversal at the other end..hit the lane fenced 9" curves, swing around, up the bridge and there they were.. I started making all the pieces for the puzzle back in March and April this year. Things like the 4 lane Aurora RR crossing, and then my own 4 lane two track crossing. Then I dug into finding a solution to the...as Bill Hall dubbed so perfectly.."Lamethrower" Rudolph..nuke meltdown under the hood.. no taillights doo doo... And there I was.....

Then something happened in April that threw a wrench in the works. My sister in law has been losing a battle with her addiction problem. To keep her grandchildren out of foster homes, we took the two boys in. Three boys in the house and slotcars...Hmmmm.. Out go my plans for my poor boy Faller road system, I changed most of the plans to allow some sort of racing on the table. Somehow I got lucky enough to have the TM give up her dining room for the table!! Obviously, we don't do much racing.. it's pretty much last man standing. The biggest problem is the controllers. I wish I had the resources then that I have now. If I had, I never would have bought 45 ohm'ers..

HT has been an excellent source for information and for finding truly gifted people to associate with!! I'm glad I'm here, and glad you're reading!! If you are reading, that is...Sorry, no pictures with this one!!


UtherJoe

Joe,

Blink, Blink...I am excited for you...WOW! Those are some cool lights man. Was looking at the link you posted & my mind just freaked out. :freak:

Love your track pictures also. Las Zilla Speedway kinda looks the same as yours. Some day I will finish it...someday.

Bob...Sweeeeeeeeeeet Blinkity Blink Blink...zilla

Well..I did it. I cut the shrinktubing off one of my new blinkys. It's actually quite simple. One small lil black box of a rectifier and one even smaller capacitor. I have part numbers, what I don't know who is the manufacturers are. Until I can determine who makes there parts, I can't do much else. To add to my headaches, I broke off the leads at the rectifier so it's deceased. :cry: Guess secret project "W" is on hold. Naturally, I blew my molding stock money again so the casting project is again on hold!!! :cry: But I did do some cool stuff to the table today.. :thumbsup: Pictures and maybe another short movie some time tomorrow. One other thing I read as far as capacitors storing energy.. Here goes:

And this is where the potential problem lies.. A capacitor is like a battery..sort of.. What it does is store equal amounts of positive and negative current inside it and keeps them seperated by a thin film. The more current you feed the load (motor, light, etc) the more the capacitor stores, up to it's capacity. When the power or voltage drops, the capacitor tries to equalize itself by discharging the stored power from the negative side back through the load to the positive side. Problem is..The power is now flowing in reverse, and I don't know if this will allow a LED to continue working.:freak: I need to restock my resistor supply so hopefully the radio shack gurus will be able to answer some questions for me. I haven't been able to find my 1/2 watt resistors on fleabay lately..


UtherJoe

Don't sell that less elaborate layout short either. Elevation changes, landscaping, and trains running around while yer racing???.... priceless. Finish it off, try some new techniques, it'll be fine. Looking forward to seeing grass and trees in place. I remember the feeling when mine was unfinished. You'll feel better when it gets further along. Hey...Give us a new video eh?? nd

BTW: You mentioned you have 45 ohm trollers and don't care for them. Are they Parmas?? If so, you can transplant higher ohm resistors into them. I did it and it helped ALOT. Looks like you have mostly tjets to run?? The resistors are now made by a few outfits. Here's one @ 125 ohm , but there's likely others to be found too.... http://howorld.fsmra.com/archives/review/resistor/resistor.html

The TM's ranting about moving has settled down for now..for the better part of two days that's all I heard from her. I am once again decorating. My only comfort in doing this is knowing I'll have a better grip on what works and what doesn't. So if I do need to tear it down, rebuilding will be that much easier. I did some cool things to it in the last couple of days and a video is due. I need to fix one lane (completely dead) and get the track cleaned (yet again). This next video, I want all four cars running, and both trains going.

As far as controllers, all I have for racing is stock aurora 45 ohm. I think they are later magnatraction controllers. Anything better will need to wait until Uncle Sam gives me back the extra $$$$ I've sent him this year. The ones I have were a step up from the broken steering wheel controllers I had received with all the L+J track I bought. :rolleyes: I just wish I knew better when I bought those 45's because 60 and 75 ohm'ers were available at the time.

All I can say is, in the past couple of days I have started a downtown revitalization project.. And the inner city doesn't look so much like the aftermath of a 6.0 earthquake. "Power" is slowly being restored to the area and some businesses are open, but until the public becomes aware of the city improvements, I guess they're staying home!! :hat:

I am expecting a package from Dynodon in the next week with a bunch of scenery stuff which will help the table come alive; and my next big project is straightening out the country insert (the other inside half of the figure 8). Some track leveling is needed there, and I need to replace a few pieces of track that have issues. This weeks purchases will be the transformer for my street lights and the cable mechanisms to operate the crossing gates. Car insurance is coming due so this is my spending limit for this week. :thumbsup:

I am muddling through all this with my latest physical dilemma. A week and a half ago I started messing with the crossing gate/automation system and being under the table put a kink in my neck. For the past 10 days the entire left side of my neck has been one or more of the following: numb (not bad..this is a welcome relief), on fire (not very good) or on fire, locked up stiff as a board and the feeling of a red hot poker shoved into my throat (the worst). :eek: These symptoms switch back and forth regularly, so if you're thinking I haven't been myself in chat or elsewhere, this is probably why. I guess the 2 million+ miles I put under my butt are starting to catch up with me.

One bit of good news to add... Xmas came early for me this year. My cheapie big lots office chair (that has been rewelded, and re wheeled 4X) finally bit the dust. :mad: The TM took pity on me and bought me a new chair for my work station!!! Hope this one lasts a little longer!!! An updated video will be up later today, probably after dark. And I'll attempt a pull back view for you Bill, it's just that to get the whole thing in I either need to shoot from the kitchen, the bathroom, or the oldest kids bedroom, and no matter where I do it from, the view is obstructed by something. That's all the news for now!! :wave:


UtherJoe

Ok, it's not what I was expecting to get done today, but I made some progress on the seriously cool scale today. The odd thing is, my neck feels better after crawling around under the table for half a day!! Here's some stills, and a short video will follow as soon as I upload it. Use your imagination as you see these, as the lighting wasn't perfect, but you'll get the basic idea..


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/f3cf35ab.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/ccc79300.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/3c852a47.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/5d61ff6b.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/e29af52d.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/4e2b5f94.jpg


Like I said, a short video will follow after dinner..youtube is slow when it comes to uploading stuff. Enjoy!!


UtherJoe

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/500/cool.gif :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Until McWilson's ( a spoof on the TM's family name) starts getting some customers in, they can't book any real decent bands to play there. Playing tonight is a never heard of jazz band called "milkshake" or some stupid thing like that. And the bar is empty. Down town is deserted, even the firemen are afraid to respond to fires, the IRS being targeted yet again by some crazed arsonist!! The residents of this somewhat rundown section of town won't step foot on the street after dark, hiding in their flats until sunrise. Only in the the light of day will most folks venture out their front doors. Wow..what a dramatic an intro for a 2 minute movie!! JEEZ!!! :tongue:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8bTilEkvxY

I fried one or two (Not sure yet) of my reed switches tonight with a short slot session with the kids. :cry: I need some other parts to cushion the jolt of the on/off process. The reed switches are welding themselves closed!! Someday, God willing, everything will work at one time!!!


UtherJoe

Oops, I plumb forgot to add one little interesting bit.. That firetruck is a static model now.. but it does have a tjet chassis on it. That is the way my lighted firetruck is supposed to look when it was running. The beacons won't light up when the truck's running with the current LEDs. But, with a little surgery on them new LEDs I found, lighting them up like that is now very possible!!!

UtherJoe,

Those lights in the video make your layout look so real. What a fun set-up you have to run your trains and cars on...LUCKY!

Bob...fire, fire, fire...let the mother burn...zilla

Bill Hall asked for it, so here is the whole enchillada video. Turn down the volume!!!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=egcj2dkz9dY

Enjoy!!

UtherJoe

WOW!

My track isn't fun anymore

Rich

Thanx Joe.

That was a fun tour! Always nice to get the full scope of a man's insanity.:p

That, and Coach and I get to case the place to see if it's worth the effort. ;)

Case the place?? Heck, I'll help ya carry it out!!! :tongue: I'm hiding my prized Pizza Hut and jaguar as I type this...and my vans!!! The rest is AW fodder and some cranky old Tjet track. The TM hasn't seen me sane in 4 years now, so she prolly wouldn't recognize me :dude: ..Mebbe a good thing!!! :thumbsup:

UtherJoe

Due to a tip the city of G'ville has decided to ramp up the enforcement level. They've gone to code tangerine which is somewhere between yellow and red. As Mayor of G'ville, I have made an executive decision to beef up the patrol units to restore peace and security to this one glove town.

I spent most of the evening blowing up LEDs and ordering resistors. I lit up a static model with a full light package to assist a disabled motorist up on Rte. 30A. Then I started looking at my JL fairlane cop car and off to work I went. I'm stuck deciding between a simple roof light or a fully lighted version. Sadly, I needed to paint the winders black.

Then I started thinking (a hazardous pastime for me) That there was something missing on the surfer van. I know it's only a matter of time before the next HOHT auction comes and I wanted it as perfect as I could with what I got to work with... soooooo

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/ad894a38.jpg

A pair of sidepipes were scoffed off an old diecast. Makes all the difference!!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/c40cc866.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/e6ecf0d0.jpg

I didn't get to take the pictures of my new additions to the police force as my camara battery was about to die, but tomorrow is another day.

UtherJoe

As promised, here's a short video of my police force additions. The diecast's flashers are heating up and get stuck in the lit mode, so it will require some more work. The JL cop car has one of them new flasher LEDs in it, and will work fowards and backwards. I am still undecided if I want to attempt a fully lighted conversion on it. I think the next step is see if the seller of those flashers will sell me the individual parts, and hopefully can tell me if the rectifier/capacitor combination will handle more than one LED. I guess I should be happy with what I've found so far, but the potential for better lighting conversions is out there, and these don't have a resistor wasting space. Anyway, here's the link!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4uRdASa43A

UtherJoe

Adding another vendor to the frey. This seller has lots of resistors..30 for a buck. Way better than the 5/$1.00 the "shack" charges, and easy to add an assortment for a decent price. http://cgi.ebay.com/RESISTORS-1-2-Watt-5-CARBON-FILM-ASSORTMENTS-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742Q2em153Q2el1262 QQcategoryZ4664QQihZ023QQitemZ360030563028QQ He ships fairly quick, and shipping for the second purchase and more is only .25 each. I got 210 resistors for $10.25 shipped. And don't let the picture mislead you..they come sorted in nice envelopes!!

UtherJoe

UtherJoe,

A slotter and train guy on a misson. WOW!

Everyone has different interest here on Hobby Talk and If I added this light thing to mine it would just take away from my painting and building. As cool as these lights are I will just have to settle for coming back to this thread for my lighted slot car visual needs.

If I win the Lottery I am so going to make time to light up my life. :)

Bob...love your lighted cars and buildings...zilla

Well, since the outskirts of town have a nice layer off freshly fallen snow.... I know where I can get the stuff to make them!!!! There is a seller on ebay who sells colored and clear fiber optics. About this time last year I started thinking about doing a Christmas themed table... It's happening again!!! Let me see what I can come up with!!! Check it out..about halfway down the page!! http://cgi.ebay.com/300ft-COLORED-FIBER-OPTIC-MODEL-LIGHTS-Custom-BuildEZ_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ1194QQihZ024QQi temZ370106836605QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQ I had thought of alternating the colored strands under the roofs of the buildings and houses and lighting them with a white LED. A single orange strand in each window for candles, and lighting up the bushes and shrubs around the house. The best part is, I can keep them LEDs on seperate power so around this time of year I can lite them, and give them a rest in, say April, when the tree comes down!! :tongue: Thanks, Bob!! As if I didn't have enough to do!!! :rolleyes:


Uther...Santa is a hippie too.....Joe


P.S. Due to my new found facination with horrorclix I missed two mini lindy vans on fleapay tonight!!! At least one went to a good home!!! Now I gotta get that Evil Santa!!! :thumbsup:

UtherJoe,

Greeeeeeeeeat you are newly addicted to HorroClix and now I have seen all those colored Fiber Optics in your link. Me thinks me needs the 500 ft of clear and the 300 ft of colored...watching the Auctions and waiting till pay day now.

I may have a Christmas tree on our layout now...LOL This thing they call a Hobby is lots of fun and now these lights just say Las Vegas in my Mind!!! Yeah Baby!

Bob...I like shinney bright things...zilla

That's what they said, so I did!!! Got some work done on the outskirts of town today...Actually looks like alot more work than it was! Since the future of this table stands in the gallows waiting for either a stay of execution or someone to pull the lever, I decided not to get too crazy with precision in the detail department. The sister in law is a hemmeroid that just won't go away..and since she rented the apartment upstairs the "roid" has gotten more annoying!! I'd rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard all day!!!

Anyway, back to my story.. When I picked up a 4' X 4' X1/2" sheet of foamboard at the lumber outlet last week I had no idea how handy the stuff is!! This is what I used to build up the downtown area, and I had 2/3rds of it left over.. So I put it to good use today..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/1910959e.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/17ad7a2a.jpg


Things are looking a bit more on the level now!! A quick dose of plastercloth tomorrow and the holes will be filled. I also filled in the eyesore raised portions of RR track, except for the tunnel entrance. This area will need a bit more thought as one lane in particular stalls alot in there. I'm thinking of just using the foam board for it too as it is bendable to an extent (alot of small kinks add up to a bend)..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/d961efba.jpg


http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/0291c0d2.jpg


After a quick run to wallyworld, with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head I decided that the chamber of commerce should do something to help with the revitalization process!! It being that time of year, all the Xmas stuff came out of mothballs and the decorating commenced!! Only one chamber staff member was shot this year, a drastic improvement over last year!!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/09612bde.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/0d72c54d.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/3a90a52e.jpg

Thanks to Bob...clue UtherJoe in on Horrorclix.....Zilla I now have ordered my first grouping of them lil critters!! Let's just say..I have plans!!! Most of you already think I'm disturbed.... This idea will simply prove I'm certifiably insane!! :freak:


Uther....sniffed too much soldering fumes.....Joe

Mmmmmmmmm! Soldering with Rosin core....smells like..... victory!

Great progress Ujoe. Always fun to watch!

BYW: Drop some preperation "H" in her mailbox. Sign it, "With love, from Gus"

Great news today from my new supplier of my flasher LEDs!!! According to them, The rectifier/resistor/capacitor combo will fire off up to 4 regular LEDs and maybe even a flasher or two to boot!! They are willing to sell the individual components if I would like, although I was informed they are a bear to solder. They are also willing to custom make the whole she-bang with four LEDs with 3" leads off the rectifier so a passenger compartment mounting is feasible. The only catch is they don't stock 2.0 mm LEDs, so either that will need to change, or the DYI option is the only option. This is great news for me, at least!! Now if I could only get the 2.0mm LEDs light shaft (lens) offset mounted instead of centered, :rolleyes: I would be in LED heaven!!

I also have an idea I sort of borrowed from Claus' web site. He has a couple lighted vehicles on there, and one sparked an idea. I can utilize the posts for power transfer from chassis to body. By using small ring terminals attached to the posts and the chassis' post locations, the body can be completely removed for maintainance, and when assembled the post contacts will allow continuity for the electronics. Mounting of the rectifier would be done in the passenger compartment or under the hood.

I spent much of the day cutting up more foam board to fill in the low spots and holes. I'll snap some pictures when there is enough new stuff to show the difference.. My gas station is sitting a bit higher now, as are the vacant lots behind downtown. I think the next table I build will have alot more foam insulation. This stuff is so much easier to work with.. Later!!!:roll:

UtherJoe :wave:

Some of you might find this interesting!!! This guy is doing HO scale Fire trucks, and this one just knocked my socks off!! I can't even imagine the amount of time to create one of these.. Their estimate is weeks of work, and I'm sure it was longer than that!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fse arch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D 380067150297%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1&item=380067150297&viewitem

There's an incredible amount of labor in this, and parts to boot.. It's worth every $$$.. I wish I could afford it, but that's more than 1/2 a weeks income for me...


UtherJoe

Some of you might find this interesting!!! This guy is doing HO scale Fire trucks, and this one just knocked my socks off!! I can't even imagine the amount of time to create one of these.. Their estimate is weeks of work, and I'm sure it was longer than that!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fse arch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D 380067150297%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1&item=380067150297&viewitem

There's an incredible amount of labor in this, and parts to boot.. It's worth every $$$.. I wish I could afford it, but that's more than 1/2 a weeks income for me...


UtherJoe

i think it should be more than 150 bucks!! thats awesome man and looks like lots lots of work!!

Wes

After some consideration over last weeks late night chat, and a chance to get a peek at what's shipping in the Xmas exchange, I decided to do something new and fun. This is my first attempt at a mystery machine, and it'll be a mystery how it comes out until it's done. I'm going with the scary green headlights and purple tail lights, and using some artistic freedom in the design and color choices... Heres what I got going on here..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/31f625e0.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/bd449720.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/41bbd4ca.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/116014e1.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/ffc1ff9d.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/7b188e53.jpg

Well, that's it for now!! I fudged up some decals, they aren't the sharpest in the world, but they'll work. I tried to download some new software to clean up my decal process, but it froze up my puter so I dumped it. Sorry, but they'll have to do..


UtherJoe

I don't know who the artist was that did this, or I would no doubt buy him (or her) a beer and thank'em!!! For those of you who don't think the scoob is cool...

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/1703b80b.jpg

I think he looks wicked!!! Almost looks like he's ready to go at it with a norse god/ cheese head /westler dude in a tricked out yeller chebby!!!:tongue: If I could have found a small enough scooby, I prolly woulda gone for it..top heavy or not!!

UtherJoe

I don't know who the artist was that did this, or I would no doubt buy him (or her) a beer and thank'em!!! For those of you who don't think the scoob is cool...

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/1703b80b.jpg

I think he looks wicked!!! Almost looks like he's ready to go at it with a norse god/ cheese head /westler dude in a tricked out yeller chebby!!!:tongue: If I could have found a small enough scooby, I prolly woulda gone for it..top heavy or not!!

UtherJoe

:lol:

I love the Mystery Machine....go for it!

Bob

Yea go for it!!! Always liked those "Cartoon" drawings. I just never could draw that good...RM

Mmmmmmmmm! Soldering with Rosin core....smells like..... victory!

Great progress Ujoe. Always fun to watch!

BYW: Drop some preperation "H" in her mailbox. Sign it, "With love, from Gus"

OOOh man is the mailman pissed off!!! :mad: He thought the prep H was meant for him!! He's delivering really late now (5:00 PM)... My only guess is, he'd like a lil rondezvous with ole Gus!! :tongue:

I got my new reed switches in, and I'm having trouble getting all of them to work properly. Looks like I'm needing to rewire the whole shebang to get it right. I'll need something heavier duty to hold the magnet assembly. I'm also afraid I will need to solder the wires to the track to make and keep good connections.

As predicted in chat last nite, all the cars ran great today..except at the crossing. Some don't stop, and some won't go at all.. Time to tear it all apart and rewire it.:cry:


UtherJoe

utherjoe - cannot wait to see it done!! i am a scooby doo fan!! i still watch the cartoon (the original ones not the new one)

Wes

I used to watch scooby doo as a kid. It was one of those things that was lost in my late teens...and would still be lost..if not for my son. From the time he was walking, he was totally mesmerized by the show. I can still see him in a tee shirt and diaper, bottle in hand standing in front of the tube completely fixated, for the entire cartoon.

By the time he was 4, he was memorizing entire movies, line by line. I recall watching the fast and the furious with him, and he was saying every line as the actors were saying them, end to end. Unbelievable... I can't remember what I did last week, and he's memorizing entire movies!!

UtherJoe

Here's another view of the new mystery machine.. I spent a big chunk of time messing around with windows paint today trying to get the decals right, and I'm hoping they are. Sorry I didn't get too much done to show.

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/a79d8d72.jpg

Just enough to give you an idea how she'll look finished. I also need to add some pearl clearcoat before I start doing decals, so I'm dragging my feet to make sure the base coat is completely dry. I just hope the paints are compatible.

I'm also happy to report a new tennant has rented one of the vacant business buildings here in town. Apparently, he paid off the Board of Health. We don't care too much, as it's one more tennant, one less empty building!! :thumbsup: He seems like a nice guy..He's from The Bronx...

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/81fae142-1.jpg

I would have to say he's adjusted to the area quite quickly!!!

UtherJoe

Here is a copy of the latest email from Evans Designs...

Hi Joe
I am in the process of converting my offerings so I do not have any spare rectifiers here, sorry. All of the electronics are going to be mounted on a tiny board that will come as a 1-piece unit. You have the option of adding your own LEDs or getting my LEDs loose. You are right, depending the color mix, some extra resistors may need to be added. I will be testing and refining this offering over the next few weeks and will have numbers for you. I will be able to sell the units with wire leads for $3 each. You can run upwards of 10+ lights on the one circuit, the rectifier has enough amps to handle it.
Capacitors
You are right, higher capacitance will keep the lights on. However in my testing it takes a pretty large amount to keep the lights on for longer than 1-2 seconds. Larger capacitance unfortunately equals bigger size. At this time I am not aware of a compact enough unit for your application.
I will search around and see if it is possible to get a more compact cap from somewhere.

Shelly
Evan Designs


I am curious to see how big these circuits are going to be. The recifier is small..very small and the capacitor is attached to the bottom of the LED..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/7a1edcd4.jpg

Also a new teaser picture of the mystery machine.... Boyds Florida orange sprayed RRR wheels came out pretty cool!! The clear pearlcoat is on too!!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/75f1d2bc.jpg

I'll be tinkering with this on and off all day.. I want to give the clear some time to cure up before I future it, and I can't start the decals until the future goes on. The lights will go in after the first coat of future dries so I don't get fingerprints all over it..


UtherJoe

Wow U-joe!

That's some major headway. Looks great!

While perusing the dirty web pages, I managed to locate a model RR train lighting circuit for sale in the UK for about $30,00 US. (rough estimate) The lighting circuit will keep the lights on after power down for about 2 minutes. The problems are: the cost, the size, the shipping cost, and no pictures to even try to guess how big they are. As tempted as I am, this is too rich for my wallet, and there is no gaurantee it will fit in a 1/32 let alone an HO. In a related story, I have found schematics that I can almost read that uses ni-cad batteries as a back up. There is also a problem with these as they require 3 different capacitors to make the whole thing work, on top of the rectifier and resistors. Too big!!!

The vendor forementioned also have a different style 2.0 mm white LED that is more akin in shape to a 3.0 mm shape than the ones I've been using. These are ballpark about 3.75 each. Now these I am interested in, as I have been looking for something smaller that will fit up in the corners of the front fenders. Most cars with four headlights, stacked like this 8 (all of them for all I know) the top one is the low beam and they are pretty near impossible to get an LED up in there. These will ease installation as they are more on the round side..Not perfect like a 3.0mm, but way better than a 2.0 mm. They also have some micro lights which is what I was looking for in the first place.

Here's the links for anyone interested... the "lightstores" are the ones that keep the lights on for ya!!

http://www.expressmodels.co.uk/acatalog/_LIGHTSTORE__DOUBLE_ENDED_LOCOS_AND_UNITS.html


The LED link is the same company. The new style 2.0 mm is available in medium and high intensity.. scroll down to them!! Sadly, I don't see anything warm...

http://www.expressmodels.co.uk/acatalog/WHITE_LEDs.html

Scroll down past the new 2.0 mm and check out the .08 mm surface mounts!!! Now those are SMALL!!
That's it for today.. I want to try to do some decals tomorrow on the mystery mach. I'm almost afraid to put them on.. They don't look so hot.

UtherJoe:wave:

Well, the Christmas exchange mystery machine is getting there!! Here's a few pictures so you can see the progress!!! The black decals got crazed for some wierd reason, buit they look different that way. Let's just say I meant to do that!! :rolleyes:

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/68e4bd3a.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/ba510f5a.jpg

The JB is curing for the tail lights, the headlights are painted and drying, and the body is about to take a dip or two in the future. Then the assembly can begin!!:thumbsup: Later!! :wave:

UtherJoe

Well, The Mystery Machine..AKA Wicked Scooby Van...is almost complete. I've never used a resistor as low as I have in the taillights on this one, and I'm not happy with the performance. Something must have gone wrong with the LEDs during the trimming process, or the tail panel installation. They have the same problem as the Nova. Dim at low speed. I'll fool with it tomorrow and if need be, I'll have to replace the tail lights with red ones, or I'll need to order some more. Here's the finished (sort of) pic's..

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/df67b3f2.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/3ef7a81c.jpg

Scary green head lights and even scarier purple tail lights!!! Reminiscent of the episode where the van was "posessed"!!

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/257d004d.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/48b7bc99.jpg

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp251/slotcarman12078/8cd6aaad.jpg

I sure hope I can get the lights working correctly soon!! "C" Day is approaching!! I have also come to the realization that white decal paper would have been a better choice over the clear. Oh well..maybe I'll get it right next time!!


UtherJoe

Love the van man...lights, action, camera. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Does this come with some Scooby Snacks?

Bob...LOL posessed van by UtherJoe...zilla

thats so COOL!!! awesome job man! :thumbsup:

Wes

Have a look through our local thread (Perth, W. Aust):

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=05&topic_id=1149994830

Cheers

Richard

Now that is truly wicked!! I have been pondering the use of capacitors on the cars, and the capability of up to 30 seconds of light after power down or a wreck is way cool!! I will be studying these pictures over and over again, for sure!!! The time lapse shots rock!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Way cool!!!!

UtherJoe

"Scooby Dooby Doo...where are you........" That is one cool looking van.
Now where did I leave my "Scooby Snacks"?

I think it's cool too! :thumbsup:

Great job on the van Joe. Great plan and execution. Can't wait to see the finished product. :thumbsup::thumbsup: nd

Thanks for all the kind words!! One of these days, I gotta build one of these customs for me!! The only one I'll have left will be my plain jane green one I started with, after the auction and this one!!

I ordered 10 more purple LEDs so I'll have some left after the tail light re-do. I can only assume there were too many distractions while trying to work on the original ones.. I shoulda waited til the kids were in school to do this!

Thanks again Richard for the link!! There's some cool stuff there. One of these days I will need to get over my fear of capacitors and give them a shot. (You can substitute fear with incompetence if you desire).. I have never messed around with them, so I'm leery of them. I do understand their basic principles, I just have a hard time comprehending all the do's and don'ts associated with them. Like alot of us here, seeing it goes way farther than reading it. I'm a 10th grade dropout with a GED and no electrical training whatsoever. I respect what I don't know. Capacitors have the ability to store enough juice to knock ya on your butt. Even the ones that store the power for the flash in a disposible camera can!! Someday I will get the guts up to try them. Judging from the dates on the original posts, you have a couple years experience on me as far as lighting goes. Some day I'll get there..


UtherJoe

Cam has been playing with 1/32nd cars more of late:

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=03&topic_id=1210510427

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=03&topic_id=1212060817

http://neophytte.mine.nu/forum/forum.pl?fid=03&topic_id=1213712599

Enjoy!

Richard

Congratulations on the continued gentrification of your down town area. Good tenants are hard to find in these days of economic woes. Did you have to offer 10 years of property tax forgiveness to fill the spot? Also, does Pete sell some good brauts? Those are hard to find here in LA. Carne Asada - not so hard to find... Yummy Road America brauts are a very distant memory. :(

Russ the longing for good brauts Hutt :drunk::hat::freak::dude: