I would like to learn to create LED lights for my models.
Most of the prewired kits are beyond my budget.
Would it be less expensive to learn to do it, or have someone make them up for me ?
Is there somewhere I could contact someone to do LED builds ?

I would love to light the new Moebius J2 when it comes out.
Right now I am working on the Moebius Flying Sub.

Thanks,
Don

Inexpensive options:
Christmas LEDs - if you wait until after christmas you can pick them up for 50% or more off at your local "Big Box Mart"

A few web sites that sell them:
http://www.action-electronics.com/leds.htm
http://www.lc-led.com/Products/department/26
http://www.electronics123.com/s.nl;jsessionid=0a0108421f43410e489e338b4f41b7fa86 938f060c57.e3eTaxePaNqNe34Pa38Ta38Pa3r0?sc=11&category=23&it=C
http://thefiberopticstore.com/FOS-mainpage.htm

I have not ordered from any of these sites, and prices vary from site to site

I am sure others around here can suggest other web sites

There's a basic guide to LED's here...

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/led.htm#series

and a guide to soldering here...

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/solder.htm

If you can learn to solder and figure out one end of an LED from another then you can create your own lighting for very little cost.

Here's a great tutorial (http://www.scribd.com/doc/6576883/Iguana-Labs-Tutorial-All-Kit-Details) to get you started. Click on basic concepts and basic components.

All Electronics have some good beginner kits; cheaper than buying the components yourself. I'd probably try something like this (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/MK-1021/ADJUSTABLE-LED-FLASHER-KIT/-/1.html) to start out.

Their 10 LED flasher kit (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/AEC/LED-CHASER-KIT/-/1.html) has potential to be used a lot of ways.

Here's a great tutorial (http://www.scribd.com/doc/6576883/Iguana-Labs-Tutorial-All-Kit-Details) to get you started. Click on basic concepts and basic components.

All Electronics have some good beginner kits; cheaper than buying the components yourself. I'd probably try something like this (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/MK-1021/ADJUSTABLE-LED-FLASHER-KIT/-/1.html) to start out.

Their 10 LED flasher kit (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/AEC/LED-CHASER-KIT/-/1.html) has potential to be used a lot of ways.

I knew I forgot one of the better sites. They have several other kits, including one that can be used to create flashing running lights too.

Thanks for all the help.
:wave:

I would like to learn to create LED lights for my models.
Most of the prewired kits are beyond my budget.
Would it be less expensive to learn to do it, or have someone make them up for me ?
...

The best way to learn is to get in there and just do it. Figure out what went wrong later and do better the next time. But if you want to get it perfect the first, time ignore this notion! :D

It is far freaking cheaper to DIY. Search ebay for "100 pack leds" and you will find tons of suppliers selling them for about .10¢ each delivered. Check their feedback first of course before settling on a seller. But most are reliable from what I have seen. Whereas you go to a place like radio hack and pay $3-$6 for each led. The math works out simple there. Resistors and stuff get complicated, I'm still learning that math. But those ebayers will often sell you resistors specific to the power supply you tell them. Got a 9v battery for power, tell them and they send 9v appropriate resistors.

Other stuff like heat shrink is cheap if you have any computer fairs or massive flea markets around. Get mine for $1/yd. Soldering is a skill learned by trial and error. I'm still sloppy, but it gets the job done.

Lighting kits as you say are excpetionally expensive and I don't understand why in many cases. Though i am positive that those guys do put alot of TLC into their products!

If you are willing to learn some basic skills, you can buy all the components for 20-100 times cheaper than the kits. And even with kits, you still have to assemble them and do all the wiring yourself. So unless it has a very specific timer controlling specific blinky rates, you're paying massive markup. But even then, cmos chips are pennies compared to the dollars a kit costs. The learning curve is higher with cmos, but again, it's worth it in the end.

And the bonus is that you gain skills you didn't have before.

I think there's plus' and minus' to both Christmas lights, and the aftermarket light kits.

Obviously, if you want your kit to "do something", that is, not just sit there lit, a programmed board is needed. Even if it doesn't pattern, the boards are a nice way to organize and cleanly do the wiring in most kits. I've spent money on lesser solutions, and it ended up a waste because it didn't work right in the end, or it looked like hell. Maybe build a few less kits, and spend a bit more on a good light kit? That's what I've been doing. I have had such good results from Randy at Voodoofx, and some of the other companies, I can't express to you enough how much easier building with a designed light kit is. Of course, if it's just a simple build with a few stationary lit LED's, I do my own stuff. A 220ohm resistor for each of your LED's will cover almost anything and give long life to your lighting, they are like 99 cents a package of 5 at Radio Shack. Best of luck on your builds!

I see, what's that for?