Flickering fire

Model Train Software sells an LED Kit.

 

 http://www.modeltrainsoftware....kering-fire-kit.html

I'll second the model train software (Evan Designs) kit.  I've installed one on my layout and it makes a really nice, realistic effect.  I used it for a campfire.

 

-Dustin

Thanks that is what I need

You can buy the Flickering fire LED's for as little as 22 cents, I use them in flickering firebox mods for steamers.

 

Guns,

   How about posting a Web sight for what you have been using?  I want to add it to my favorites list.

PCRR/Dave

Lighthouse LED Flickering LEDs, they have 3mm and 5mm in various colors.  I find that mixing some of the orange with perhaps a red and yellow one in 3mm makes an impressive flickering firebox display.

 

That site has a lot of other LED stuff as well, those were just the best prices I found on the flickering ones.

 

Can you run those off the transformers since they go up to 18v I think?  

Any flickering LED needs pure filtered DC that is current limited.  I'm presuming the Evans ones have a capacitor, diode or bridge, and a resistor for current limiting.

 

If you want to see how it looks see the beginning of my video. Hobo camp with fire. I put the bulb under some white cotton to make it look like smoke. Good luck. Don

https://youtu.be/8__pRxVSyyw?l...zMi4Qi_9DUB_vs5FpHKA

That looks great Don. The cotton looks better than the description would lead you to believe, quite realistic.

 

One of our club members went one step more and we rigged a smoke unit under his module to feed the fire and a cabin with smoke, it really adds to the effect.

 

Thanks John, I was going to do that with a smoke but found the MTH smoke units put out too much smoke. I still might do it on the new layout but split the smoke to another building. I used aquarium tubing and aquarium valves to spit the smoke in my engine house. It worked well. Don

That's what we did, the smoke unit was near the cabin and the tube split it and ran to the campfire.  We used a Lionel smoke unit, and when you turn the voltage down, you can slow it down to a reasonable smoke level, and the fluid lasts a lot longer as well.

 

Here's a site that has 14 volt flickering campfire lights. 

 

http://stores.towncountryhobbi...=featured&page=3

Evan Design is all I use for my LED's flickering or solid. I use a lot of them!  Hot &ground and your done!  I'll save pennies somewhere else.  Excellent product!

I used the FIRE LEDs from Evan Designs for my hobo campfire on my scale sized Polar Express observation car. The effect looks realistic.

 

Here is a video of Evans LED's I put in my standard gauge 400E. 

 

 

Thanks to everyone here, the LEDS are ordered and I will post my finished product in a month so you all can see what I did or didn't do right.

I remember in a model train layout video (VHS era) someone attached a small light bulb to an old transistor radio speaker connection and the varying current produced a flicker....once "buried in a campfire", it produced the effect.

It may have been Phil Klopp....but I can't remember.....it's so long ago.

 

Peter

Funny thing Peter, when I was in High School (yes, a long time ago) I did a science fair project titled Talking on a light beam.  I did exactly that and the light was beamed over to a vacuum phototube.  At the time, the people seeing it didn't believe I was really doing it, and it was trivial to do, it was a one-day project.  It managed to win the local science fair, but they weren't nearly as impressed at the district one.

 

A cool thing to do would be to have a crackling fire audio driving a speaker and the light bulb, then you'd have a realistic fire.  Add a smoke unit with campfire scent smoke fluid and the picture is complete!