Reply to "Creating a List of Electronics Projects developed on the OGR Forum"

This is another version of Gunrunner John's Constant Current LED driver module.  This was one of John's early designs that he had shared with the forum and on OSH Park.  I had contacted Rod Stewart with some questions about ordering boards and after tossing around some ideas, he re-designed the board layout to allow all components to be top mounted and to allow wider pin spacing and separating the AC and DC connections. The module rectifies and filters AC into DC and regulates the current as required by LEDs.  By changing the value of the resistor (R1) on the board, the level of lighting can be set. So, unlike John's adjustable module you need to figure out what light level you want, then build your modules with that selected value for R1.  I don't like my cars overly bright, so I use a 47 Ohm fixed resistor that gives me my desired light level when driving 30 LEDs (approx 20” of light strip).  For those who like brighter cars, they can use 33 or 30 Ohms.  Shorter light strips may require higher resistor values.  Minimum is 22 Ohms.

Note that these boards have a similar footprint as John's modules sold through Hennings Trains, but his smd component modules are not as tall.  Also he uses a regulator with a bendable tab that can be bent at 90 degrees to lower the height further.  And adjusting brightness is very easy with his modules.

This constant current module will take 10-18VAC (eg. model train track power) and output DC to drive 12V LED strips. It has Flicker-free operation and DCS signal protection.

Boards can be ordered directly from OSH Park through this link.  3 boards are $3 shipped.  Parts can be sourced for $1 per board with parts from Asia.