I took the liberty of moving grj's original files for this project over to a new topic just to make them easier to find. The original topic started in late 2016 and is some 7 pages long; these files are found on page 5.
The only thing I have added to this is my user notes in Word format as an attachment. The gerber zip file is also attached below. I want to emphasize that grj is the sole creator of this circuit and these original files! 
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I would like to mention how well this board works. To date, I have built and installed 30 of these modules with no failures. Further, I would emphasize(as recorded in Rod’s user notes) that a simple increase in value of R2(brightness adjustment) to say, 500 up to 1000, will allow for dimming the lighting even more, for those who prefer that effect. For my taste, 500 was the preferred value.
Rod, thanks for this valuable thread. And thanks to GRJ for creating the package in the first place.
where can I order the parts n boards specifically ? sincerely thanks ! Alan
The pcb can be ordered here(in sets of three)from Osh Park: DIY-GRJ-JWA Passenger car lighting PCB I don’t have an off shore link for the pcb, but others do. You will need to set up an account to order, but once on this site that will be straight forward. I ordered my parts from Digikey searched individually then add them to your cart. Of course you may select any other distributor of your choice, including off shore sources.
TedW, thanks for the Osh Park link.
Due to the freely given advice from GRJ, Rod Stewart and others, I decided to go ahead and attempt this PCB build, even though a total novice at electronics.
My question is regarding the Voltage Regulator (LM317TG) - it arrived from Digikey in a foil bag with conspicuous warnings about harm to the component from static electricity. What do you fellow forum members do in this case? Antistatic mats and/or spray? Wear a grounding device? Not wanting to invest a whole lot in antistatic measures, may I just ignore the warnings and go ahead? Would everything still work?
Many thanks for the help.
Glad to see you are giving one of these projects a try, hope all goes well and you find it enjoyable.
I don't know about the others, but I have never taken any special precautions. I do just as you suggest, ignore the warnings and go full speed ahead. I have worked on many computers over the years, dabbled with electronics and other stuff and never zapped anything. Well that is from just handling something anyway. (Improper connections, wrong voltages, etc. are another story...)
However, if you are working on carpet or something that can easily generate static, that could be a bit different. If you often get zapped when you touch something in your work area, then some precautions might be justified. Wrist grounding strap or something like that.
Thanks RTR12 - what you say is reassuring. My little work space is in the basement, concrete floor. Maybe bare feet on the floor and the occasional touch to the copper water pipe next to the table is plenty.
Bob "O" posted:Due to the freely given advice from GRJ, Rod Stewart and others, I decided to go ahead and attempt this PCB build, even though a total novice at electronics.
My question is regarding the Voltage Regulator (LM317TG) - it arrived from Digikey in a foil bag with conspicuous warnings about harm to the component from static electricity. What do you fellow forum members do in this case? Antistatic mats and/or spray? Wear a grounding device? Not wanting to invest a whole lot in antistatic measures, may I just ignore the warnings and go ahead? Would everything still work?
Many thanks for the help.
Those regulators are practically bulletproof, no worries. I've used hundreds of them (actually thousands), and I don't do any special handling. Digikey ships stuff like connectors in similar bags at times, and I'm sure they're not static sensitive!
Thanks, GRJ!
I have to leave my shoes and socks on or my feet get cold on the concrete floor! And we have only Pex for plumbing too, so no pipes worth touching for ground either. As GRJ says above, you should be fine with the LM317s and still be able to keep your feet warm! 
@Rod Stewart posted:I took the liberty of moving grj's original files for this project over to a new topic just to make them easier to find. The original topic started in late 2016 and is some 7 pages long; these files are found on page 5.
The only thing I have added to this is my user notes in Word format as an attachment. The gerber zip file is also attached below. I want to emphasize that grj is the sole creator of this circuit and these original files!
Can I substitute the item below for C1? Digi-key does not have ECA-1VM471 in stock.
Digi-Key Part Number | P5554-ND | |
Manufacturer | Panasonic Electronic Components | |
Manufacturer Product Number | ECA-1VHG471 | |
| Supplier | ||
Description | CAP ALUM 470UF 20% 35V RADIAL |
@Tommy44 posted:Can I substitute ECA-1VHG471 for C1? Digi-key does not have ECA-1VM471 in stock.
Sure, the ECA-1VHG471 is the same value and has the same lead spacing.
Does anyone have a suggestion for an antistatic mat with wrist ground for for general use? Pat B.
You don't need it for this project. Truthfully, I don't use a mat all that often, though there are some jobs I do break it out.
I would like to use the pcb for conventional use with 5v LED light strips. Are there any components that need to be changed?
Nope, it's a constant current design, so it adjusts the voltage to the current required.
Thanks for the information!!
Our club has made and installed over a hundred of the LED controllers for club cars as well as members cars with no issues handling the LM317 during soldering.
The LM317 is a pretty robust part, it's not like you're typical delicate IC.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:The LM317 is a pretty robust part, it's not like you're typical delicate IC.
Too funny, my initial thought was "when did the Illinois Central become delicate"?
Paul
I don't know how long Digikey retains a "shared cart". Above link should get you to a starting point for the parts list for this project including the original and alternate capacitor (choose 1)- presumably at some point the original capacitor will return to in-stock status and it's a bit less expensive. The idea is you simply click on above link and it loads your shopping cart for a quantity 1 order. Edit the quantity for each item. Who knows if this saves time but I've always thought this was a neat feature from DigiKey.
would this board work in an engine? I have a sunset model that I'm installing a DCS upgrade kit.
Thanks for any help
If you want LED's from a PS/3 upgrade kit, just use a 220 ohm resistor in series with the LED, no need for any drivers.
It’s two rail. Would that work?
By the time it gets to the headlight, it's always the same polarity. Just make sure the PV (purple) goes to the anode of the LED. The resistor can be in either lead.
ok. That makes sense. Thanks John.
@TedW posted:The pcb can be ordered here(in sets of three)from Osh Park: DIY-GRJ-JWA Passenger car lighting PCB I don’t have an off shore link for the pcb, but others do. You will need to set up an account to order, but once on this site that will be straight forward. I ordered my parts from Digikey searched individually then add them to your cart. Of course you may select any other distributor of your choice, including off shore sources.
Hi, I have made similar boards to these and put in many of my coaches, this looks cleaner than what I have done. My question, when ordering the PCB, you mentioned ordering in sets of three, is that automatically done, say one order @ $3.80 / 3 PCBs? I want to make sure I don't end up with 3 times what I need.
I have never ordered these before, hope I don't sound to stupid.
Ray
@Rayin"S" posted:Hi, I have made similar boards to these and put in many of my coaches, this looks cleaner than what I have done. My question, when ordering the PCB, you mentioned ordering in sets of three, is that automatically done, say one order @ $3.80 / 3 PCBs? I want to make sure I don't end up with 3 times what I need.
I have never ordered these before, hope I don't sound to stupid.
Ray
When you order boards from OSHPark, they are in quantities of three, that's the way they do business. It's clear on the website the quantity you are getting. Right after you drop the ZIP file with the Gerber files in it on the page they calculate the cost and show you this notice. You can order three, six, nine, etc., they come in groups of three.
Here’s a sample order as an example, GRJ sez choose the 0.8mm thickness for the same money and a thinner board. As you see, quantity 18 divided by 3 = 6 x $3.80 = $22.80 shipped. Edit: There is a narrow version also. Identical in operation.
@TedW posted:Here’s a sample order as an example, choose the 2oz copper option for the same money and more current capability.
Actually, given the fact that the whole circuit only handles milliamps, more current capability is a moot point.
That being said, I actually do select the 2oz copper option, but for a different reason. It's also .8mm thick instead of 1.6mm thick! The thickness is why I pick it, no need to have the board any bulkier than necessary.
Explanation fixed as noted...
If you don't mind waiting longer, there are a number of Far East PCB places that will do boards very cheaply in quantity, but it usually takes three to four weeks to get them.
Yup, @Rod Stewart has a link to one of them. I got a few from him to play around with. He liked that the holes were pre-tinned. They are thicker though if that matters.
I order the .8mm boards from the off-shore places, it's not an issue to get them in the thinner material.
A question about the 470uF capacitor recommended in GRJ's circuit.
I have been greatly helped by contributors to this thread and thank them for my being able to convert 8 passenger cars to LED's. So far each PCB I have built has worked well. There is some minor flicker at very slow speeds over some of my older switches, but vastly better than the old incandescent bulbs.
I just acquired 2 new passenger cars (Lionel 1927620) that are already equipped with flicker-free LED lighting. I have noted that on track power-up, these cars take several seconds to reach full brightness and on power-off, they decay very slowly, perhaps over 3 full seconds. Is that due to a different capacitor or some other function?
I still have 7 more Polar Express cars to convert and if I can do a simple upgrade on the capacitor, I would do that to get the longer decay time. Of course, it would have to be the same pin spacing to fit GRJ's board and not be too much bigger.
Thanks for all the expertise freely shared on this Forum!
Bob
The amount of storage and the current setting directly affect the hold-up time for the lighting. The dimmer you run them, the longer they'll last during power interruptions.
Here's a 1,000uf cap that will drop in and double the capacitance. It is taller than the 470uf cap, but the same lead spacing and diameter.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:The dimmer you run them, the longer they'll last during power interruptions.
Here's a 1,000uf cap that will drop in and double the capacitance.
Thanks GRJ. Now I understand why some of my car lights decay more slowly than others - these are the ones that have a dimmer setting.
I will try the 1000uf cap - thanks for the link.
Bob
The capacitor is simply a storage device, the larger the capacitance, the more energy it can store. The intensity of the lighting (and thus the current draw) will determine how long the energy in the cap lasts to keep the lights on.
Truthfully, I really have not had issues with the 470uf value of the cap, even at slow speeds over switches. If you're seeing issues, I'd be checking the integrety of the pickup rollers and wheel axle wipers that supply the power. Normally with passenger cars over switches, at least one roller should be on the powered track, and any power interruptions would be very small. What kind of switches are you seeing this effect on?
The flicker is slight and only over old Gargraves switches. I have been replacing these with Ross and no problem at all with Ross.
Don't have a lot of experience with Gargraves switches, so I can't say what that would be. My layout is all Ross switches and Ross/Gargraves track.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:The amount of storage and the current setting directly affect the hold-up time for the lighting. The dimmer you run them, the longer they'll last during power interruptions.
Here's a 1,000uf cap that will drop in and double the capacitance. It is taller than the 470uf cap, but the same lead spacing and diameter.
Today, I got around to building a PCB with the 1,000 uf cap. But I had a frustrating afternoon. Could not get it to work and wonder if I messed up somewhere. I know it's a long shot, but can you tell from the photo where I went wrong?
What happens when I input 17.5 - 18 V AC: I get about 6 - 6.5 V DC out, measured at the output terminals. This output won't light my strip of LEDs (3528 ribbon style, rated for 12V DC.) Turning the pot makes no difference. If I apply DC current to the same LED strip directly, ie not through the board, it lights just fine, even at 6 V DC, although it is fairly dim at that voltage. Should I swap out the 1000 uf cap for the 470 uf and see if that works?
(I checked and re-checked everything I could think of for over an hour. Ready to jump off a bridge but my wife poured me a big glass of Malbec and now I am feeling better.)
Bob
Bob; it's doubtful the cap is the problem IMO. Those boards have all worked perfectly for me, even with 1000 uF caps installed. I would bet the problem is the 317T since everything else looks good. From the pix the center pin soldering looks a bit suspicious, though from the bottom it might be just fine. I would recheck that for sure. If that doesn't solve the problem i would cut out the 317 and put in a new one. They are pretty cheap after all. Several months back another gentleman was building a few of these and had some troubles. It turned out the pack of bulk 317's he bought had several defective ones. Seems hard to believe I know, it sure seemed odd to me. Don't think I have ever had a bad one. Worth checking.
Rod
The cap should make no difference in the output current. That is a LM317 regulator, right? It looks OK visually, but I can assure you that many people have built the same board and are using them, so something is amiss.
What voltage to you get measuring directly across the capacitor at the two arrows?
@Rod Stewart posted:Bob; it's doubtful the cap is the problem IMO. Those boards have all worked perfectly for me, even with 1000 uF caps installed. I would bet the problem is the 317T since everything else looks good. From the pix the center pin soldering looks a bit suspicious, though from the bottom it might be just fine. I would recheck that for sure. If that doesn't solve the problem i would cut out the 317 and put in a new one. They are pretty cheap after all.
Rod
Rod,
Here is the bottom of the PCB. The regulator is from DigiKey, LM317TG. I am a novice at this type of soldering. However, I have built about a dozen of these, using the 470uf and they are all installed and working flawlessly. Nevertheless, I am no expert!
@gunrunnerjohn posted:The cap should make no difference in the output current. That is a LM317 regulator, right? It looks OK visually, but I can assure you that many people have built the same board and are using them, so something is amiss.
What voltage to you get measuring directly across the capacitor at the two arrows?
John,
The voltage across the cap, with 17.5 V AC in, is 2.3V DC. I have no idea if that is good or bad.
Thanks to both for your prompt replies.
Bob
Bob; that voltage across C1 is way out of whack. It should be about 24VDC with 17.5 VAC supply. The cap may be shorted out or something like that. For the heck of it why not put in one of your 470 uF caps and see what happens? 
And your soldering on the 317 looks just fine BTW.
Rod
Bob; is the C1 cap getting hot to the touch? What about the bridge rectifier?
Rod
@Rod Stewart posted:Bob; is the C1 cap getting hot to the touch? What about the bridge rectifier?
Rod
I don't think any of the components got hot, but I did not specifically check. Will do, but I think I will wait until tomorrow before doing any further investigation. More later.
Thanks again for helping.
Bob
The voltage across the cap should be in the mid 20's, so that's what to look at!
I wonder if the cap is actually defective? I'd pull it and put one of the 470uf ones in and see if it works.
@Rod Stewart posted:For the heck of it why not put in one of your 470 uF caps and see what happens?
Rod
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I wonder if the cap is actually defective? I'd pull it and put one of the 470uf ones in and see if it works.
Rod and John,
I started from scratch and built a new board with all new components, paying attention to my soldering and using a 1000uF cap again. No luck, didn't work. So I pulled it and put in a 470uF cap and everything works fine!!
Go figure. I have lots of the 470 caps, so I will stick to those for now.
Thanks for helping.
Bob
Obviously, something is going on with the caps, are they 35V or greater rating? If you got them from my link on Digikey, I'd be surprised if they're bad!
Bob, that's very strange. Glad it's solved though. I wonder if you got a bad batch of 1000UF caps?? 
If they are Digikey you would have some recourse to get them replaced. If they are offshore, hmmm, good luck!
Rod
I've bought thousands of off-shore components, I rarely ever get a bad one, and I don't recall ever getting a whole bad batch.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Obviously, something is going on with the caps, are they 35V or greater rating? If you got them from my link on Digikey, I'd be surprised if they're bad!
@Rod Stewart posted:Bob, that's very strange. Glad it's solved though. I wonder if you got a bad batch of 1000UF caps??
Rod
They are Digi-Key and yes, John, I used your link. I ordered only 10 of them, so no big expense. Not sure I could provide any evidence to Digi-Key that they are faulty. It is much more likely that I did something incorrectly, twice, but no idea what.
No doubt I will try and use the 1000uF caps in the future but going to give it a break for now. More later if the third attempt succeeds. With your combined experience, Rod and John, that these are reliable devices, I am satisfied that it must be mysterious human (mine) error.
Appreciate your time on this.
Bob
They looked to be installed in the correct orientation, not much else you can do to those caps to cook them in that circuit. I looked at the picture again, and the only thing that comes to mind is you connected the AC to the wrong connector. Noting that you used the same style connectors for both AC and DC, if you connected AC to the DC side, you would get some very funny readings!
FWIW, I always use different connectors for power and signals on anything I build, that way it's not possible to connect the power to the wrong place.
Bob; my curiosity is burning; have you tried swapping out one of the 1000 uF caps for a 470 in either of the failed boards??
Rod
@Rod Stewart posted:Bob; my curiosity is burning; have you tried swapping out one of the 1000 uF caps for a 470 in either of the failed boards??
Rod
Rod, yes - my second build was with the 1000uF cap and when it did not work, I de-soldered it, removed and replaced it with a 400uF cap. The operation was then perfect.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:They looked to be installed in the correct orientation, not much else you can do to those caps to cook them in that circuit. I looked at the picture again, and the only thing that comes to mind is you connected the AC to the wrong connector. Noting that you used the same style connectors for both AC and DC, if you connected AC to the DC side, you would get some very funny readings!
FWIW, I always use different connectors for power and signals on anything I build, that way it's not possible to connect the power to the wrong place.
John, good tip on using different connectors. To avoid that blunder of mixing up the AC input with the DC output, I checked and re-checked with the markings on the spare PCB, as seen in the first photo.
Both you guys are awesome in the interest taken in my problem. That's what makes this Forum so valuable!
Bob
I'm stunned that a 1,000uf cap fails and a 470uf cap works, that makes no sense! I've actually tested that circuit with a 2,200uf cap to see how long it would hold the LED's up, and it didn't change the operation, and it never even occurred to me to think it might!
FWIW, my previous production run of the lighting boards had a 680uf cap, that worked just fine. That was going to be my standard going forward, but I couldn't get them for the latest production. The electronic parts shortage is biting everywhere. I had to settle for a 470uf cap again, the largest value I could get in the form factor for the production board.
Bob, I too am shocked that the cap switch solved the issue. Clearly the smoking gun is the 1000uF caps, for whatever reason. It would be interesting to see what they show on a DMM that has a cap tester.
Rod
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I'm stunned that a 1,000uf cap fails and a 470uf cap works
@Rod Stewart posted:Bob, I too am shocked that the cap switch solved the issue. Clearly the smoking gun is the 1000uF cap
I couldn't stop thinking about this. So I built another board but did not solder in the cap. Instead, I inserted first the 470uF and bent the legs to get good contact, then applied power - working. Then I put in the 1000uF cap and bent the legs and it worked too!!
So you are both right - nothing wrong with the caps. I must have erred somewhere, twice, when soldering the components on both the first 2 boards. Reminds me of the saying, "I learn from my mistakes and can repeat them exactly."
I will test all the caps that I have left on this temporary board and maybe try to test the first caps that got blamed for the failure. I nipped off the legs to de-solder them but will cobble something up.
And the decay in the lighting after power off is noticeably longer with the 1000uF caps. Happy camper here. Thanks to both.
Bob
Well, that restores my faith in electronics, I couldn't figure out how the cap caused this! 
Whew; now I'll be able to sleep! Thank you Bob. 
Rod
@Bob "O" posted:And the decay in the lighting after power off is noticeably longer with the 1000uF caps. Happy camper here. Thanks to both.
Obviously that would be the case when everything is working. FWIW, I found that even my original 330uf cap for my lighting modules was sufficient to kill almost any flicker. I increased it to 470, and briefly to 680 for the production runs. With the component shortages, I can no longer get the 680 caps, so I'm back to the 470.
Quick question on this subject. If I have a strip of led lights, and I just hook it up right to a 9 volt dc battery, will it lit up without any other circuitry? I have a Halloween display item I would like to light up but not much time to build anything fancy electronically, but I could certainly find time to quick wire up a battery and a switch.
jhz; yes they will light up on 9vdc as long as they are 12vdc led strips. The design voltage should be stamped right on the strip. They will be at maybe 2/3 of full intensity. Nothing to lose, give it a try.
Rod
I hasten to add, with the ampacity of the typical 9V Alkaline being 400 MAH, if you run have 40ma of draw, they'll only last 7-8 hours. A simple variable DC supply like this 120VAC->9VDC Module at Digikey for $4.48 would be a much better choice.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I hasten to add, with the ampacity of the typical 9V Alkaline being 400 MAH, if you run have 40ma of draw, they'll only last 7-8 hours. A simple variable DC supply like this 120VAC->9VDC Module at Digikey for $4.48 would be a much better choice.
Thanks John, thanks @Rod Stewart. This is for a display that happens 1 night year for about 3 hours. 2/3 intensity for 8 hours is perfect!
OK, so I bought this strip of led lights years ago and never did anything with them so I am a novice here. The end of the string has leads on it. Do I just cut off what I don't want? I assume those pads are for soldering new leads onto subsequent sections, is that correct?
OK you can cut on the red line below at any place you see a pair of oblong copper pads. Each 2" section of the strip contains 3 leds and one resistor (the black thing) in a small series circuit. You have to cut only at the pads, in 2" increments.
So lets say you want 10 sections, 30 leds; just cut at the 10th pair of pads. Each section of 3 leds will draw about 3-4 ma of power, so judge accordingly. And yes you can solder wires onto those pads. Observe polarity when hooking up the battery.
Rod
So I have to cut right thru the pads?
That's the idea. Later versions of led strips have included cut lines shown right on the tape. Just use scissors.
Rod
@Rod Stewart posted:I took the liberty of moving grj's original files for this project over to a new topic just to make them easier to find. The original topic started in late 2016 and is some 7 pages long; these files are found on page 5.
The only thing I have added to this is my user notes in Word format as an attachment. The gerber zip file is also attached below. I want to emphasize that grj is the sole creator of this circuit and these original files!
That you for your help & information however I downloaded your notes & printed out & then downloaded the 7 pages of Gerber files & tried to print but no program in my new computer would allow me to open & printed these pages. Wondering what prgram you use to open & print these files. Your help is greatly appreciated
You don't print the Gerber files, they get send in that ZIP file to the PCB manufacturer of your choice to make the PC boards. JLCPCB is one of the places I use, they generally do a good job.
Another option is OshPark domestically. Their price per board is higher, but if you only need a few that would work. I beleive their price is about $1.25 a board in batches of 3. Again as grj says you upload the gerber zip file to their site and go from there.
If you only need 10 or 20 boards I can mail them to you inexpensively. Shoot me an email if interested. I can also help with placing a board order for you for delivery to your address if needed.
Rod
I hope I don't cause any ill feelings but I was looking at a low cost alternative for installing LED strip lighting and came across this video on YouTube:
How To Add LEDs To Lionel MPC Passenger Cars
His "design" uses just capacitor and voltage regulator. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this approach.
Jon
@ffjon posted:I hope I don't cause any ill feelings but I was looking at a low cost alternative for installing LED strip lighting and came across this video on YouTube:
How To Add LEDs To Lionel MPC Passenger Cars
His "design" uses just capacitor and voltage regulator. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this approach.
No hard feelings here, you're free to use whatever technique you find useful.
A couple of points that you don't get with this method. The first is intensity adjustment, and there is also the lack of DCS compatibility. Those cars with the huge cap right after a full-wave bridge will hammer the MTH DCS track signal.
@ffjon posted:I hope I don't cause any ill feelings but I was looking at a low cost alternative for installing LED strip lighting and came across this video on YouTube:
How To Add LEDs To Lionel MPC Passenger Cars
His "design" uses just capacitor and voltage regulator. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this approach.
Jon
Very interesting but I like the idea of the adjustable pots on gunrunner Johns site, but that was very good to know. Thank you for your help.
@ffjon posted:
...His "design" uses just capacitor and voltage regulator. I'd appreciate any thoughts on this approach.
By my reckoning, your linked youtube video shows "just" a capacitor and a bridge-rectifier (not a voltage regulator).
To each his own but I think the photo (clipped from your video link) is RIDiCULOUSLY bright! GRJ's module allows brightness control...amongst many other benefits.
Full disclosure, I have absolutely no business relationship to GRJ's goings ons and arguably we disagree here on OGR more than we agree! Also, you get support from fellow OGR participants with his module which is absolutely priceless IMHO. 
@stan2004 posted:By my reckoning, your linked youtube video shows "just" a capacitor and a bridge-rectifier (not a voltage regulator).
To each his own but I think the photo (clipped from your video link) is RIDiCULOUSLY bright! GRJ's module allows brightness control...amongst many other benefits.
Full disclosure, I have absolutely no business relationship to GRJ's goings ons and arguably we disagree here on OGR more than we agree!
Stan, I suspect he's also driving the LED's way past their rated 12VDC spec. He has a bridge rectifier and a pretty large 4700uf cap, so I'm guessing unless the voltage on the tracks is in the 9-10 VAC range, the output DC is way over 12V.
Live and Learn though John, redoing a batch would cure the desire for too simple.
I am hoping to actually be running MY trains by this time next year, the new house is likely 3 months from completion and I can begin to finish the packed pax cars with your LED boards. I have been doing club trains for 13 months as wait for my place to be finished. I think I can build a board in like 5 minutes now, so production times will not be an issue.
Finding the boxes with all of MY components will be a treasure hunt for sure.
Gunrunnerjohn, do you provide a completed assembly of your PCB?
Jon
Get them here.
@Rod Stewart posted:Another option is OshPark domestically. Their price per board is higher, but if you only need a few that would work. I beleive their price is about $1.25 a board in batches of 3. Again as grj says you upload the gerber zip file to their site and go from there.
If you only need 10 or 20 boards I can mail them to you inexpensively. Shoot me an email if interested. I can also help with placing a board order for you for delivery to your address if needed.
Rod
Hi Rod, being new to the Forum I am not sure how to send you a email. Would like to ask a couple questions. So I need some guidance on how to shoot you a email. Thanks for your help.
@DCS213 posted:Hi Rod, being new to the Forum I am not sure how to send you a email. Would like to ask a couple questions. So I need some guidance on how to shoot you a email. Thanks for your help.
Click on the profile name, the public profile will pop up, any public email address will be there.
For example... Email obscured for privacy concerns.
Posting the latest update to my lighting installation tips, in pdf format in case it's helpful to anyone.
PLEASE NOTE: There is a revised version 1.2 of this installation tips file attached several posts farther down!
Rod
Wow, Rod! That is really nice. Thank you.
Rod, Have either you or GRJ thought of offering complete DIY kits of these modules? Complete kits (less LED strips) including: boards, parts and an instruction sheet with an illustrated wiring diagram? Perhaps in a minimum of 12 or even 20 kits per package? It would be perfect for those of us who enjoy assembling, but HATE ordering through the mazes of DigiKey or Mouser catalogs, or, worse yet online from China!
@Rod Stewart posted:Posting the latest update to my lighting installation tips, in pdf format in case it's helpful to anyone.
Rod
Thanks Rod,
That pdf is really great.
John
@Rod Stewart posted:Posting the latest update to my lighting installation tips, in pdf format in case it's helpful to anyone.
Rod
Thanks Rod for the great set of instructions. Greatly appreciated.
@Rod Stewart posted:Posting the latest update to my lighting installation tips, in pdf format in case it's helpful to anyone.
Rod
Thanks Rod for all your help. It was great talking to you. Can't wait to dive into this little project. Again Thank You
@Rod Stewart posted:Posting the latest update to my lighting installation tips, in pdf format in case it's helpful to anyone.
Rod
Great tips, Rod. Thanks.
Bob
Thanks Rod, great information & like you said, A picture is worth a Thousand Word. Can't wait to dive into this little project. Thank you for your help & it was great talking with you.
Rod, very well done. I may have missed it but where does the LED board on page 6 come from? Seems I saw it in a previous post but can't find it. Thanks.
@hokie71 posted:Rod, very well done. I may have missed it but where does the LED board on page 6 come from? Seems I saw it in a previous post but can't find it. Thanks.
I should have probably elaborated on that point. I posted those boards in a topic back a few months ago, and they really make obs car marker lighting slick.
I have the bare boards available and I charge $.50 a piece for them. I can also make the gerbers available for anyone who wants to order them from OshPark or wherever.
I should add here that several of these boards can be shipped very inexpensively in a regular envelope marked “Non-machinable”. I have shipped them this way a couple of times.
Rpd
Following this thread over time, brings a lot of information about the DIY passenger car lighting module. Many of you know that I have built and used this module for all my passenger cars, thus developing a modest amount of experience in the build. To that end, I have put together a short instruction sheet to demonstrate the relative ease in putting together this very useful lighting PCB. Please use it for help in not only the PCB build, but also to see for yourself if it is something you may want to try. The instructions are basic, if I am not clear in the instructions, or, you have any questions, please do not hesitate to shoot me an email(in profile) Give it a try!!
@TedW posted:Following this thread over time, brings a lot of information about the DIY passenger car lighting module. Many of you know that I have built and used this module for all my passenger cars, thus developing a modest amount of experience in the build. To that end, I have put together a short instruction sheet to demonstrate the relative ease in putting together this very useful lighting PCB. Please use it for help in not only the PCB build, but also to see for yourself if it is something you may want to try. The instructions are basic, if I am not clear in the instructions, or, you have any questions, please do not hesitate to shoot me an email(in profile) Give it a try!!
@TedW sent me this file a couple of years ago. As a complete novice at soldering and PCB building, it was a perfect stimulus to get me going. A must read for anyone thinking of doing this. Thanks @TedW.
Bob
Thanks for doing that Ted. Truly appreciated.
John
@Rod Stewart posted:Posting the latest update to my lighting installation tips, in pdf format in case it's helpful to anyone.
Rod
A gentleman who recently bought some builtup modules from me had a few questions regarding AC wiring and led strip attachment. So I figured it would be a good idea to clarify things a bit in the installation tips document; revised and pdf copy attached below.
Rod
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