LED reels- found stores- are these ok?

Those will definitely work. Decent price too.

Go for it!  Start saving "wall worts", great source for 12vdc.

A friend and I went in for a few reels of these. Work fine.

Pete

Pete, that's an awesome price, and if you say they work fine (i rely on yours, GGG's, & GRJ's opinion for things electrical), i'm ordering a few reels just to have in stock.

jackson

I think they are all made in the same place. Coming from China delivery may be slower. I think ours took about a month to show up.

Pete

Pete,

For that price i can wait a month. I usually try to buy my supplies ahead of time anyway. I always have more Evergreen styrene in stock than the local hobby shop, keep at least two new tubes of Goo on the  shelf - same with one extra roll of silver solder, etc. Don't like running out of something at 9 at night or 4 on a Sunday afternoon.

jackson

Does anyone happen to know what the "typical" light output is (in lumens)  from the bulbs usually used by Lionel (or anyone else for that matter) in lighted cars (e.g., passenger cars, cabeese, etc.)?  I know it depends on the voltage, but lets say at the track voltage used for TMCC (15 v AC?).

I want to replace the bulb-based lights in the cars with an LED strip and the question is whether having one of these strips the length of the car will be too bright (or dim, for the matter).  I hadn't planned on incorporating a variable resistor in the circuit to power the lights (but could).  the alternative would be to cut the strip into three SMD segments and spread them out along the length of the car - doable but seems like a real PITA.

Second related question, these particular LEDs are 3528 - I've seen others described as 3550 and 3570 (I think) - the latter two claiming to be 'very bright'.  I gather they do that by actually assembling several SMD's into a cluster.  In any event, does anyone have a handy-dandy 'guide' to these devices and how they 'scale' (light output, current draw, etc.) with 'part number'??  Or is it the usual problem of having each device manufacturer with their own sizing descriptor.  I guess what I'm looking for is the equivalent to saying that I know when to use a 60 watt bulb vs a 100 watt bulb...

If you use a full length strip (I use 15" in an 18" car) the light will be much brighter but they are easy to dim with a resistor regardless if you go with a constant current or constant voltage circuit. Many threads here on how to do that.

Pete

banjoflyer.  wow.  im getting a bunch of reels!  wow!  thanks!

Chris

from that supplier I got 3 reels and saved even more!  ill use them in my buildings or something.!  cant beat that price! 

Keep shopping, here's the new price champ.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WARM-W...;hash=item2a4bb07c14

You can beat any price when they are out of stock

John, I just bought some of them, maybe that's why.  It's the cheapest I've ever seen them!

If you don't like those, how about $2.99 for a 5M strip?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-SMD...;hash=item1e97e9eae7

John, I always like your advice. I still have 2 reels from a while ago when you first put me on to them. I haven't got to the DC part yet. I'm still working on a few more AC feeders. I did salvage a PC power supply the other day at the town refuse station. This one even has a switch. I can power a ton with 300 watts from that.

boy you cant beat the price!!!!.  I wondered on the supply end when they cost cut them like that cheap. all the sudden the supply is GONE!  then it takes 2 months! 

I got 3 reels, so I may never need them again!  I think im lining my cabinets in the kitchen with them and my garage cabinets too.  just LED everything! 

Chris

I have a bunch in the closet, and more on the way.  I'm sure at some point the supply will dry up.

GRJ, Which did you buy?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WARM-W...;hash=item2a4bb07c14

Thanks, GRJ.  I just ordered from the $2.99 supplier.  Delivery is a week or so less, and somehow I trust Hong Kong more than other areas in China.

I don't see how the Chinese stuff can be so cheap, like the 89-cent relays I just got from Jameco.  Consider the postage from China, and you wonder how they can be produced so cheaply.

I wonder about the Chinese prices as well.  I buy little circuits for less than I could have the PCB manufactured, never mind the parts, assembly, & shipping!

There was an interesting article in the WSJ the other day about contract manufacturers, who abound in China but are scarce in US.  For a fee, they'll make most anything.  I wonder (1) how the firm contracting with them can monitor quality and (2) do MTH, Lionel, Atlas, etc. just bid out production of various locos, or do they have a single source, as they did when they used Samhongsa in Korea.

Also, consider this in connection with medicines produced in Asia..................

Now that we all have the LEDs, I would like to see a picture of how you are powering them.

Don't kid yourself. Unscrupulous businessmen exist all over the world. Ebay feedback is your best indicator.

Pete

moed.  I built some myself, but for about $1 more each than the raw parts, and under $3 each in lots of 5, I use this AC-DC buck converter:

http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6117757227.html

Since output is easily adjustable and input flexible, I have found other uses, like operating the DC motor that moves my 262 gantry crane back-and-forth on the rails, and supplying DC power for relay circuits..

Yes, Norton, I know it comes from China outside of HongKong.  But, somehow I see more news stories about unscrupulous businessmen in China than elsewhere, like those to adulterate baby formula, medicine, ext.  I will agree that Aliexpress probably makes an effort to control those dealing through it, but it has caught hades from the Chinese government for allowing sales of fraudulently labeled goods.

I'm biased, but I power mine with this circuit that I build.

     GRJ could I use 1 of your led lighting boards, run it to A junction box and light 5-6 houses / buildings or do I need 1 board per led / 3 led strip. Choo Choo Kenny

just bought 5 reels, thanks GRJ

GRJ, do you print the boards, or buy them ready for component installation?

One thought for LED usage, other than in trains, is to install a 25-amp rectifier and filter capacitor on a 10-12-volt transformer outlet (Z4000 has one fixed at 10VAC) and have a DC buss running around the layout to feed LEDs.  If I were building from scratch, I would do that, but it's too late now.

For stationary objects like structures you could just get an HO power Pack or computer power supply. One computer supply could power all LED lights on the NJHirailers layout.

Pete

grj, bought two reels.  Buying these two eases the "pain" of having bought the same item for $3.90 in December.

RJR, do you need to add a choke to this board for DCS use?

GRJ - forgive me for being lazy and not digging this out of the older threads, but does your board take variable AC voltage (say 0 to 18 v) and produce a constant DC output for the lighting strips?   Or did you design it to basically be used with command-control systems that have a constant AC track voltage?  For those of us with mixed systems - meaning some track with variable voltage transformer control, would your board work to produce constant lighting?

The boards referenced elsewhere in this thread (e.g., the board at aliexpress) seem to be 'buck-boost' systems that handle variable input voltage.  What I can't tell is whether they have a capacitor in the circuit to eliminate the light flicker as the car moves on the track.  I think your board does (?).

I have the boards made and populated by an outside vendor.  The last run was 500 boards, I really don't think I want to sit and solder all those surface mount components on that many boards!

You do need a choke for DCS applications, my board has the required choke as part of the design.

You can find voltage regulator boards that have input caps, and also models that accept AC track voltage.  AFAIK, none of them have the 22uh choke for DCS compatibility.  My board was purpose-build to light passenger cars utilizing the 12V LED strips.  As such, it has just what it needs for that application.

Input: 12-18 VAC or DC.

Bulk capacitance for flicker resistance.

RF choke for DCS compatibility.

Output: Adjustable from 5ma to 45ma.

Note that my boards are constant current boards, and not constant voltage. 

Thanks, John.

Pingman, I've been using the buck converters for accessories, and have not used chokes.  I had made up a dozen or so voltage regulators with chokes for use in cars.  Unlike GRJ, I set up mine for constant voltage, so I could use them anywhere.  GRJ made his for constant current.

If using a buck converter in a car, I'd add a choke in the feed from the pickup roller.

GRJ:  500?  I didn't know you were that heavily into production.

Well, I needed about 70 of them for my use, so I figured they would go.  A bunch of them have gone, I'm getting ready for another order.

Good for you, John!

Bravo John Bravo!