I just cut strips of foamboard, cut these in small pieces and with that you can make a lot of small boxes very fast! I use white foamboard because the black absorbs the light while the white reflects it and gives brighter 'rooms' , you also use black and white foamboard for different rooms so they have different brightnes, cheers!
Looks great! Might want to try Warm White for a warmer incandescent effect though. The cool white color temperature is a bit more characteristic of modern LED's.
If you look at *real* windows in an appartment block at night you see vastly different colour temperatures. So, for the "realistic" touch one could switch between cold white / warm white / amber / yellow LED´s.
After having spent a lifetime (I'm 74) in electronics, both professionally and as a hobby, let me introduce you to a fantastic model railroad accessory. It's called PWM, which stands for Pulse Width Modulation. Using it, you can make any LED Shine for a noon day sun to a late night moon. So many possibilities, so little time.
I like the sauce cups painted black to keep the lights in the windows . Evans design has good LEDs . The terminal strip I will look into for my layout wiring. Good post.
Good job walking us through the thought process. Maybe build light block boxes from styrene sheet using solvent, then rattlecan black and install with your hot glue?
What I've started doing (when possible), is gluing a piece of conduit -- that is, a piece of straw -- like a coffee stirrer -- inside the building to run the wires through, as you would in a full-scale building. That way, the wires are more or less secured in place, but it makes it a little easier if the light has to be replaced for any reason.
Dear Doug, to be honest I don’t think your method of lighting this structure is sloppy at all. Taking into account you haven’t fitted any detail interior to the building, there’s plenty of space and both the condiment cups, with or without the gator board added and the cardboard method seem to work very well. The thing that I would like to suggest is to deepen at least one of the ‘lamp shades.’ This to enhance the appearance there’s more going on inside the building than just at the particular windows you chose to light up. To further enhance the illusion of activity inside the building it may be interesting to add one diffuse light source, which spreads over a floor, or part of a floor. Might even be an idea to switch the lights separately. Nevertheless, for showing the relative ease with which a structure can be lit, this video is excellent. Cheerio
Doug, great video. Adding lights just adds another dimension to the layout, running in "Night Mode". Smaller structures can get away with a light for all windows, but the larger structure with individual windows light is really cool. Thank you for sharing, cheers, and stay safe, Michael
I just cut strips of foamboard, cut these in small pieces and with that you can make a lot of small boxes very fast! I use white foamboard because the black absorbs the light while the white reflects it and gives brighter 'rooms' , you also use black and white foamboard for different rooms so they have different brightnes, cheers!
Looks great! Might want to try Warm White for a warmer incandescent effect though. The cool white color temperature is a bit more characteristic of modern LED's.
Yup. Ordered some yesterday. Does look too modern.
If you look at *real* windows in an appartment block at night you see vastly different colour temperatures. So, for the "realistic" touch one could switch between cold white / warm white / amber / yellow LED´s.
After having spent a lifetime (I'm 74) in electronics, both professionally and as a hobby, let me introduce you to a fantastic model railroad accessory. It's called PWM, which stands for Pulse Width Modulation. Using it, you can make any LED Shine for a noon day sun to a late night moon. So many possibilities, so little time.
I like the sauce cups painted black to keep the lights in the windows . Evans design has good LEDs . The terminal strip I will look into for my layout wiring. Good post.
Good job walking us through the thought process. Maybe build light block boxes from styrene sheet using solvent, then rattlecan black and install with your hot glue?
Looking good Tug. Who cares if its sloppy as long as it works. Another excelent video
What I've started doing (when possible), is gluing a piece of conduit -- that is, a piece of straw -- like a coffee stirrer -- inside the building to run the wires through, as you would in a full-scale building. That way, the wires are more or less secured in place, but it makes it a little easier if the light has to be replaced for any reason.
I like the idea of using straw for conduit..much neater. Next one. thx!
Lights really make a difference.
Hi Fos Scale Models-Mode & it's is Randy and i like yours video is cool & Thanks Fos Scale Models-Mode & Friends Randy
Proof of Concept.
Looks good, Doug!
Killer layout!! What scale is it??
You could 3D print some window boxes. Could even have a small hole the LED in the top, too.
Edit: I just watched the end haha
I think 35mm canisters.
Bravissimo Dough🚂🤙
If I have a building I know I want to light, I spray paint the inside of the walls black first thing. It keeps light from showing through the walls...
Yeah, I should have painted some black around those windows.
Could you use a toilet paper roll... or aluminum foil roll... or some other cylindrical product?
Better to,use heat shrink tubing as opposed to black electrical tape
Next time 👍
When CA glue hardens instantly, it is much hotter than hot melt glue, BTW...
Dear Doug, to be honest I don’t think your method of lighting this structure is sloppy at all. Taking into account you haven’t fitted any detail interior to the building, there’s plenty of space and both the condiment cups, with or without the gator board added and the cardboard method seem to work very well. The thing that I would like to suggest is to deepen at least one of the ‘lamp shades.’ This to enhance the appearance there’s more going on inside the building than just at the particular windows you chose to light up.
To further enhance the illusion of activity inside the building it may be interesting to add one diffuse light source, which spreads over a floor, or part of a floor. Might even be an idea to switch the lights separately. Nevertheless, for showing the relative ease with which a structure can be lit, this video is excellent. Cheerio
Thx, I have to experiment more with different sizes and containers . And maybe print some color wall interiors.
Stiff cardboard tubes?
That'd work. Would like square tubes or containers.
Rather than cutting a slit in your cup shades, why not drill a hole and thread the wire through? Great result though!
I like that the slit holds teh wire in lace, but either way would work , thx for watching!
What. Is the power source/voltage for these?
It's a 3V plug that goes into the terminal board. You can get it here:
evandesigns.com/products/3-volt-adapter-transformer
You did not discuss the resistor needed for use of LEDs.
These don’t require resistors , that’s what’s great about them. 👍
just use the inner box of matchboxes
Doug, great video. Adding lights just adds another dimension to the layout, running in "Night Mode". Smaller structures can get away with a light for all windows, but the larger structure with individual windows light is really cool.
Thank you for sharing, cheers, and stay safe, Michael