Hello to all, I am new here and would like some advice please.
I am helping my son build an airport diorama and of course he wants lighting for the runway/taxiways/general lighting. Now I have basic knowledge of lighting, I am undecided as what to use, IE LED’s or fibre opti, if I use fibre optic then I would also need to power some small led lampposts which are attached to the terminal.
I would like to power all of this via a 240v mains UK plug, obviously I would need to step it down but I don’t know what to use as power supply, pre wired led’s etc. I’m not sure on Volts/amps etc. do I wire each led into a single + & -? Do I use fibre optic end lit cable running off an LED held in place with Shrink fit tube.
most of the lighting will be static but some will also need to flash in sequence for landing lights etc. Terminal lighting would need to be on a separate circuit so they don’t have to be on when runway lights are used in the daytime.
I know this is a lot of work, happy with that, top of my head I think it would come to over 200 separate lights.
so as much detail in reply’s please in basic English please lol

thanks in advance.
matt

 

Hello to all, I am new here and would like some advice please.
I am helping my son build an airport diorama and of course he wants lighting for the runway/taxiways/general lighting. Now I have basic knowledge of lighting, I am undecided as what to use, IE LED’s or fibre opti, if I use fibre optic then I would also need to power some small led lampposts which are attached to the terminal.
I would like to power all of this via a 240v mains UK plug, obviously I would need to step it down but I don’t know what to use as power supply, pre wired led’s etc. I’m not sure on Volts/amps etc. do I wire each led into a single + & -? Do I use fibre optic end lit cable running off an LED held in place with Shrink fit tube.
most of the lighting will be static but some will also need to flash in sequence for landing lights etc. Terminal lighting would need to be on a separate circuit so they don’t have to be on when runway lights are used in the daytime.
I know this is a lot of work, happy with that, top of my head I think it would come to over 200 separate lights.
so as much detail in reply’s please in basic English please lol

thanks in advance.
matt

I imagine you can use LEDs for every light, modern LEDs are efficient and can be pretty bright. You'd power this with a regulated DC adapter plugged into a wall outlet, you might even have one of these lying around, perhaps an old laptop adapter or something.

LEDs come in different colors and sizes, typically 3mm and 5mm, depending on the power and voltage of the adapter, you'd determine a series resistor for each diode. Having said that you can buy LEDs that are prewired with a resistor, I just bought a bunch from Amazon.

If you go that route, then you'll need to get an adapter for some specific voltage rather than use some left over one you might have.

 

Here's what I bought recently

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2L89W9C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

There are many options for DC adapters too, this is UK amazon

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zolt-Unive...fix=dc+ada,aps,477&sr=8-36&xpid=wiLJduYUgoH_1

 

Welcome to AAC.

I, too, would recommend LED's. Fiber optics is an interesting approach - AND doable. But LED's would be easier.

First you need to learn how LED's operate. A common misconception is that they are voltage powered. Yes - but - eh - no. They are current powered. Since current is a result of voltage and resistance you would need a resistor to match the LED's operating current; which is often not more than 20 mA (milli-amps; or 0.02A). But you don't have to run them at that much power. Modern Super Bright LED's (SB LED's) can be very bright even at 5mA.

For common lighting - a simple power supply rated at 5 or 12 volts DC should do just fine. But LED's also have a Vf (or Forward Voltage) that needs to be taken into consideration. Different color LED's have different Vf's. And Vf can vary by manufacturer for the same colors. So you need to decide on how much power your LED's are going to need. 200 LED's and assuming running them at 5mA (and ignoring for a moment the Vf) you would need a power supply capable of a minimum of 1 amp. I'd recommend 2 amps min to leave room for expansion.

Each individual LED will need its own current control. The most common is to use a resistor. Low voltage of 5V is probably the best starting point. So let's assume a few things: You want to run an individual LED on 5 volts and at 5mA. The LED in use has a Vf of 3 (3Vf). Subtract 3Vf from 5V to determine the needed resistor. THEN divide that by 0.005 (5mA)
( 5V - 3Vf ) ÷ 0.005A = 400Ω. Each LED would need a 400Ω resistor in SERIES with the LED. This will limit the current to the LED. But let's not forget about wattage. Since there is 5mA flowing through the resistor and LED the amount of wattage would be 5V x 0.005A = 0.025. A more common way of handling the numbers is to consider is 5V x 5mA = 25mW (milli-Watts). So you won't need large resistors. 1/4 watt is not big. 1/8 watt is even smaller and yet still way more than is necessary. If you go with surface mounted resistors you can get 1/16 watt which is good for 62.5mW, which is a good target. Any smaller and you're approaching the resistors limit on handling excess heat.

 

As for the flashing lights - you'll need to build a circuit for that. It's called "Chaser Lights" or "Chase Lights". I've made a few in my day. Here's one of my video's. This video explains how to daisy-chain up-to 100 LED's, which is not what you need. Mine demonstrates 30 LED chase lights. Your circuit would be a bit more simple and you'd only need probably to chase 5 lights, or 5 strings of lights in a T-Bar configuration (like on an active runway) landing lights.

You can find many chase light circuits on the web.

 

If the TS is going to use the tiny surface mount LEDs they will need to learn how to solder tiny connections in an a reliable manner.
For the power supplies either the cheaper grade of five volt supplies or the slightly better grade of wall wart supplies. For controlling the current just a series resistor, no complex electronics. So it will not be so very efficient and iit may waste five watts. Oh Well!!!
The TS will also need to learn and understand polarity.
None of it is hard to learn, but learning it is mandatory. And if the TS develops good soldering skills THAT will make them more skilled than a whole lot of folks!!

 

As for the flashing lights - you'll need to build a circuit for that. It's called "Chaser Lights" or "Chase Lights". I've made a few in my day. Here's one of my video's. This video explains how to daisy-chain up-to 100 LED's, which is not what you need. Mine demonstrates 30 LED chase lights. Your circuit would be a bit more simple and you'd only need probably to chase 5 lights, or 5 strings of lights in a T-Bar configuration (like on an active runway) landing lights.

You can find many chase light circuits on the web.

Thank you for your detailed answer, that helps me a lot
also like the info on chasing lights, guess I’ll have to hone my soldering skills, which I have not done in probably 30 years!

 

Welcome to AAC.

This link is to US Amazon but you can find similar products until the UK.

These are prewired 0402 SMT LEDs making them very easy to use. These offer solid wire, which can be an advantage in some cases but for somewhat more you can get them with Litz wire which is very flexible. I would imagine the solid wire is your best option.

You can get them in white as well as other colors as needed.

Good luck.