A few more simple lighting technique questions

[riplikash]

I'm continuing to make progress on my Bird of Prey. I've nearly finished the painting and am very happy with the result (this is by far the biggest model I've painted. Weathering is SO much easier at this size). B

But am having trouble finding direct answers to a few final niggling technical questions. Sorry if they seem trivial, I'm fairly cautious and want to make sure I understand what is going on before I take the circuit off the breadboard.

I had planned on using fiber optics for a fair amount of the lighting, but several of the windows on the main hull are long and thin, so filling them with fiber optic seems like a bad idea. So the new plan was to get a 10mm white LED and just light the interior. But I'm getting a bit confused at the options.

On ebay the best viewing angle I can find is 40 degrees. Is that sufficient? I also see several more expensive ones marked as "diffuse" instead of providing a viewing angle. Is there a difference between those and just sanding/matt coating a regular, clear LED?

It also seems like I wouldn't just want to cut holes and leave it open. I assume you usually fill the windows with something, but I haven't seen any instruction on that. I was thinking parchment paper or wax paper might work, but maybe I'm going the wrong direction with that.

For the engine lights I have red LED's, but then as I prepared to tint the clear engine color red I realized this might be a bad idea. I worry I might lose too much light, so I was planning on swapping them out for some white LEDs. Is this a valid concern.

I'm using a wire twisting tool, and am a little confused on two things. First, a couple of videos, and the package itself, indicated I needed to use 'special' wire, but other sources just said 30 gauge. My thought was that 'special' just referred to regular 30 gauge, by I wanted to double check.

Finally, the advice I had gotten on here before was to get wire in the 20-22 gauge range, but the twist tool, which always gets suggested, requires 30 gauge. My thought on this disparity was that the heavier wire is probably meant for the main power lines, and the lighter to be used in the creation of circuits. Am I on target there? Or is 30 gauge sufficient for the 6-9v range?

[Matty1973]

1st off you can cut the windows out and then fill them with micro Krystal Klear, goes on white dries clear

As for the 10mm LEds get the widest angle, then use some reflective materiel on the inside to ahh reflect

Yes you use 30g wire for the LEDs and for resistors, but I always use a thicker wire for the main power in

[Underlord]

I'll try to take each issue one at a time...

I had planned on using fiber optics for a fair amount of the lighting, but several of the windows on the main hull are long and thin, so filling them with fiber optic seems like a bad idea. So the new plan was to get a 10mm white LED and just light the interior. But I'm getting a bit confused at the options.

This is common with Star Trek ships, and darn anoying too! There are many solutions to this issue.
- Usually I see folks fill in windows with clear resin. Use clear tape on the outside, and fill the hole with the clear resin from behind taking care not to allow any bubbles.
see Don's Light & Magic

On ebay the best viewing angle I can find is 40 degrees. Is that sufficient? I also see several more expensive ones marked as "diffuse" instead of providing a viewing angle. Is there a difference between those and just sanding/matt coating a regular, clear LED

If you paint the inside of your ship flat white, it will difuse the light quite a bit. Make sure you're LED is not pointed directly at any of the openings. You can turn a clear LED into a difused one by scratching up the tip with a file. Buy enough LEDs to experiment.

For the engine lights I have red LED's, but then as I prepared to tint the clear engine color red I realized this might be a bad idea. I worry I might lose too much light, so I was planning on swapping them out for some white LEDs. Is this a valid concern.

Red LED's are usually much dimmer than white ones. They also operate on much lower voltage. Usually painting the inside of a clear part with a transparent red is better than using red LEDs. With the KBOP the engine is an orange and red bright bar IIR, so using both red and orange transparent paint might give a really cool effect. I haven't tried that one.

I'm using a wire twisting tool, and am a little confused on two things. First, a couple of videos, and the package itself, indicated I needed to use 'special' wire, but other sources just said 30 gauge. My thought was that 'special' just referred to regular 30 gauge, by I wanted to double check.

The official name is "Wire wrap tool". Wire wrap wire is usually a very small guage, but it is a specific type of wire. If you build 1/24th cars, modelers rutinely use wire wrap wire as spark plug wires. You have to be careful about how much current you are pushing through that very thin wire. I wouldn't run more than one LED on a wire. If you are converging wire, it's a good idea to use a thicker wire back to the power source. Thicker wire won't work with a wire-wrap tool. 22 or 24 guage wire should handle the LEDs that you would put in a KBOP just fine. When you buy your wire, look at the current rating. Calculate what you need by ohms law and get thick enough wire for the job. Wire wrap wire is great for prototyping but connections can corrode and become faulty over time. Some people never have a problem, but it is something to consider. If you get finger oil on the LED lead or wire, it can start this process pretty quickly. Consider soldering instead of wire-wrapping any connection that would be inside the model. There is a great reference right here. SSM Working With LEDs


I hope I helped!


(REVISION) Thats what I get for posting a novel! Matty1973 beat me to the punch with a more consice answer! LOL (REVISION)

[Scott Hasty]

I've used Testors' Clear Parts Cement Window Maker to make small windows.

I diffuse light using Fiberfill.

Here's something I just finished yesterday.

Yep, that's 13 LED's.

Diffusion using sanding and paint blocking on clear parts.