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Does anyone have any interest in learning how to make your own LED lights? I thought I recall someone saying they were interested, but I can’t recall where I saw it.
My dad is an electrician and an instructor at Rosedale. I floated the idea by him and he seems open to teaching a course if we have some people interested. Right now, just seeing who’s interested.
I think it was @timf, and I think many of us would be interested. Thanks! 🙂
That’s awesome! Follow up questions, would anyone be opposed to a small fee for materials? Also, is there anything in particular that you would want to learn outside of powering small LED lights?
I’ll talk more with him about it and see if we can get something set up in the coming months.
Yes, that was me and yes I would be very interested in learning to DIY LEDs for MOCs (that’s a lot of acronyms).
Follow up questions, would anyone be opposed to a small fee for materials?
Of course not, I mean he would already be providing his time.
Also, is there anything in particular that you would want to learn outside of powering small LED lights?
I suppose once people got the basic idea, the technique could be applied to specific applications. Getting lights into tiny spaces like lamp posts and vehicle headlights are probably worth exploring.
For example, this is a tutorial I posted recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiH3SMs12wI
No problem at all with the small fee for materials. Several things I’d be interested in exploring how to do:
* For the DIY lights going into MOC’s like buildings, I’d like to figure out how to make them modular, with some kind of a quick connect/disconnect between MILS’d buildings. Once you install them, I wouldn’t want to have to take the lights out at teardown, or have to run long wire leads from multiple buildings to say a battery pack or power supply. Being able to connect them together like you do MILS’d baseplates would be great, with the power supply at one end or the other.
* Might not be in the scope of what you offering for him to do, but I’d also like to figure out how to set up push buttons for our visitors to start things like trains or other motorized items, with a fixed interval or photo eye to stop them. That way our trains wouldn’t have to run constantly, and you know how much kids like to push buttons! Something that I’ve seen done at multiple train displays, so it’s probably not that difficult, but I have no idea myself how or what you need to do it.
* Following up on Greg’s comment on getting lights into tiny spaces, I’d also like to explore small battery options. For example, I’d love to figure out how to put a light at the end of my LEGO Harry Potter wand, with a small battery and an on/off switch built into the handle!
Thank you all for the great feedback. So far I have 7 people, which is a good size. I’ll talk to him more about this and see if what we can get rolling and when.
I’d also like to know more about wiring in general. I’d like to just wire up a connection from a lego train transformer to the track, rather than tracking down a $15 piece in Italy that is over 20 years old. I’d like to be able to make buttons and switches for the public to push, that will light up a building, or make a train go, or spin something, and sometimes just for 30 seconds or so. maybe there’s already some 3rd party products that do this…
Just an update. I talked to my dad yesterday and he said that he can do both lights and push button actions. My folks are in the process of moving so he can’t pull together anything immediately, but he’s certainly interested. I’ll keep things moving, especially once they’re settled.
he can’t pull together anything immediately
Maybe we could look at Q2 meeting. Or could arrange a separate get together for those who are interested in learning more. Thank you and your father again for exploring this possibility.
@timf That’s a good idea. We were briefly talking location too. They’re moving to Cranberry so depending how convenient for everyone maybe somewhere up there. I was going to look into a few other locations in the North Hills as well once we have a date and final head count.
I am highly interested in DIY lights and would love to participate if we can land on a date when I can make it to Pittsburgh (probably late March). Or I could offer a follow-up class. Either way, I’m happy to help by creating some online tutorials featuring LEGO-specific products.
And, Bob, I have dug myself out of other commitments sufficiently to follow up on that Harry Potter wand. I’ll dig up the pics I took and maybe we can start a thread or add to this one to see about getting that lovely wand to light uo!
I’m interested enough to hear more anyway. If you’re lighting up Harry’s wand, we could certainly do lightsabers.
I’m aiming for sometime in Q2, but it may not until closer to May/June. I’ll know more in the coming weeks and will update.
@rachelh Please share any pictures or resources you may have. I’m sure they’ll be appreciated. I haven’t had the opportunity to do anything from scratch yet. I’ve just used kits I’ve found online, but they really add up.
I’m interested, especially in weaving cables through stud holes where the tight fit may be a concern, with a stud hole being 3.2 mm wide.
I’m also interested in learning how different LEGO elements may propagate light and/or diffuse it, and how differing light wavelengths may affect standardized LEGO brick colors, some of which fluoresce.
Oh my oh my oh my. You are talking about my core obsession–the interaction of specific translucent LEGO parts with lights of different colors. I have developed some LED boards with UV lights that sit directly under the glowy parts. Will find pics.
Oh my oh my oh my. You are talking about my core obsession–the interaction of specific translucent LEGO parts with lights of different colors. I have developed some LED boards with UV lights that sit directly under the glowy parts. Will find pics.
I eventually want to do this, or something like it, from 0:00 to 0:20: Gradius III Launch Bay Lighting and do similar lighting in a space base environment.
Fluorescent parts in trans-medium blue (which is THE brightest fluorescent part) and trans-neon orange are the best options. However, regular visible light cast through colored parts is probably more flexible and economical. I don’t know that for sure!
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