# Woodland Scenics Just Plug



## arthur (Dec 27, 2007)

Hello to all, 
Has anybody used this product? Is it easy to use? Cost effective? Too many wires? It looks very convenient. I need to light about 25 Christmas houses like the Dept. 54 type. I like that this system can light 50 lights with one plug. Thankx, Arthur


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## riderdan (Jan 2, 2014)

I haven't used it, but looking at the Woodland Scenics site I can say that it's pretty pricey. They want $10 for 2 LEDs--I've bought them 50 at a time, with resistors for 12V power, for less than $10. Same for the power supplies--they're charging $20 for something you can get for $5 or so.

From your other posts, it sounds like you might be using this indoors. If so, you won't have to worry about how the connectors handle being out in the weather. If you _are_ going to use these outside, you might need to either seal them somehow, or ask WS about durability.

If you don't like soldering and doing electronics by hand, and you don't have cost as your primary concern, I can see this "system" being a useful thing. Especially if you are willing to trade the higher cost for simplicity of installation. But it's definitely more expensive than a roll-your-own solution


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## arthur (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks for the response. I want to light my Christmas type houses, but do not want a plug for every light bulb. I thought the Wokdlands look interesting. I was planning to use a string of C7 Christmas lights, and put one in each house. What does anyone think? Looking for minimum use of plugs into the wall. Thankx, Arthur


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

use the christmas lights!
that is cheap and simple.


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

C7 Christmas lights are 117VAC power and I would not use it near my trains.
Low voltage lighting with LEDS is a much better way to go, no big voltage, no heat as the LED is 1/100 ( a guesstimate) the power of a C7.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Umm, you can buy the unit with or without leds.

It's a supply with 4 variable outputs to drive leds

it runs from 16v ac.

it's designed so no wiring, you buy the leds with the plugs attached and plug in.

I think it's worth the effort to learn to solder, choose dropping resistors and use cheap leds.

Regards, Greg

p.s. do not have 117v ac anywhere near your layout... please, we'd like to continue hearing from you, alive...


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## arthur (Dec 27, 2007)

Thanks fellas, guess I will get out the soldering gun and practice . Now where did I put that thing 8 years ago! Thankx , Arthur


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## kormsen (Oct 27, 2009)

even with christmas lights you dont need household voltage on the layout.

take a chain, count the bulbs, divide by three (normally christmas chains consist of three strings, very cunningly interconnected)
divid your household voltage through the divided bulb number. then you got the voltage for each bulb.

example: a 100 bulb-chain.
divided by three = 33
110 divided by 33 = 3.3 volts per bulb.

look up, what kind of DC power outlet you find, and cut a string of bulbs, that corrsponds.

example: let us say, you got an old transformer of an wireless telephone. (8 or 9 v DC)
connect a string of three bulbs to it. (and if you want a not too bright illumination, use a string of four)
oh, you want more lights? just connect a second or second and third string in paralell.

that is, what i am doing for many years now.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Korm, he C7 bulbs are 110v each, no question, he did not mention any miniature bulbs which are wired as you indicate.


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## wombat457 (Jul 15, 2015)

I'm not entirely sure what the OP is actually asking here; however, if all he wants to do is light 25 houses with X amount of lights, why not do it the easy and most straight forward way?

Buy a 25 terminal Terminal Board and connect that to any DC power supply. All you need to then do is run your wires from the Terminal Board to each house connecting the lights in series.

I wouldn't touch Woodlands stuff, simply because it is outrageously over priced and identical things can be bought else where for 1/10th the cost. As one poster said - 50 leds (5 or 3 mil) for under $10.


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## Pete Chimney (Jan 12, 2008)

I am using the Just Plug system on a indoor 0n30 layout and I think it is very useful. The level of light output from the LEDs can be turned up or down individually at the control unit. While the system may cost more than buying individual components (e.g. LEDs, resistors, wire, etc.) the time for set up is very short and the lights can easily be reconfigured if the needs of the layout change.

But as I said I am using the system indoors, I have no experience trying to run it out in the weather.


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## Dwight Ennis (Jan 2, 2008)

Speaking from experience lighting a large factory in HO scale using 3 rather large 12v incandescent bulbs... there isn't nearly enough light. I can't imagine that a mere two LEDs would provide enough light for anything but the smallest shed in large scale.

Just FYI, I just bought one of the 50 LED strips from Micro-Mark for exactly the structure I referred to. I will use as many as necessary, but in any case it will damned sure be more than two.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Would not be good to put all in series, one break in the wiring, all go out, hard to debug.

Greg


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## Pete Chimney (Jan 12, 2008)

Dwight. I have a 6 foot x 4 foot wide x 15 inch deep mineral display case. Inside at the top I have three of the small 1/8" flat LEDs for light. These three small LED light entire case (through glass shelves), much brighter than even a few 100w incandescent bulb would do.

And in our house we have more-or-less converted all of the interior lights in lamps and various fixtures to LEDs. Our kitchen is 13' x 26' and we light this with 10 LED flood lights set into the ceiling, very bright and no heat.

I believe in a few years we will think of incandescent bulbs versus LED bulbs much the way we now think of DCC replacing DC.


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