# LEDs for numberboards



## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

Are all LEDs designed to project the light forward? Sounds dumb, cuz you certainly don't want the light to go back up the wire, but....

The lighted number boards on my S4 and GP-40 use a grain of wheat bulb mounted sideways to illuminate the numbers. Replacing the GOW with an LED gets a "hot spot" in the center of the number, but the outer edges aren't lighted very well. Sems LEDs are good for headlights (forward projection) not for anything of any width.

I've seen much mention here about superbrights, etc, but I don't recall any mention of an LED that puts out a short, wide beam. Am I stuck with using the GOWs that came with the locos to light the number boards? 

JackM


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

surface mount components have a wider dispersion angle, up to 180 degrees... 

google smt leds .... 

They are also pretty small... 

Greg


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Check out Home depot, Bid lots or Target stores.. 

I found for two yrs. now a string of Flat Head LED's in a 70 strand count for about 10 bucks.. They look like incandescent lamps
Just turn them sideways.. They look fine... But are a little bright so may have to move them back a little.. Change to a higher Resis. only make it come on at a higher voltage.

They are not like the Blue/white that we use for head lights.

Wal- Mart didn't have any this yr. Just muti. color LED's.

" Just as we were posting we lost power out here. Had to come back in and find the post..laf. Nothing like living in the boonies...."


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

I found some wide angle, frosted lense 700 MCD LEDs on the internet. They do a great job lighting number boards. 

When you spoke about an S-4, was that the USA Trains diesel? If so, all of their lighting is with LEDs.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Take some sandpaper to the LED and scuff it up good. That does a great job of diffusing the light so it comes out the sides instead of just the end. I use the GE "warm white" LEDs that you'll find at Lowe's right now for their Christmas lights. (which reminds me, I need to pick up a few more packages.) 










These are 3mm LEDs, so they're pretty small - grain-of-rice sized. Here they are in a headlight and class lamps. They're mounted vertically in the class lamps, so you can really see how the sanding diffuses the light so they shine out the side. 










Later, 

K


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## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

When you spoke about an S-4, was that the USA Trains diesel? If so, all of their lighting is with LEDs. 

It's a USAT S4 all right. But the yellow LEDs it came with don't do anything - and it's probably because it was an undec, with no numbers. I printed my own in inverse print (clear label material with black background and clear numbers). Maybe I should re-do them with black numbers on the clear material. 

But the GP-40 has relatively large numbers (white on black - not an undec model), so they need lots of light. Maybe there's room behind 'em for a 10mm LED. 

Thanks for the suggestions. And Merry whatever you celebrate.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

Yiu don't need 10mm LEDs. I have 5mm ones that put out over 12000MCD. By the way, sanding the LED is what I did before I found the frosted ones.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Unlike a lightbulb, you can do about anything you want to them. I put some in a classification light but it only shined out the front one, so I sanded a 45 degree angle onto the dome and now it lights the sides nicely too. I've also taken my pin vice and drilled a hole down the dome to scatter light more to the sides. You can see how far you can go without hitting the works inside. Oops, well, this one's junk.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Now's the time to buy strings of LED Christmas lights. Stores are clearing them out for 50% off or thereabouts. King Soopers/Kroger/City Market has the GE "warm white" LED strands I use for $5.50 for 50 lights. Between that and cleaning Lowes out of the replacement bulb packages they had the other day, I think I'm set for a few years for LEDs. 

Later, 

K


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## TrotFox (Feb 15, 2008)

FYI, I have also put a bit of CA on the lens to frost them. Not as effective as 600 grit but much easier! 

Trot, the illuminated, fox... } ; ]


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## Dan Pierce (Jan 2, 2008)

Hmmmm Trot gets 'brighter' every day. He He HE


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