# good Mars light circuit for LGB F7



## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I am hunting for a good/realistic but affordabe Mars light circuit for my LGB F7. I already have both lights back dated to golden glow style reflectors an a single lamp, factory 5vt LGB for the lower main headlight and a 1.5vt grain of wheat for the upper Mars light. My older home brew circuit isnt very convincing, neither are the older designed Circuitron ones using a dual filliment bulb or two small bulbs. Richmond controls has some awsome ones but a long waiting list for a custom circuit. Ibenlite used to have good track powered Mars light circuits years ago. I need one that is track powered, non DCC. I already have the B unit with sound so putting sound in the A unit to just get the lighting effects isnt really practical either, although Soundtraxx Sierra has thier Hyperlite effects. I think they used to offer the Hyperlite circuits back when they were called Throttle UP, instead of Soundtraxx. Anybody have an old track powered Mars/Gyralite circiut in thier parts drawer that needs a new home? or another suggestion of a good one? Cheers Mike


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

RAM

RAM PRODUCTS


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

I totaly forgot about RAM products. I will have to price out thier revolving lgiht/mars light circuit and a track power adapter at the local shop tomorrow. Thanks Mike


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Mike, 

I made my own with a microcontroller and a single LED for my GP9. I plan on making some changes soon to add other lighting effects. It's pretty easy with a PICAxe. I didn't use one but an 08M would work. Here is a great article on much more advanced ones from Dave Bodnar: http://www.trainelectronics.com/MarsLights/article.htm 

You could tweak his PICAxe code for dimming LEDs which is on another page, play with the timing to have a very bright, dim, bright,dim (repeat) again pattern that kind of simulates the figure 8 a Mars light makes. For my GP9 I compared it to the Sierra one and decided to add a little randomness to the pattern as well. Here's a video of mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2srJ3XwS1w 

Hope this helps, 

russ


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

That looks pretty darn good in that GP9. The biggest headache in an F unit is getting the LED to light up the reflector and not just be a point of light in the middle. I think taking a fine sand paper to the LED package to make it more opaque and thus make it "glow" more and light up the headlight reflector. I dont have the means to make one up like yours myself. Are you willing to fab me up one? I could run the circuit off track power or the 5 volt dc regulated headlight circuit that is in the unit from the factory. It already provides directional power to turn the Mars off in reverse. Mike


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

David Bodnar makes them, might check with him.


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## Michael Glavin (Jan 2, 2009)

Mike,

Checkout the LED powered lighting in my USAT F3 in the linked video below. It’s night video so you get a pretty good idea how well the lights illuminate Noels pike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7L3cU-f1xcg

Michael


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## jebouck (Jan 2, 2008)

http://www.trainelectronics.com/products.htm


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

Michael, I stumbled onto your video right after I got my F units, your lights are exactly what I am after. Give me a run down of what circuit is controling them, LED's used ect. Then I can match your set up in my unit. Mike


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## Michael Glavin (Jan 2, 2009)

Mike,
I removed the original headlights and enlarged the openings as much as possible. I purchased some mini flashlights and cannibalized the reflectors and lens. 
For the Mars light I used a single 5mm Golden Glow LED together with reflector and lens turned to size on a Sherline lathe. 
The lower headlight has two 3mm Golden Glow LED’s. I turned down two reflectors to ¼” diameter if I recall correctly and mounted both to a round turned to size back-plate that fits in the headlight opening. These two reflectors are very small compared to the Mars light but work quite well IMO. 
I had to experiment with how deep I put the LED’s into the reflectors and the positioning of the reflector and back-plate in the nose of the engine to properly realize the correct light dispersion or beam of light (kinda like getting your cars headlight aimed properly).
The number boards and cab lights are again 3mm LED’s, I had to work with the proper brightness to get the right “feel or look” for both. The numbers boards again required some positioning experimentation to get the look (I completely removed the original set-up and have the LED’s mounted at an angle from perpendicular and near the outside edge of the number boards.
I again removed the entire original set-up as noted above with the number boards and replaced each classification light with a 2mm white and a 2mm green LED as was used on SP class lights. I relieved the inside of the nose with a tapered burr (sorta like countersinking a wood screw) I then fixed the LED’s to the nose at the appropriate angle/positions to illuminate the classification lens.
I’m driving the lighting with an AirWire F3 Drop-in and Phoenix P8 for sound. The “A&B” unit with Black Widow paint are both like equipped while the scarlet red/gray “B” unit is unpowered running a Sierra Sound card coupled to the mid “B” unit for RPM/voltage signal to follow the throttle settings in play. It really sounds realistic to hear the engines spool up and down as they all sound a little bit different as it should be! I can also fire each engine individually, sounds neat but doesn’t afford much of prototypical operation as these engines were rarely shut down less for service.
Also using a 2200mAh 14.8V Lithium Poly batteries with "balance pigtails" in each powered unit, batteries can be accessed for replacement and or charged through the rear door openings. A 600mAh 6.0V NiCad from an old RC reciever battery powers the Sierra Sound card. I've been flying RC airplanes for many years so these batteries see flight and rail time (I'm trying to get the most out of my $20.00 investment wisely as I haven't had much luck with dedicated Lithium Ions lifespan).
Michael


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## Mike Toney (Feb 25, 2009)

The airwire system is one my friend and I are looking into, I wish they had the drop in for the LGB F units. I am not sure if thier other mobile decoder has the lighiting effects. I used mag light reflectors that I cut down in my LGB F units, looks great with the LGB bulb in the lower, its the mars light that was throwing me for a loop for a non decoder circuit. Those other than richmond controls are getting hard to find. I plan to look into the RAM circuit as most of SP's units ran pyle national gyralights over the true Mars figure 8 lights, dual gear boxes and linkages vs single gear box/linkage in the gyralite so less maintaince. Yours look and sound great!!! Mike


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

There are mars and gyralight circuits that use multiple LEDs so the "beam" actually moves. 

We have even built a multiple led setup in Z scale that works. 

I forgot where I saw this commercially. (we are using multiple leds and creative programming in DCC). 

Greg


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Maybe???? 

Ngineering - Lighting Effects for the Railroad[/b]


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

That's the one... 

(we did it without an additional board, just a 4 function decoder) 

Thanks Steve... 

Greg


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

This is the one that I liked.

Ngineering - Lighting Effects for Vehicles - Rotating Beacon[/b]


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

See the mars light in version.

*http://www.ngineering.com/Sup_mars.wmv*


Wild...

Greg


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