Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

Hi,

Does anyone have any ideas on how to create 1/60th scale fluorescent tube lights? I was thinking about some kind of fiber optic tube with lights at the ends, but I don't know if that will emit out the sides.

Any help is much appreciated.

Cheers,

RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

You can buy replacement bulbs for Scanners. They are 3mm bulbs that are 4"-9" long.
The ballast/driver can run one to two bulbs. I bought four bulbs and ballast to run in my ferry, but
the boat has had a displacment issue, so I have yet to install the lamps.
http://shop4.frys.com/product/134354...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG
http://shop4.frys.com/product/134334...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG

BXL12529 Lamp driver/inverter
http://www.jkllamps.com/index.cfm?ac...m&tid=3&fID=40

The fluorescent bulbs run on AC power, and the drivers convert 12v DC to
AC. The out put can be 150-500 volts.



Alternatively, one of the guys in Germany took a white plastic tube, from a Qtip, or coffee stirrer, and
slipped three surface mount LED into the tube. The result is very convincing.

Surface mount LED can be bought through Ngineering.com website.
http://www.ngineering.com/
But it might be a bit cheaper if you can find a bulk seller.

[edit]
Here is Peter's Abeille build up.
The lamps are in the twelfth row down, and a bit further down to see the boat lit up.
Peter has done a great job color balancing the lighting on this boat.

http://picasaweb.google.de/Peter.S.a...ILLEBOURBON02#

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RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

Have you looked over the lighting systems for model trains:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/search?quick=lighting

RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

Hi Umi,
I thought cadmunkey just wanted 1:60 lights that looked like fluorescent tubes. I seem to recall that you showed how to do this on a thread somewhere using LEDs.
Light exits fibre optics anywhere there is surface roughness,and is a great source of annoyance to conventional folks who just want it to come out of the far end. Just how effective it would be done deliberately I have no idea. I have seen sheet perspex used as a light guide in a teaching demo - at times during the lecture a switch would be pressed, a coloured light would turn on somewhere in the back, and the visible edge of the perspex at the front where us peasants were sitting would light up showing as an illuminated line.

RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

No that was Peter... ;)
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...7#post10809477

RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

idea, small LED's inside the ends of a piece of white stryene tube. paint the ends black to prevent bleed out, get a piece of white styrene channel. paint the inside part matt black, then mat white over that,the black undercoat will prevent bleedout, the white outer will act like a reflector, glue the tube to the channel to get somehting like [0 ([ = channel 0=tube) send wires into the superstructure and connect to power source.

hey presto.

RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

All of the tube ideas seem like they could work. I'll try some of them out on the weekend and see what kind of a result I get. I don't have the exact count right know but I believe my model requires over 20 of them so I want it to be cheap, and you cant get much cheaper than small white LEDs and styrene tubing.

Thanks guys,

RE: Scale Fluorescent Lights
 

Clear acrilic tube with a fiber optic light feed or a mini led (surface mount) in the end .paint the ends to hideor use silver tape, you dont want it to bright as it looks silly.

Peter