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Comments
I assumed when you used the kitchen table for the valve job you were single or your wife was very understanding?
Jerry
I like to use SMD LED's (pictured below) if I can, because they really throw a lot of light. Above the strip of LEDs is a single one inverted with the soldering spots evident. Positive wire goes to the smaller soldering spot.
I, like everyone else, have so many of these old wall warts from so many different electrical gadgets that don't work anymore. This one is from an old wireless router; it has a 12-volt DC output. LEDs operate on about 3 volts so the voltage needs to be reduced or the LED will blow immediately. Instead of using resistors to reduce that voltage, I use these cheap little "Buck converters" because they are much more versatile and very easy to use. With this setup, you don't have to worry about batteries or resistors. This converter takes a DC voltage of up to 40 volts and reduces it to as low as 1.5 volts. Though these are called "buck converters" for a different reason, they actually cost about a buck. You can get these that convert AC voltage to DC voltage as well, but they are a slightly more expensive. Anyway, I just cut off the end of the wall wart and after identifying which wire is the positive lead, solder the wires to the input of the converter in the appropriate site. I then dial in a voltage of about 3 volts test with my voltmeter and then solder the LED leads to the output. You can easily dial up a little higher voltage to get the amount of light you want, not too high though, you don't want to fry the LED. You can also obviously dial the voltage down for a more dimmed light.
I used a .042 diameter tubing for the conduit and a twisted magnet wire as the conductor. I used a few 3D printed details like the elbows and the "junction box" and "pillow blocks" for mounting. I know these are not necessarily prototypical, but I just wanted to hide the wires. In the picture, I separated the elbow from the conduit so you can see the twisted wire inside the conduit.
After much manipulation and cursing and one failure (there was a short circuit in the system after it was all mounted, so I had to start all over again), I was able to get the assembly mounted. I had to remove a couple of the rafters to be able to mount this.
Finished. Now onto the lighting for inside the building.
Note to self: Next time, do this before all the details are added. This was so much harder to do than it had to be if I had just thought ahead. Arrgh
Thx for sharing with us,
I'll need to look into those 'buck thingy's'
I think I am going to install the lighting in the building in a similar manner. I still want to be able to remove the roof so I decided to try and replicate the trusses that I have previously built. On the template, I taped some blocks around a previously built truss. I then built 4 more trusses using some scrap wood which is very close in size to the original. I also used the hobby saw to cut some strip wood from the same plywood from which the trusses were originally laser cut. These new trusses look to be a near perfect match to the trusses that I already have, so I hope this works out OK.
My plan is to follow the manual using the original trusses and glue those to the roof board. Then I will glue these additional trusses to the building. The conduit will be glued to these additional trusses but not to the original ones. This way, the roof can still be removed. Wish me luck.
Ken, I'm looking forward to it too. I just need to figure out a good order of doing things. I spotted the original trusses. After they dry, I need to then drill a few holes and then I can install the additional trusses and then mount the conduit. Fingers crossed
Moving forward, I tried and tried to bend tubing in the shape of a gooseneck lamp and I had nothing but miserable results. Nothing I tried worked as the tubing always kinked. I guess I don't have the patience to figure this out, so I decided to come up with something different and I'm satisfied with this.
Here is one of the pendant lights for inside the structure and one of the lights with the modification I came up with for outside the building. These are wired with the same SMD LED I referred to in an earlier post. The wire is the same 30AWG magnet wire.
An overhead shot shows the conduit routing. All the wires go down through the large bore conduit and exit below the base of the diorama. I built the additional trusses using scrap wood.
A couple of pics through the doors: that's the roof in the background, the original trusses are glued to the roof. You can see the LED in the pendant light from this angle. I have a shade for the lights that I can add if I desire. I don't think you will be able to see the LEDs unless you can get below the structure though, so I probably won't use the shades.
i was gonna ask that too.