Hello,
Does anyone have any experience with N Brass Colour Light Signals? I am considering using the 2 aspect kit to form the basis of the signals on my layout but wonder how long the LEDs last and how easy are they to replace once the signal is built. I am conjuring up ways of possibly making the back of the signal head removable to facilitate replacement if needed. Any thoughts or advice?
Thanks.
Chris.
LEDs will last for the life of the layout, providing you stick within their operating parameters.
Quote from: Bealman on October 04, 2019, 12:11:24 PM
LEDs will last for the life of the layout, providing you stick within their operating parameters.
Thank you. How long, in your experience, have they lasted?
Anything I have bought that includes LEDs usually state that they will last 1000+ hours.
Might have remembered that wrong! See -
https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/led-life-expectancy-2009-02/ (https://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-luminaries/led-life-expectancy-2009-02/)
Yes, LED failure, once wired properly just isn't a factor.
The N Brass kits are mega fiddly though! I'd use CR Signals ones myself.
Quote from: chrispearce on October 04, 2019, 12:42:33 PM
Quote from: Bealman on October 04, 2019, 12:11:24 PM
LEDs will last for the life of the layout, providing you stick within their operating parameters.
Thank you. How long, in your experience, have they lasted?
As in the posts above, basically forever :beers:
Never yet had an LED fail "in service", only through accidental incorrect connection without a resistor :-[ I have LED signals that have been installed since 1995/6. Ok so they may spend months not in use (with the layout in storage), but I have no concerns about LED life as such.
The Led's will last longer than your layout, or possibly even yourself :D
This assumes that the solder joints to the LEDs are good though, on the LED circuits on my Dapol loco's where the lights don't work, it's the wiring and solder joints that have come a cropper.
Regards,
John P
Thank you all very much. That gladdens my heart no end. Never used them before. Last time I had a colour light signal was as a youngster. It was made by taking a red and a green grain-of-wheat bulbs wrapping black masking tape around them and sticking the wires down a drinking straw which I had painted black. It looked OK and worked.
The world has moved on since then!
Quote from: njee20 on October 04, 2019, 01:03:10 PM
The N Brass kits are mega fiddly though! I'd use CR Signals ones myself.
I have looked at CR Signals. They are expensive ~ £20.00 + and they don't have the range to meet my needs. The N Brass signals are £5.00 per signal and, being kits, I can kit-bash any type of signal I need. I know they will be tiny and will try my patient to the limit (and beyond) but, at least, I would like to buy one and see what I can do with it. :goggleeyes:
CR Signals do kits too, and they'll produce more or less whatever you want (in the ready made line). Their kits come with LEDs, resistors etc.
Quote from: njee20 on October 04, 2019, 03:20:14 PM
CR Signals do kits too, and they'll produce more or less whatever you want (in the ready made line). Their kits come with LEDs, resistors etc.
By heck! You are right njee20. I didn't see that part of their website when I looked before. You feel they are better than the N Brass ones?
i have had a look into both
https://www.crsignals.com/n-gauge-kits (https://www.crsignals.com/n-gauge-kits) and
https://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/n-gauge-signals.html (https://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/n-gauge-signals.html)]https://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/n-gauge-signals.html
but no decision made yet, like you tried the ' here is one i made earlier ' technique :
taking a red and a green grain-of-wheat bulbs wrapping black masking tape around them and sticking the wires down a drinking straw which I had painted black
Quote from: crewearpley40 on October 04, 2019, 03:26:13 PM
i have had a look into both
https://www.crsignals.com/n-gauge-kits (https://www.crsignals.com/n-gauge-kits) and
https://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/n-gauge-signals.html (https://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/n-gauge-signals.html)]https://www.heathcote-electronics.co.uk/n-gauge-signals.html
but no decision made yet, like you tried the ' here is one i made earlier ' technique :
taking a red and a green grain-of-wheat bulbs wrapping black masking tape around them and sticking the wires down a drinking straw which I had painted black
Aren't G-O-W bulbs somewhat overscale for N?
yes agree but i converted and downsized to n gauge after a house move and i was young and saw potential in N
Quote from: crewearpley40 on October 04, 2019, 03:35:59 PM
yes agree but i converted and downsized to n gauge after a house move and i was young and saw potential in N
The D-I-Y signal I described was something I saw in a book someone gave me. It did look OK but after being lit for a few minutes the bulbs got hot (of course) and caused the masking tape to smoke and melt. No future there then!
good luck with finding the right signal for you then and hope the links helped
Heathcote just sell the CR Signals, same products. N Brass are designed to be cosmetic only, but they sell bits to make them working. You need to source your own tube IIRC because they come with a piece of wire instead (ie nowhere to run the wires).
If you're good with brass kits then the N Brass ones are closer to scale, but you have to roll the hoods up out of a flat sheet, which is really really small. Personally I'm just not good enough for that! CR Signals use a pre-formed plastic head.
I have 3D printed a Unipart Dorman 4-aspect LED signal head, but done nothing with it at the moment! It has recesses for LEDs though.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48607272123_f57c956154.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2h4fYxV)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2h4fYxV) by njee20 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/46244709@N04/), on Flickr