[WIP] Light up all Modulars with LEDs

[Berthil]

After tiling all floors of all modulars I think it is time to add LEDs to all my modulars. Since kits around there vary from 50 (Aliexpress) to 125 Euro I want to do it myself since buying 13 LED kits times 125 Euro is not an option. So goal is to light up all of these:

So I want to do all the wiring and soldering myself. Because it is first in line in my street I started with Market Street. Goal is to use no LED strips and original lamps of the modulars. Where there are no lamps I will add some like below with the 'vegetable hall' of Market Street.  Estimated total cost of all 13 modulars: 150 Euro. All materials already bought from the local electronics shop together with some good advice, beats any webshop. How long lighting up the Modulars will take will show this thread from this first post to last, I don't expect it to be a short one.

Drilling out all lamp posts for wiring, all got through without damage.

First tryout, the 0,04mm wires fit well between the tile grooves and even through the small hole under the stud in the headlight bricks. Where possible I hide wires with 3mm tubes, in Market Street very little modifications were necessary.

Pleased with the choice of 3mm warm white LEDS, the wires fit through the stud holes.

For Market Street I have added two lamps to light up the 'vegetable hall', the wires run through the 3mm tubes so no wires visible.

I'll keep you posted with progress but as said, this is going to be a long WIP.

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by Berthil

[beverly888]

I'll probably never light my own buildings, but it's great to see the nuts and bolts of how it's done.  Thanks for creating this thread.

Cheers!

Beverly

[DeanLearner]

I love the handcrafted approach you’re taking. One problem with the existing lighting sets are that they inneviably obscure the interior with trailing wires to some extent. Your lamp system with integrated wires is possibly one way to minimise this. How are you planning to deal with the issue of wiring each of the separable floors?

[Berthil]

3 hours ago, DeanLearner said:

How are you planning to deal with the issue of wiring each of the separable floors?

I had thought of a system with technic bricks and contacts between floors but this would mean too many modified LEGO parts and modified houses. But I still like the idea very much, take off a floor and the lights go out and no wires to the next floor. Put the floor on and the lights go on. I've not given up yet but it must be workable without too many wires and modified Lego parts.

I'm running the whole system on a 9V train regulator with the right resistor to make the LEDS at their brightest at 9V and dim the lights from there to my liking. So I want to use the old 9V plugs between floors and between houses. This means I can take the floor of and unplug and it is also possible the order of houses or even light 1 house on it's own when taking out of the street. I like the idea of using as much LEGO parts as possible and being flexible in how to display the house in the street.

The old 9V plugs are not so tight as the current Powerfunction cables, they separate more easily. I also though of putting two 9V plugs as connection between floors as a solution to my first and favorite 'plugless' idea. The problem with the idea of 2 9V plugs between floors is I need double the amount of plugs. It needs about 34 cables for all modulars and I think too much wall modification is needed. So I think I'll stick to my original idea of one 9V plug for every floor. It's more practical and a LEGO solution without modifying the Modulars too much.

Any thoughts are welcome though.

Edit: still busy with the 'plugless' idea to connect floors by contacts, haven't given up yet. May be found a solution that takes up a 2x2 brick and actually looks good. Tomorrow I will test more and see if it works and keeps working.

 

Edited February 12, 2018 by Berthil

[Kalahari134]

You seem to be having a lot more luck with the streetlights than I am. The first one for me went pretty much OK (tiny bulge in the lower section) but the second one was a disaster with the drill bit exiting prematurely from both directions. I probably got too confident after the first one (was really gentle and it took ages) and pressed too hard. Oh well...

[ronenson]

That's really nice. I'm actually in the process of lighting up my Lego city with modulars and trains as well. I'm however starting with automating a level crossing using an Arduino, and take it from there. I have also been thinking about the connection between floors of modulars, and I was thinking about using a magnetic connector between the floors. I haven't found a suitable connector for that yet that's still affordable enough in quantities. Good luck, I will closely follow this thread!

[Berthil]

7 hours ago, ronenson said:

 I was thinking about using a magnetic connector between the floors.

That's a very good idea. I also looked and cheapest miniature contacts go for 2 Euro's per pair. I also thought of miniature contacts with a feathered pin but it's hard to keep it miniature.

I now just use 1.5 mm cooper wire that fits, with insulation, exactly in an open stud. I'm currently testing and will report back if it will work.
This method is 80% LEGO, very low cost, it actually looks like an electric coil and colors are easy to match existing wall colors with minimum changes so I hope it will work.

[Berthil]

So this is what I tried and it seems to work although it's not designed to take of the floors 10 times a day. The copper pins will transport current to the next floor. From there I can solder wires to where ever I want to the same connection on the next floor and solder the lights on that floor. This takes up just 1 brick at the back and a 1x2 brick on the inside. Since it is possible to match colors of the wall nothing can be seen on the inside of the wall with this construction. With the exposed 9V plug I can hook up the next modular to the power source.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Berthil

[ronenson]

Wow, that's a pretty cool solution. I'm gonna give that a try as well

[ER0L]

Ouch, that drilling pic really hurts … 

However something like this really makes me concerned because it keeps me thinking what’s going to happen to our hobby in the long term. There doesn’t even seem to be a moment of hesitation if using such Nonlego products in a Lego setting might be okay or not. Personally, I think it isn’t, because solving Lego problems with the help of Nonlego makes no sense to me. A common statement in such cases is that we have to look for ourselves because Lego hasn’t this and Lego hasn’t that as if Lego is something imperfect which it isn’t in my opinion. It’s just Lego, not scale modelling. And it’s definitely not imperfect when it comes to lighting: There are quite a few options, regarding especially the older stuff like the ingenious Light & Sound system - even minifig scale cars can be enlighted with 100% Lego solutions.

No offense, it’s just my personal opinion, of course anybody can do with his or her Lego as he or she pleases, however presenting Nonlego solutions in a Lego forum might not be appreciated by every FOL.

[Berthil]

36 minutes ago, Blk69 said:

Suggest you get a small micro connector plug (keyed for only one way connection) to connect the floors.  Fear if you try to have some pins or something in the bricks, they will get bent when you place the individual floors on the table.  Other option is to never take the floors apart....that is a fairly high shelf you have there, maybe you wont take them apart that much?

The pins are 1,2 mm copper, they wont bent and the connection is not in the long copper part. The long copper part is for soldering wires to. Indeed they are high on a shelf and only take them of the shelf only once or twice a year.

33 minutes ago, ER0L said:

No offense, it’s just my personal opinion, of course anybody can do with his or her Lego as he or she pleases, however presenting Nonlego solutions in a Lego forum might not be appreciated by every FOL.

Surely that discussion must have taken place somewhere else on the forum multiple times. Basically the only thing I did so far was drilling some holes and adding some none LEGO parts in the form of wiring and LEDs because you can't light up the Modulars with Powerfunction LEDs. How terrible. It took me 2 years to make the decision to add LEDs to the modulars because they are so nice but just stand there in the dark at night. Adding LEDs will make them come to life the way they deserve. I'm not trying to convince people to do the same, just to show may be a way how to do it for people that have taken the same decision. For 100% Lego fans that cannot appreciate LEDs in models (Star Wars, LOFTR, truck models etc.), just look the other way would be my suggestion.

Edited February 12, 2018 by Berthil

[beverly888]

I 

38 minutes ago, Berthil said:

Surely that discussion must have taken place somewhere else on the forum multiple times. Basically the only thing I did so far was drilling some holes and adding some none LEGO parts in the form of wiring and LEDs because you can't light up the Modulars with Powerfunction LEDs. How terrible. It took me 2 years to make the decision to add LEDs to the modulars because they are so nice but just stand there in the dark at night. Adding LEDs will make them come to life the way they deserve. I'm not trying to convince people to do the same, just to show may be a way how to do it for people that have taken the same decision. For 100% Lego fans that cannot appreciate LEDs in models (Star Wars, LOFTR, truck models etc.), just look the other way would be my suggestion.

Go for it, I say.  LEGO is an artist's medium.  Do what you will with it to enhance your enjoyment and creativity.  I've drilled LEGO before, but not my MOCs - just because I don't have the right equipment to do it well.  Have fun and create!

Cheers!

Beverly

[SassQueen]

This is fascinating.

I wish the hubs would be on board with installing shelves like these, because that's how I'd love to display mine.

[Foxw]

On 2/11/2018 at 6:17 PM, DeanLearner said:

I love the handcrafted approach you’re taking. One problem with the existing lighting sets are that they inneviably obscure the interior with trailing wires to some extent. Your lamp system with integrated wires is possibly one way to minimise this. How are you planning to deal with the issue of wiring each of the separable floors?

Berthil. i might suggest using parts like 4755 1x2 w/contacts  or its brothers, in place of the usual 1x4 w/2 studs they can conduct your power between floors, just make sure to have each floor on a 'pass on' circuit, ie fl1 has its lights & the power feed to upstairs , else lights will only come on when all hooked up (you clearly understand this from your pictures, but felt should clarify, for everyone else)

 

also, you might want to consider 0.04 SMDs, yes they are a nightmare to solder but so tiny and give off less heat. 

as an example my other hobby is plastic model mecha. plamo plastic is VERY temp sensitive. slighted heat will warp the stuff. but thanks to smds i pulled off this 

Spoiler

 

taken during wip, the lighted areas except the chest were too tight to accept leds

but far as the tubing idea, yes LOVE IT, so stealing that idea

 

edit 2: :| i'm also jelous, i've hunted for 5 yrs to find 0.04mm braided wire my way, (canada), all anyone has now is that magnet wire stuff in that size, which is okay, but can't carry the amperage to run over 2 smds on a single circuit.

Edited February 13, 2018 by Foxw

[Berthil]

@Foxw  Thanks for the tip on the 4755. I would really like to use something like that but it will be hard to solder all the wiring to it. I'm also with you on the heat thing, I've looked into the SMD and concluded that's a bridge too far for me to solder. Advancing in the project I notice my skills go up on soldering the 3mm LEDs, the wires behind the LED take up less and less room. To avoid heat I'm running everything on 2,8 volts to keep the milliamps down. The 9V train regulator is able to light the LEDs from step 1 to 6 with a 100 ohm resistor to the LEDs. Alle the LEDs are in parallel because I don't want unpredictable light because of voltage drop.

The 0.04 wires I found work very well. They don't knick and break and are strong when pulling.
7 Euros for 10m at Conrad

 

[Berthil]

1st floor with bakery shop of Market Street done (bakery shop is not standard in the original Market Street). As a tryout I wanted to see how small I can make the lamps, at the right bottom you can see how the two lamps above the counter are composed. Above that the 3V 'lifeline' with contacts (I might use thinner wires for the next floor) So I can take of the 1st floor as intended with the Modulars and the lights go out. Put it back and the light go on. When the Market Street is done I will make a movie.

Very pleased with the result so far. Standing in front you can actually see the whole shop inside with just looking through the windows. LEDs are on maximum voltage, it is possible to dim them in 6 steps with the 9V train power supply. Look how dull and dark the floors above the lighted floors look :)

 

Edited February 13, 2018 by Berthil

[ColletArrow]

I'm following this topic with interest, as I like both the process and result.

Are you going to implement switches, such that the interior and exterior lights are separate? That way you could still appreciate the inside details in 'day' time, when the outside lights wouldn't be on. Either way, it's looking excellent so far, and I can't wait for more! 

[Foxw]

21 hours ago, Berthil said:

@Foxw  Thanks for the tip on the 4755. I would really like to use something like that but it will be hard to solder all the wiring to it. I'm also with you on the heat thing, I've looked into the SMD and concluded that's a bridge too far for me to solder. Advancing in the project I notice my skills go up on soldering the 3mm LEDs, the wires behind the LED take up less and less room. To avoid heat I'm running everything on 2,8 volts to keep the milliamps down. The 9V train regulator is able to light the LEDs from step 1 to 6 with a 100 ohm resistor to the LEDs. Alle the LEDs are in parallel because I don't want unpredictable light because of voltage drop.

The 0.04 wires I found work very well. They don't knick and break and are strong when pulling.
7 Euros for 10m at Conrad

 

thanks for the lead on the wireing.

 

actually, i don't solder to the 4755's (not yet to point i want to harm my lego parts), but i find i just line up the wires and let contact pressure do more then enough.

 

and ya, the parallel is the way to go, sadly i had to for that photo run 3 separate circuits off 1 psu (wound up needing wall power), because of the magnet wires low amperage capacity.

 

 

and smds are great, the crazy small ones ya need a jig, and you pre-solder the wires then place n heat via wire not component like with old style leds

[Berthil]

11 hours ago, ColletArrow said:

Are you going to implement switches, such that the interior and exterior lights are separate? That way you could still appreciate the inside details in 'day' time, when the outside lights wouldn't be on. Either way, it's looking excellent so far, and I can't wait for more! 

That a very good suggestion but have not done that. It's however already a lot of work, adding switches will add more complexity and I probably won't have the lights on during day time because I will never sell the houses and hope to get old and I hope the LEDs will get old too so I don't have to replace them. Having them on during daylight will probably shorten their life more than running them at night only. Plus I would have to apply 13 switches every night and morning to switch the exterior light on and of because I want every house to be able to stand on it's own without having a connection to the next house.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Berthil

[ColletArrow]

One of many benefits of LEDs is that they don't wear out easily! 

When I was referring to "daytime", I didn't mean running them all day. It was just if you wanted to take photos of the buildings as if it were daytime for the minifigs rather than nighttime, you might not want the "outside" streetlights on. But if that's not going to happen, then yes, all in one circuit makes the wiring significantly easier.

[Berthil]

@ColletArrow The idea for the switch for the pictures is very good but it would be a lot of work just for pictures. I already have many pictures of the modular interiors because of my 'all floors tiled' project. When the LED project is finished I will do the same photo shoot of all the floors but without the studio lights :)

[Berthil]

2nd floor of the bakery is ready, here without walls. I've added LEDs to dough table, oven and cabinet. The LED at the cabinet will have a 1x2 reflector tile above it attached to the ceiling.

Tonight I will make more pictures when assembled and dark, I hope there will be some red glow visible from the oven  :)

[ER0L]

On 12.2.2018 at 11:42 PM, Berthil said:

Surely that discussion must have taken place somewhere else on the forum multiple times. Basically the only thing I did so far was drilling some holes and adding some none LEGO parts in the form of wiring and LEDs because you can't light up the Modulars with Powerfunction LEDs. How terrible. It took me 2 years to make the decision to add LEDs to the modulars because they are so nice but just stand there in the dark at night. Adding LEDs will make them come to life the way they deserve. I'm not trying to convince people to do the same, just to show may be a way how to do it for people that have taken the same decision. For 100% Lego fans that cannot appreciate LEDs in models (Star Wars, LOFTR, truck models etc.), just look the other way would be my suggestion.

Well, your solution has taken place somewhere else, too - I’ve seen this several times already. However, “bringing the city to life” is also a major aspect for me, not only in terms of lighting - I’m just stating that you don’t need any Nonlego stuff to accomplish that. And that’s because we’re living in great times where all the amazing things TLG has produced over the years is just a BL order away. And it’s even more fantastic that all that stuff can be easily combined with the technologies we have nowadays (see the pics below). It’s true that lighting the inside of a building with PF LEDs is difficult - that’s why I mentioned the Light & Sound lights (see https://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&catString=123) which come in handy here (and which aren’t even that expensive). Of course all this takes some effort and consideration but in my opinion it’s worth it. Anyhow, whoever is interested in 100% Lego lighting solutions might want to take a look at this album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/er0l/albums/72157646066952981  

 

 

[CCSG]

I think it's great and something I'm planning in the future. Thanks for the information and inspiration. 

[Berthil]

@ ER0L, thanks for your opinion, it is clear to me you like to keep it 100% TLG.
I don't see any Modulars with 100% TLG lights.

Meanwhile 2nd floor Market Street is ready.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Berthil