LEGO LIGHTS

[Another Brick In The Wall]

I was never sold on LEGO Lights until I got gifted the light kit for Darth Vader Mediation Chamber and they brought the set alive.  LEGO Light Kits are expensive, ranging up to 2/3 the price of the set they go on:
(1) I know very little about electronics, are they are a rip-off?  Is there a cheaper way to DIY?

(2) How long before LEGO starts producing optional light kits?

Edited November 30, 2021 by Another Brick In The Wall

[mvLego]

3 hours ago, Another Brick In The Wall said:

(1) I know very little about electronics, are they are a rip-off?  Is there a cheaper way to DIY?

As far as materials go: almost certainly more expensive. I hate to say rip-off because with a light kit, you're paying for someone else's expertise. It's something I've been meaning to look into as I do want to light some sets, but I never want to do a light kit again...

3 hours ago, Another Brick In The Wall said:

(2) How long before LEGO starts producing optional light kits?

I hope soon! I've done one light kit and while the end result was good, it was super frustrating to assemble. (It very quickly went from a gift that my wife was happy to have gotten me to a "I'm never getting you a light kit again" present. Again, it looks great! But the cables ... oh the cables.) I assume Lego would either design sets with the light kits in mind, and thus make cable management easier, or they could (re?)introduce components with electronics to carry current/electricity/light-magic.

[dr_spock]

It is way cheaper to do it yourself.  You can customize to your exact requirements.  Learning to solder is a good life skill.

 

[mvLego]

3 hours ago, dr_spock said:

It is way cheaper to do it yourself.  You can customize to your exact requirements.  Learning to solder is a good life skill.

 

Can you provide any tips on how to get started on DIY lighting? What types of lights, wires, and other components are needed? Some type of LED logic board or other control mechanism? Not sure if outside sales links are allowed, but anything to push me in the right direction on what products to buy would be appreciated.

[Toastie]

6 hours ago, dr_spock said:

Learning to solder is a good life skill.

I absolutely agree on this.

3 hours ago, mvLego said:

What types of lights, wires, and other components are needed?

Get some LEDs. They are dead cheap. 2mm, 3mm, 5mm. Use defined (red, yellow, green, blue, "white") colors first. Experiment with resistors (brightness). Move on to RGB LEDs. Explore LED stripes; they come with a remote, again, dead cheap. China is your friend.

5mm LEDs fit perfectly into technic holes (of technic bricks).

Wires: As "tiny" as possible; today's LEDs need very low current. Experiment. Flexible wires for testing, rigid wires for final design, as you can massage them, and they stay there.

Well, as far as I came, that is. Others may suggest alternatives!

Best
Thorsten

[1963maniac]

When you do it yourself, are you able to disassemble or do they need to be left on display?

[Toastie]

15 hours ago, 1963maniac said:

When you do it yourself, are you able to disassemble or do they need to be left on display?

It depends. For buildings, I mostly don't want to disassemble them. Also, I usually use "manipulated" bricks holding the LEDs = nothing for the purists. The wiring is generally in a way allowing assembly/disassembly.

Best,
Thorsten

[dr_spock]

On 11/30/2021 at 1:28 PM, mvLego said:

Can you provide any tips on how to get started on DIY lighting? What types of lights, wires, and other components are needed? Some type of LED logic board or other control mechanism? Not sure if outside sales links are allowed, but anything to push me in the right direction on what products to buy would be appreciated.

There are many ways to light the way. 

5mm white LED and 30 gauge wire.

The 5mm LED fits in a Technic brick hole.  You need add resistor (the small component with the color stripes) to limit the current flowing to the LEDs. Otherwise, you could destroy them. I use the formula V=IR or an online calculator like: https://www.hobby-hour.com/electronics/ledcalc.php

12 volt LED strips are easier. They come with resistors already installed. You can cut them to length at designated cut points and power them directly with 12 volt DC. They have a sticky strip that you can stick to the LEGO. I used wires from old computer cables for these ceiling light plates.

A spool of plain white LED strip costs under $10 and lights a 20 unit LEGO tower apartment display.

I added a jack to plug in a 12V power adapter for my club members who would be transporting and setting up the display at events when I'm not there.

LED strips work for a night light too.

I order from eBay or AliExpress. To keep costs down I reuse parts from my collection old electronics.  Tools used are a soldering iron for electronics and wire cutter stripper.

There are many how-to resources online on LEDs, soldering, wiring, etc. like https://www.brainy-bits.com/tutorials  You can also find books at your local public library.

 

On 11/30/2021 at 7:04 PM, 1963maniac said:

When you do it yourself, are you able to disassemble or do they need to be left on display?

Anything can be disassembled and reused.  Soldered connections can be desoldered. 

[1963maniac]

Thanks dr_spock for sharing. Knowing when to add a resister would be my downfall. LED strips would be the way to go for me.

There are many companies on Aliexpress that offer these kits and/or componants for DIY users. I researched this last year but did not buy because of the cost.

I wanted to light my winter village. Each year I add a new set. It has gotten rather expensive to consider doing it. 

Is there a limit as to how many LED strips can be strung together?

[mvLego]

@Toastie and @dr_spock Thank you!

[Toastie]

7 hours ago, 1963maniac said:

Knowing when to add a resister would be my downfall

Google "resistor" + "LED" and "voltage". Then some entry may show this link: https://kitronik.co.uk/blogs/resources/which-resistor-should-i-use-with-my-led

They have a web based calculator where type in voltage and other info, and then you have the resistor value. It is really worth the "effort", as it is fun to learn new stuff, and it actually works!

Best
Thorsten