I soldered 0201 LEDs.

[C855B]

That’s exactly what they are. Hey, so how would feel about designing me a lighting circuit that flashes them with the same frequency, but with one slightly out of synch with the other?

http://www.ngineering.com is happy to modify one of their micro-sized flasher boards for things like this. IIRC when I had it done there was a small programming fee ($15 or so) on top of the board price (also cheap).

[DKS]

Hint: You can turn any regular LED into a blinking LED by wiring it in series with a self-blinking LED, such as:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-5-Lot-PRE-WIRED-5mm-LED-9-VOLT-RED-FLASHING-ON-SNAP-9V-PREWIRED-BLINK-FLASHING/382962620835

[peteski]

Yes, DKS has the simplest and cheapest idea. You still need to come up with a DC power supply for those (bridge rectifier and a filter capacitor).
Assuming that the flashing period and frequency looks realistic for this application.

[craigolio1]

Great idea. I didn’t know that was possible. However I don’t know if that would work for my application. I want the two 0201 LEDs to flash with the same frequency but not at the same time. Like a heart beat. Those types of battery powered lights would have been turned on manually one after the other so they likely would not have been in sync.

[peteski]

Great idea. I didn’t know that was possible. However I don’t know if that would work for my application. I want the two 0201 LEDs to flash with the same frequency but not at the same time. Like a heart beat. Those types of battery powered lights would have been turned on manually one after the other so they likely would not have been in sync.

Those flashing LEDs do not have very precise flashing timing. They should go in and out of sync.  But if they are too similar, you could add a low value resistor to one circuit which will slightly change the supply voltage and alter the frequency of the internal oscillator which is used for flash timing.

But what worries me is that the flashes from those LEDs will not look realistic (for example the "on" period might be too long).  The highway flashers have long off period, followed by a fast strobe-like flash.

[C855B]

Let me offer a little firsthand experience with the 1:1 versions of those flashers for guidance here...

There is no need to try to precisely match the flash frequency. Close is fine, 'cause that's how they were in real life. They were not electronic flashers, but used a special bulb with a built-in bi-metal strip that would make and break the connection from the filament heat. So like old-fashioned car turn signal flasher relays, no two would flash exactly at the same rate.

The problem as I see it is your experience of recalling the flashers in use was fleeting. You rarely got to see them in operation for more than a few minutes or even seconds as the train passed. If you sat there and watched them for, say, 10-15 minutes, you would see the pair gradually cycle in and out of sync. It was never a matter of which one was turned on first, they were just separate flashing lights with no connection to each other.

... The highway flashers have long off period, followed by a fast strobe-like flash.

Precisely, to extend battery life in the pre-LED era.

Use a separate FRED flasher circuit for each one. Those will have the strobe-like timing, and should have just enough variability to get that out-of-sync look. Ngineering and others have FRED boards.

[craigolio1]

Let me offer a little firsthand experience with the 1:1 versions of those flashers for guidance here...

There is no need to try to precisely match the flash frequency. Close is fine, 'cause that's how they were in real life. They were not electronic flashers, but used a special bulb with a built-in bi-metal strip that would make and break the connection from the filament heat. So like old-fashioned car turn signal flasher relays, no two would flash exactly at the same rate.

The problem as I see it is your experience of recalling the flashers in use was fleeting. You rarely got to see them in operation for more than a few minutes or even seconds as the train passed. If you sat there and watched them for, say, 10-15 minutes, you would see the pair gradually cycle in and out of sync. It was never a matter of which one was turned on first, they were just separate flashing lights with no connection to each other.

Precisely, to extend battery life in the pre-LED era.

Use a separate FRED flasher circuit for each one. Those will have the strobe-like timing, and should have just enough variability to get that out-of-sync look. Ngineering and others have FRED boards.

Awesome. Thanks for the insight and suggestions.

Craig

[DKS]

Yes, DKS has the simplest and cheapest idea. You still need to come up with a DC power supply for those (bridge rectifier and a filter capacitor).

Or a battery...

[nickelplate759]

Or a battery...

WHAT?  Like the prototype?  Unacceptable!   

...and a great idea.

[craigolio1]

I’ve been against batteries up to now. But power pickup on this caboose will be a pain so I’m open to batteries. I’ll have to see how much room there is inside with two flasher circuits.

[peteski]

I'm totally anti-battery and I thought DKS was too (at least in the past).  There are short-wheelbase low-friction trucks out there designed for all-wheel pickup (Kato, Bachmann, and possibly others), so that should be doable.  Especially for someone who just soldered 0201 LEDs!   

Or even if you just used metal wheels (like FVM wheels) in a plastic truck, you could still use axle wiper and have each truck pick up from one rail, then use a Keep-alive cap to keep the flashers flashing during intermittent pickup.  Stay away from batteries! 

[DKS]

I'm totally anti-battery and I thought DKS was too (at least in the past).

Not sure how you arrived at that. I've been pro-battery for a very long time. All of my micro-layouts have been totally battery-powered, and my old White River and Northern home layout (c. 1999) had a bank of batteries powering all of the lights and animated features. It's true that I've often tried to power things in rolling stock via the rails, but that's usually been when batteries were impractical; otherwise, I've used batteries there, too. Sorry to see you're on the other side of the fence--"totally anti-battery" seems a bit extreme. Batteries solve a lot of problems.

 

[peteski]

Not sure how you arrived at that. I've been pro-battery for a very long time. All of my micro-layouts have been totally battery-powered, and my old White River and Northern home layout (c. 1999) had a bank of batteries powering all of the lights and animated features. It's true that I've often tried to power things in rolling stock via the rails, but that's usually been when batteries were impractical; otherwise, I've used batteries there, too. Sorry to see you're on the other side of the fence--"totally anti-battery" seems a bit extreme. Batteries solve a lot of problems.

I just don't like them. They can leak, have to be replaced, etc.
Sorry that I had a wrong impression about your stance on batteries. When the Rapido easy-peasy lighting boards were discussed, you were anti-battery in that thread. I'll have to see if I can dig it up.
As for my extreme stance, that applies to DCC (since that is what I use). When there is a source of continuous power from the track, using batteries seems silly. But I can see that in DC operation a battery powered device can have its place.

EDIT I quick forum search was fruitless - I must have been imagining it. 

[Rasputen]

I like it Craig.  BTW are those Canadian dimes smaller than the US ones?

Since Canada is about a 20 minute drive from where I live, we used to get all sorts of Canadian coins in circulation, usually given back as change at a store where they hoped you didn't notice.  The biggest problem was the Canadian dimes.  I think the Canadian dime is slightly lighter weight and the vending machines can be calibrated to reject them.  Once you received a Canadian dime, it was very hard to get rid of it.  Then I found out that vending machines out west weren't as picky, so I just saved up all of the Canadian coins I would get and take them with me.  Nowadays the banks must be inspecting rolled coins more closely, plus I charge almost everything.

OK, to stay on topic, nice work on the soldering.

[diezmon]

You've inspired me   

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