Best Of The Overland/Wiseman brass Western Maryland Shay thread

[peteski]

Ron, I have thin-wall brass (0.007" wall) tubes for project like this (so I don't have to drill them out to make the inside diameter larger).  They used to be available from Special Shapes Co. but they don't exist anymore (K&S Metals absorbed them and discontinued most of their items).  Albion Alloys I think carries similar tubing. I could also send you a piece of the tubing for other projects.  Stainless hypodermic tubing is also available with very thin walls, but it is more difficult to solder.

What size is that LED? Looks like a 0603 (0.060 x 0.030") to me.  The 0201 LED I mentioned earlier would easily fit in the tube.

[u18b]

Ron, I have thin-wall brass (0.007" wall) tubes for project like this (so I don't have to drill them out to make the inside diameter larger).  They used to be available from Special Shapes Co. but they don't exist anymore (K&S Metals absorbed them and discontinued most of their items).  Albion Alloys I think carries similar tubing. I could also send you a piece of the tubing for other projects.  Stainless hypodermic tubing is also available with very thin walls, but it is more difficult to solder.

What size is that LED? Looks like a 0603 (0.060 x 0.030") to me.  The 0201 LED I mentioned earlier would easily fit in the tube.

Yes.  It is a 0603.

[u18b]

Superdetailing: Rear Headlight 
Part 4

I had some tiny SMD LEDs that I bought for the EP-2 project.

They are 0603 in size.   

(I also ordered some 0402 warm white LEDs and even found some wired with the vertical orientation!  If I end up not needing them, they won’t go to waste.)

I had bought about 100 of these 0603 LEDs on a piece of SMD reel.  It’s a challenge  to wire them yourself, but it can be done…. (And is MUCH much easier than the insanity of trying to wire the microscopic 0402 size).



You also need some magnet wire.  I bought this years ago and have a ton to go. 100 feet of this stuff is a lot.

   

I like having green and red colors to keep polarity easy to spot.   I think of red at “hot” and make it the positive blue wire equivalent.  The green wire is the negative function wire (in this case, the yellow since this is a reverse light).




There is a tiny symbol on the back.
But I never remember polarity, so I wrote it on the bag holding the LEDs to be a reference.

The symbol “points” to the negative pole.

   

You need extra hands.   These LEDs are VERY tiny.

I have a soldering station with alligator clips holding a pair of closing tweezers holding the LED.

   

Magnet wire is cut.  The tip of the wire is touched with flux.  I then touch the tip of the wire with the solder.  The wire has an enamel coating which you do NOT want to scratch.   But the heat melts the coating and the wire is tinned.

   


I then trim the tinned end a bit shorter and dip the tip of the wire back in the solder paste.  I then use the wire to put paste on the LED solder pad.

Since these are oriented up and down, I wanted to solder the bottom  first- in this case, the green negative.

You need a LOW-watt soldering iron and just a quick little touch to make the solder joint.  Excess heat can kill the LED.


   

You’ll notice the red wire is sticking up a bit.   I carefully filed that down since it will be the top.

Here is the finished product.

   

[u18b]

Superdetailing: Rear Headlight 
Part 5


I then completed prepping the tender.

I marked the excess of the tube since I didn’t want to cut too short.

 

I left a little lip for soldering- making sure the headlight was pointing in the right direction.

 

   

I then trimmed the excess a bit more- especially at the edge leading to the middle of the tender.  I don’t want the wires to be damaged.



So the tube runs all the way from the top of the tender to the bottom.

   

I tested a decoder wire to see how it did.



My plan is to mount a circuit board in that area near the drawbar.

   

I had removed the weight.  It goes back in.  But instead of soldering the whole thing in, I want it removable.    So I filed an area down on the weight.

   

I then trimmed a piece of thin brass and soldered it to the tender floor.   This would lock the weight  in (no rattling!)  but could be easily unsoldered later.

 

[u18b]

Superdetailing: Rear Headlight 
Part 6

I then made a circuit board- but it was a failure for being too short.  So I made another long one.

I superglued it to the brass plate and then cut the traces.

A 4-pin TCS micro-socket was installed with a resistor plenty large enough to protect the LED.
I also mark the polarity.

   

I did a test run to see if the LED could be slid into the headlight casting.

   

I carefully removed the LED and covered it with superglue.  This provides short circuit protection against the metal casting.  The glue is also clear and not a hindrance to light.

Just for good measure I added a little superglue to the inside of the light casting.

I let all of the glue dry.

   

And just to be sure, before I permanently mount this, I do a quick test.  All is working fine.

   

Now, the magnet wire is SO thin that we need some substance to help it stay. 

I took some Digitrax decoder wire (usually a bit thicker) and pulled some insulation off.  Enough to go through most of the tube.

   

I cut it into two pieces and slid them up the wires.  The one nearest the LED was superglued in place.

   

I slid the LED up the tube and oriented the LED to shine out.
I then superglued the insulation at the tip of the tube.  This keeps the wires from the sharp metal.

   

Because it’s sticking u a little, I cut a slot in the frame.

   

I trimmed the LED wires and soldered them in place.  As is traditional, the resistor is on the negative function side.

 

To help visualize the polarity when putting the plug in, I added yellow paint to the socket.

   

I ran the needed wires to the inside of the locomotive and installed a micro plug.  I only needed 2 pins but 4 is stronger.

   

The tender is connected along with the wires and plugs.  After I took this photo, I added yellow to the plug to match the socket.

   

Everything is safe from shorting.

   

And we have success.

Once again as on many of my modeling projects, I feel like I’ve done microsurgery.

[peteski]

Nice!

When I do this type of SMD LED install in bare brass headligths I like to insulate *ALL* the electrically live metal areas on the LED (so I'm not in for a nasty surprise later).  I have dipped the LED  (up to where the bare wires end) in epoxy, Bondic, or for minimal thickness in clear nail polish.  I might be overly cautious, but that's just how I am.

For example, in your case the top metal  pad of the LED along with the solder and wire are not insulated.  To  me that would be unacceptable (even thouth it doesn't seem to be touching any of the brass.  But in a year or two, who knows . . .

[u18b]

Nice!

When I do this type of SMD LED install in bare brass headligths I like to insulate *ALL* the electrically live metal areas on the LED (so I'm not in for a nasty surprise later).  I have dipped the LED  (up to where the bare wires end) in epoxy, Bondic, or for minimal thickness in clear nail polish.  I might be overly cautious, but that's just how I am.

For example, in your case the top metal  pad of the LED along with the solder and wire are not insulated.  To  me that would be unacceptable (even thouth it doesn't seem to be touching any of the brass.  But in a year or two, who knows . . .

Good observation overall.   And good ideas.

In this case, though, the entire LED has been slathered with superglue twice.
And the tail light insides covered in superglue too.

So it is not bare as might appear.

[peteski]

Good observation overall.   And good ideas.

In this case, though, the entire LED has been slathered with superglue twice.
And the tail light insides covered in superglue too.

So it is not bare as might appear.

Very good!  CA glue will do the trick. You made no mention of insulating the LED itself, so I figured I would mention it.

[u18b]

Yep. I mentioned it two photos after the circuit board.  Though I didn't mention doing it twice- which I did do.

But there's a LOT of info here.
It has been a chore to write it all up.

And a chore for y'all to read!

[peteski]

Yep. I mentioned it two photos after the circuit board.  Though I didn't mention doing it twice- which I did do.

But there's a LOT of info here.
It has been a chore to write it all up.

And a chore for y'all to read!

I scrolled through that post twice and didn't see it.  Just now I looked through it one more time, and this time I saw it mentioned.  I'm getting worse with my reading comprehension.  It might be a chore, but it is very interesting stuff!  It sure is a lot of (good) info.

[u18b]

Hey, I'm honored that anybody is even reading.
 

[Teditor]

Hey, I'm honored that anybody is even reading.
 

Not a word missed down under, some truly incredible modelling and instructional story telling.
Ted (Teditor) Freeman
From the Land Down Under

[StewRRFan]

"Hey, I'm honored that anybody is even reading."

Ron - This is great work.  I come back to the post several times a day hoping there is an update.  Stunning work. 
 

[Chris333]

I read it all and loved it.

[metalworkertom]

Awesome work. Reading this is about the only break I get while trying to get packed up to move.