KATO 11-214 lighting kits evaluation

[OldEastRR]

These things are great! v 3.0 of the lighting assemblies for their passenger cars outshines all the other versions. I had been fooling around with resistors to reduce the voltage (and heat) from the old v1.0 kits but heck with that now!! These new LEDs are almost impossible to tell from incandescent bulbs. And no heat! Putting in the orange filter gives another intensity/hue to the light so some cars can look different.
These beat all to hell both the incandescents and the cold blue "fluorescent" light of the v 2.o LEDs.

[Ngineer]

the old v1.0 kits

Are these the ones with bulbs?

And v2.0 kits are the ones with the flickering LEDs?

   Javier

[OldEastRR]

The v1.0 kits were incandescent 12v bulbs. On some brands of DCC power they can overheat, burn their holders, and produce enough heat to melt the car roof over them.  They came with a strip of aluminum foil backing for the light bar, and the light bar was solid with regular V-shaped diffusing cuts spaced along it. No longer made.
V 2.0 kits have blue-white LEDs that produce a fluorescent-lamp type lighting. But they and the latest ones can handle DCC power (and no overheating). They have a solid light bar with slots spaced along the sides instead of V-cuts and no foil strip. There's also a white painted diffusing stripe down the middle.
The latest LEDs produce a warm "incandescent" glow, and come with orange filters to mellow the light even more. They have the same kind of light bars as the V2.0, but thinner.

[peteski]

You missed describing the first LED-based lighting kit. I think that one was called V1 (not the incandescent one). Or maybe it was just called "LED version".  I have few of those in my stash.

That one used LED circuit board of the same shape as the V2 kit, but the LED and other components were different. The LED was a bluish white LED, not as bright as V2 LED. It also included an amber filter.  The clear plastic diffuser had V-grooves (similar to incandescent version).

[OldEastRR]

Actually I did mention the blue-white LEDs, then noted the newest versions are warm yellow. There was a second "Phase" of the incandescents, with everything the same except the lightbar has a series of lateral ridges at the end that went against the bulb. Not really sure what they were for.
The sets were sold as singles/6-packs: 11-205/206; 11-211/212; 11-213/214. The LEDs never came with reflector strips but have the amber diffusers. All the LED sets are listed as "Version 2", but the instruction sheets explain if the LEDs are fluorescent or "incandescent" light producers.
It's interesting that the first sets just listed the bulb voltage at 12. The second sets added a note that the maximum voltage was 14. the third set instructions listed both those items and a suggestion that keeping the wheels and rails clean would avoid flickering.
I learned the hard way that the bulbs were not designed to handle the higher voltage of DCC without overheating. Sure were bright, tho!!

[peteski]

I don't think you understand.  Forget the incandescent ones. There seem to be three versions of the LED-based sets.  The first one used a dimmer LED and the diffuser bars has the same grooves as the older incandescent sets.  Then the following two designs used brighter LED, and totally different light diffuser.

[OldEastRR]

You have to post photos of all versions you mention.