That's a great idea. Do you have details on how you put it together?

At my blog I've more pictures.

I've used 0,1mm magnetic wire, drilled a hole from the foot to the head. Flaggy is glued to PC board tie. There I've installed three (!!!) brass angles and a 1,5 kOhm resistor. This way I can place him at any track, even H0n3 track.

Wolfgang

Mad props to ya!  That is awesome, quite the departure from little folded bits of paper most of us use.

Josh

I've got the idea from Laurie at the Hon3 list.

The hardest part was soldering the two wires to the SMD LED. The first one left my tweezers and I found it when I finished the flagman. But I had some experience. For my steam engine type ELNA I've used about 20 LEDs. For six lamps!!!

Wolfgang

Nice work.. Now the next step is to animate him so he waves his arm.

Marc Fournier, Quebec

Nice work.. Now the next step is to animate him so he waves his arm.

Perhaps using some heat wire, or a bi-metal strip, with track current through it for the heat source.  The metal bows or straightens at different temperatures.

A bimetal spring would move one way when electicity was applied, but if it doesn't turn off the arm only moves one way, never returns to position.  Therefore you need to turn on power to get the arm to move one way, then turn off power for the arm to return to original position, then turn power back on, etc to get him to wave the lantern.

Sorry, I only wrote half of my thinking.  As the metal heats and moves, it breaks the circuit, and so cools.  Then it moves back and then re-makes the circuit.  The old-fashioned automotive flashers worked on this principle.  That's why, when you plug in trailer lights, the flash rate was so much faster:  bigger load, more current, more heat faster. 

I've used heat wire in large applications to move shutters or dampers.  And I've seen small wire available, I just haven't used it.  Maybe an old thermostat with the coiled bi-metal strip could be the source of parts.  You shouldn't need much length, because you only need to move a small distance.

I just remembered (or I think I remember:  it's tough when you're over 60) that there was an MR or RMC article 10-20 years ago about heat wire for operating crossing gates.  Anyone recall?

Wolfgang,

A oh so cool detail!  Thanks for sharing!

Rick

I just remembered (or I think I remember:  it's tough when you're over 60) that there was an MR or RMC article 10-20 years ago about heat wire for operating crossing gates.  Anyone recall?

Yes, there was an article using shape memory wire; nitinol of flexinol, etc. in MR for sure.  About 10 years ago sounds right.

I have read that it only performs well and reliably over time if it is driven with a PWM circuit rather than just applying power.