MonsterLEDs

You could do worse than Monster LEDs, IMO.

http://www.ebay.ca/usr/sellsellitall2011?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

LED source

I have bought LED's foir years from Evans Designs and have had great success.  You don't need resisters with their LEDs and they are fairly priced.

Strips of SMD LEDs for Number Boards

I worked on a project that required strips of LED for side lighting of small displays. We made the prototypes by epoxying four 1208 (2 mm x 3 mm) package LEDs ( similar to these) face down on a strip of frosted plastic which acted as a diffuser. After the epoxy had dried the LEDs were soldered end to end and power wires soldered to the anode and cathode of the end LEDs. After soldering the sides and back of the assemblies were coated with a black polymer designed to add strength to and protect electronic circuits. The completed assembly was about 2 mm x 12 mm x 1.5 mm, and the last time I checked forty plus prototypes are sill working after over 10,000 hours of environmental testing. The intensity of the LEDs was microprocessor controlled, but the power circuit included a device which restricted the current through the string to max current of 20 mA. Similar assemblies could be used to create number boards for steam locomotives, and the frosted plastic would provide a good surface on which to add decal numbers.

Micro LED choice and source

Hi,

There are lots of good sources for all sizes and sorts of LEDs. I purchase only white LEDs now and color and tint them to my application with Tamiya clear acrylic paints, which can be mixed for a wide range of colors. White LEDs tend to come with a blue tint, a yellow tint, and somewhere in the middle. I try to get the middle one which looks like a "normal" white to me. The blue tint LEDs are sometimes available in a wider range of sizes-- this is changing over time. I use the yellow tinted ones (or tint them myself) for "older" lighting. You may well find that the "color" of white that suits you may not suit another modeler. Try them out for yourself.

I use 0603 and slightly larger LEDs for headlights together with MV Products lenses. I drill a small shallow hole from the rear an ACC glue the LED to the rear facing forward. Then, glue the assembly into your headlight housing. Number boards can be lit with 0401, 0402, and 0603 LEDs with little problem.

I purchase mostly pre-wired LEDs with 38 guage magnet wires (because they're easy to hide) already attached from LedBaron who has an ebay store:

http://stores.ebay.com/ledbaron

They have a wide variety, are reasonably priced, have reasonable shipping costs, and are responsive. More importantly, the LEDs they ship are reliable and consistent in color and quality-- attributes I have found lacking from other sources.

If you want to purchase loose LEDs, a wider range of sources are available including but not limited to Digikey.com and Mouser.com for industrial grade quality and delivery. Be cautious of purchasing from resellers that may change their sources over time as the LEDs you get might also change. Ngineeriing and Litchfield station have been praised in many circles for their quality of service. Model railroad suppliers and retail stores tend to charge a bit more. Surplus suppliers vary all over the place.

If you want to work with loose LEDs and wire them yourself, you can see how I handle them myself here with some other tips: http://issuu.com/mr-hobbyist/docs/mrh12-02-feb2012-ol?viewMode=presentation&mode=embed

page 74.

Have fun!  

Best Regards,

Geoff Bunza

LED Sources

A couple of first places to look for LEDs, or any electronics parts:

http://www.Digikey.com

http://www.mouser.com

Both have extensive selections and stocks at good prices. Use their search facility's to find what you need. Be careful of E-Bay and unknown venders; there are MANY counterfeit parts from China out there (company I do some work for got stung on some fake Maxim IC's recently).

Sam's Dad

And if you are in Europe or

And if you are in Europe or the UK, try here: http://www.expressmodels.co.uk   

They have Leds of many varieties, and I use their microleds to replace the bulbs in my Athearn locomotives, and other detailing projects.

Koos

Train Tek LLC is a suplier I have used.

  I have bought some micro pre wired LEDs from Triantek LLC who is an MRH advertiser. http://www.traintekllc.com/Miniature-Wired-603-Surface-Mount-LED-Golden-White/productinfo/LED-603WG/

 I have used these on first gen diesels and steam locomotive headlights and tender lights in brass and plastic locomotives. I also have paired them with 3K resistors on DCC. The usual 1K was too bright and burnt out one too quickly. 3K seems to be right for the dimming effect from most decoders.

        Pete

@geoffb - My favorites also!

- including the dealer.

@ Geoff Bunza

How do you drill into the back of the MV lenses? I would like to do that for HO locos. I can't come up with a way to hold the lens.

Drilling MV Lenses

Hi Ken,

It's not super difficult-- I typically start with a 1/16 bit in a small pin vise in one hand and hold the MV lens face down on blue masking tape (sticky side up) on my workbench or a small flat block of wood, with the other hand (fingers). Use a pin, prick punch, or scribe to mark and start the hole-- be gentle or you'll go right through the lens! The tape holds it in place as I grab or let go so I don't launch it off my bench.

It always gets easier when you've done a couple.

Best regards,

Geoff Bunza

You might check out this website

http://www.ngineering.com/index.htm

Drilling MV lenses

wow Geoff, you must have steady hands, I have tried it a few different ways and so far, have never managed that yet..... Hats off. 

Koos 

@Koos

Hi Koos,

Remember, don't hold it in the air with your fingers, just hold it down in place to spot the hole and then drill.

best regards,

Geoff

LED supplier

I have had very good luck with Richmond Controls in Texas (outside Houston); they have a lot of neat LED lighting effect kits & a big assortment of LEDs. The mail order response is good & they will ship any number you want.

They're at  www.richmondcontrols.com

Bob Battles

Evens Designs

check out evens design or if you want to do your own leds check out ebay,

0402 Source ....

I've purchased the prewired 0402 warm white LEDs from an ebay store by the name of "ledbaron". They are out of Germany. I've probably purchased from them half a dozen times and their price is less than a dollar each and shipping is very reasonable ....

http://www.ebay.com/sch/m.html?_odkw=&LH_PrefLoc=2&_ssn=ledbaron&_armrs=1&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2046732.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.X0402.TRS0&_nkw=0402&ghostText=&_sacat=0

Mark.

Evans designs.

here is a link.

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/

Steam Locomotive Headlamp Number Board Lighting

I'd like to determine how number boards on the sides of some steam loco headlamp cases were lighted so I can attempt to model it. My copy of a 1925 Locomotive Cyclopedia pictures headlamps with number boards, but doesn't show how they were lighted. The numbers themselves appear in some cases to be transparent forms on opaque glass, and in other cases opaque forms on transparent glass. Either way, light shines from behind. I  suppose the light could either come from the headlamp itself through side cutouts in the metal headlamp reflector or from discrete lamps positioned on the inside of the number boards. Anybody know, or could suggest a possible source of info?

@check_valve re:Number board lighting

Hi check_valve (name?),

I own a couple of NYC headlights with number boards. The number boards are back lit with a separate incandescent bulb. The numbers are a metal stencil (outline) in a single metal piece, in front of a thin (3/16-5/16") translucent, milky white glass covering the entire area of the number board. The metal stencil is painted black.

'Hope this helps. Have fun! 
Best regards,
Geoff Bunza

Number Board Lighting

Thanks Geoff....I model in HO so if I bore through the number board locations (which are rectangular shapes in the molded plastic headlamp case) and insert rectangular pieces of thin translucent plastic in those places it should look as if there were discrete lamps behind the boards, as with your NYC headlamps.....don't think there's room in my scale to install separate lamps (!). As far as actual numbers are concerned I'll need a steady hand to ink them on the boards!

Ebay seller from china

Got some 0201prewired smallest I've found so far excellent for tiny truck lights throttle console gauge lights 

Vince

Here is the last piece of the puzzle.

If you look carefully the 0201 LED is in the accurate and scale HO lighting fixture.  The LEDs come in either incandescent color or LED colors.  The LEDs are also on a finer 40 gauge wire that essentially disappears when painted.  The fixtures come in Kit or Assembled and ready to CA onto your locomotive or caboose.  The fixtures can also be cut for proper length to fit the installation requirements.  Your prewired Chinese LEDs will fit into the Kit fixtures and the wires will go through the hole provided, out the bottom and route to the power source.