Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

• #400 by roma847 on 06 Jan, 2014 03:44
• Here is the next update.
  
  I've now tried all three White LEDs under the Blast Shields, though still without lampshade, which gives a very nice comparison of the color shades.
  
  On the far left outside the Golden White LED with the warmest white, right next to the Sunny White LED, and the far right under the larger Blast Shield, the Pure White LEDs with the cold white.
  
  
  
  The different white color shades come out clearly, the Golden White perhaps the most pleasant appear, I think. But that is a matter of taste.
  
  
  
  
  
  This probably should drop at least the Pure White for the MLP lighting finally out of the race. But that is on both the crawler and the tower here and there certainly still be used, I guess.
  
  And so on with the lampshades. Their shade had indeed be shortened somewhat after the expansion, which is not so easy, as it turned out.
  
  First, I clamped the shade casing on the clamping core and then tried to separate them freehand with the Dremel cutting disc just before the shade, in the hope that the shade is not somewhere flies away.  Here I stopped shortly before.
  
  
  
  Here you can see the shade separated, and right next to it the shade separated from a ferrule with plastic head. But as you can see, this is not a right shade because the tube extends even to the point of separation. Thus, these ferrules can not be used for lampshades.
  
  
  
  Because of the shade needs a closed end to the top and the LED wires need a reasonably central guide, I have inserted a small bead (Da 1.5 mm, Di 0.8 mm), what would the whole production effort naturally increase.
  
  
  
  In addition, the shades still must be sanded somehow at the separation point, what I've tried here over a plastic rod.
  
  
  
  Since the free-hand cutting of the shades with the Dremel cutting disc but is not uniformly possible, I have reversed the handling, clamped the Dremel and then separated the shade on the core carefully at the running cut-off wheel.
  
  
  
  
  
  This works slightly better, but is still not the yellow of the egg. Maybe you have to also clamp the shade on the core in a small holder and then lead slowly towards the blade.
  
  So then look the first two shades.
  
  
  
  And now these parts have to be still further customized and finally also painted before the retraction of the LEDs, so all in all a murder effort.
  
  And that's why I'm wondering about whether I would rather not get the small lampshades from overseas, which should be probably easier to modify for LED lamps.  But maybe there is somewhere in it with us here in Europe?
  
   
  Source: Ngineering.com
  
  But since I have now for the first time (at least) one night sleep over it ...
  
  
• #401 by shuttlemodeler on 06 Jan, 2014 04:40
• Miniatronics has some good lampshades.
• #402 by roma847 on 06 Jan, 2014 07:53
• Only lamps or also lampshades?
  
  
  
• #403 by shuttlemodeler on 06 Jan, 2014 13:29
• both.   check them out
  http://www.miniatronics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
  
• #404 by roma847 on 06 Jan, 2014 16:14
• I have found only one species of Brass Lampshades HO Scale, which is unfortunately too large for my scale 1:160.
  
  
• #405 by roma847 on 07 Jan, 2014 11:09
• Hello Guys,
  
  here is a picture of the comparison of the three "white" LEDs today in daylight.
  
  
  
  And if I am to be honest, to me the Golden White (left) is almost a bit too much into yellow, compared to the Sunny White (right next to it).
  
  
• #406 by shuttlemodeler on 07 Jan, 2014 16:32
• To me the sunny white looks the most natural.   Left is toooo yellow and the right is to white and bright.
• #407 by roma847 on 07 Jan, 2014 17:43
• Hi Tom,
  
  I fully agree with you, slowly the picture is rounded off, and I also think that the Sunny White LEDs spread a fairly realistic and pleasant light that I will probably use for the MLP lighting.
  
  And also on the FSS/RSS Tower I would imagine that good. At the Crawler there are around it but also some lamps that quite the Pure White would endure, especially the caution lights on the front and back side in front of the trucks, as seen on RichO's incredible Crawler.
  
  
• #408 by Ronpur50 on 07 Jan, 2014 21:04
• I have to agree on those lights.  The middle one looks great!  These projects really remind me of model railroads building construction.  Techniques seam very similar. 
• #409 by roma847 on 07 Jan, 2014 21:41
• Thanks Ron for your nice words.
  
  Then we are almost all of opinion as regards the lighting.
  
  This sounds all so slightly, but that will still cost some effort and provide sufficient stress to move the LEDs then neatly in place. Because up to now everything is still hanging around wildly in the area.
  
  Especially for building the FSS Towers with 12 floors I have to because even so think of something, especially with regard to assembly sequence, installation of PE-platforms including stairs, wiring of the LEDs up to the two-tone paint of the tower and the elevator shaft in the former STS-6 design, which probably needs to happen in advance.
  
  But until then, there is still plenty of time to brood ...
  
  
• #410 by RichO on 10 Jan, 2014 13:05
• MANFRED,
  
  I to like the middle lighting the most. I'm glad to see that you have embraced the lighting concept and are proceding full steam ahead. This will kick your model into the stratosphere and beyond. I have been looking at your build reports when I could over the holidays and have been really impressed with the direction that you have taken. I'm glad to know that maybe I have infueneced you abit to try the lighting, and now just look!! Great modeling at it's best. Great job my friend, now just ten thousand more lights to go. LOL
  __________________
  
• #411 by roma847 on 11 Jan, 2014 06:37
• Hi Rich,
  
  thanks for your nice words which give me encouragement to keep pushing on with the lighting. Thanks again guys for all the support!
  
  Yep, you got me actually infected with this crazy virus, but I'm grateful to you for it.
  
  Meanwhile, I have overcome my respect and have tried a lot. And it's really true, which is now all no longer rocket science, especially since I still have found a specialist to help me in the design of the circuit.
  
  Now we're in the same boat and that is one of the profits that can be drawn from a forum like this and perhaps can be still some others guys also infected by this virus ...
  
  
• #412 by Davp99 on 14 Jan, 2014 13:46
• Hi Guys, Manfred I kind of feel responsible for starting you on the Light Aspect of your Build..
  
  back in 02/25/2013
  
  Reply #158 on: February 25, 2013, 12:52:55 PM »
   
  All I can say is Wow...I'm not too Jealous 
  
  Every Day this is one of the First places I Visit, to see this Shape into a Great Model..
  
  Thanks for Sharing ,,,
  
  I wonder if you intend to Add some Lighting , like under the Flame Blast shields
   with some small LEDS ??   Well anyway, You make Great Realistic Parts..
  
  Dave
• #413 by roma847 on 15 Jan, 2014 22:38
• Hi Dave,
  
  you are right, and I can remember your post almost a year ago with your proposal for lighting.
  
  The thought was fascinating, just the time was not yet ripe for the realization. I had no experience with LED lighting and have not thought it possible, my MLP subsequently to illuminate under the blast shields already installed.
  
  Then I curiously followed Rich's first attempts to illuminate its outstanding crawler middle of last year and been astonished, what is possible already. But if I'm honest, the clutter of the many wires was terrifying. 
  
  But since then the thought was no longer out of my head and I had tasted blood, as I had seen some videos in our German Forums.
  
  And then Rich's successes have given me more and more courage, and you crazy guys have kept me going again too. And the rest is known, so now I can not stop!
  
  Therefore thank you folks for all your support.
  
  
• #414 by roma847 on 15 Jan, 2014 22:39
• Okay friends,
  
  I just kept experimenting with the lampshades. For the upper end of the screen I have drilled a plastic rod (1.4 mm)  in the center with a 0.4 mm drill and then separated an approximately 1 mm long plate as lamp socket using a cutter.
  
  
  
  Then I threaded the healds of a Sunny White LED through this socket and the screen, angled the small chip LED carefully around 90°,
  
  
  
  and then all pulled together in the screen, so that the LED only protrudes minimal over the screen edge.
  
  
  
  And as the test shows the connections are left intact, and lit up the warm white light.
  Later, once the socket is glued before threading the wire into the screen and black colored bottom to prevent passage of light upwards.
  
  
  
  Now here is the sample installation to be seen against the MLP wall,
  
  
  
  and here's the lighting test, the light has completely outshined on the image again, as opposed to reality. Since the lamp lifts namely beautifully well in front of the moderate light shining down, and it looks great right out.
  
  
  
  The overexposure effect was certainly to be intensified because the socket was not glued into the screen and the LED therefore still towered a bit too far out. This should be avoided at the lamps hanging freely in front of the MLP wall. But for the lamps that you can not see directly, such as above the bottom Access Platform at folding stairs to the crawler, I can certainly use such outliers.
  
  So I'll try the next sockets of the screens to make it even a little bit shorter than before.
  
  
  
• #415 by roma847 on 17 Jan, 2014 10:53
• Hi there,
  
  today I've got an LED test box that has built a friend, together with a prepared lamp (with black painted shield) with a Sunny White LED. And of course I tried it immediately.
  
  With this cool box you can, inter alia, set the current of a single LED during the test to 2 mA, 3.5 mA, 5 mA and 8.5 mA, and thereby vary their brightness.
  
  The left Sunny LED with black shield is connected to the test box (2 mA), and the right Sunny LED as before with a flat battery (6 mA, 250 Ohm series resistor).
  
   
  
  Now these are the different brightnesses on the left LED at 8.5 mA ,
  
  
  
  here at 5 mA,
  
  
  
  and here at 2 mA.
  
  
  
  I think, that this brightness at 2 mA would actually be enough in my opinion, especially since the lamps hang relatively close to each other on the model.
  
  As far as for this comparison.
  
  Now I can soon put the task for the MLP lamps in hand of the electricians.   
  
  
• #416 by Avron on 17 Jan, 2014 10:56
• I agree 2mA.. looks good..
• #417 by roma847 on 17 Jan, 2014 11:01
• Thanks Avron, then we are one opinion!
  
  
• #418 by RichO on 17 Jan, 2014 12:48
• MANFRED,
  
      I think your scratch building of the lamp shields is just masterfull! I sure will not be going to such extents, I'll just use the stamped metal ones I found at the model railroad site.
  
    I feel that you have nailed the lamp situation with the construction, and with the wattage (2mA). When you get an entire side lit up I think this will look outragious! Just inform the newly established electricians dept. that the entire project may seem overwhelming at the moment, but just to concentrait on one side at a time and all will fall into place. When I got started with my lighting, it just seemed a bit to much at first, but slow and steady wins the race. ( I have vissions of the FSS/RSS all lit up!!)
  
    I am glad that Dave and I could convince you that, dealing with the infection will look so much better!! Now we all have to spread the virus so all will see the light.
  
    Congrtulations my friend, the build already going to look so kewel, keep up the great work!!
• #419 by Davp99 on 17 Jan, 2014 16:20
• Kudos to the both of You. You would make Michelangelo Proud.