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

• #440 by roma847 on 21 Feb, 2014 16:44
• Thanks Tom and Dave for your encouraging words.
  
  Yep, the lighting chapter is really a tricky matter, but still in the test phase. There should be carefully considered maturely each step before the final countdown.
  
  
• #441 by RichO on 21 Feb, 2014 20:07
• MANFRED,
  
  A lot like my lighting, in that the look in the photos is different than in real life. The light on the left seem just a little better looking in your photos. If your build is like mine the lights look better in person. Good luck with the building of all the lamps that you have yet to construct.
  
• #442 by roma847 on 21 Feb, 2014 20:23
• Yep Rich,
  
  this is the well-known effect of the bright LED light when you photograph, luckily it looks in reality much better and not nearly as garish.
  
  Thank you for your good wishes for the scratch-building of the felt 10.000 lamps of the Launch pad.
  
  This might be similar to the felt 100.000 chain links of your crawler tracks, you have to build,   for which I wish you greatest success and also a lot of fun.
  
  
• #443 by RichO on 24 Feb, 2014 13:52
• YES MANFRED,
  
    This tread construction is an ongoing adventure. The idea of starting to cut out the treads is just to reduce the bordeom when the actual time comes to work on this chapter. Right now even tho cutting these treads seem overwhelming, I am having fun with these, because I'm not under any pressure to work on 'em just yet.
• #444 by roma847 on 25 Feb, 2014 07:55
• Hi Rich,
  
  that's right, the tiny details remain all time a challenging adventure for us.   And I also do not put under unnecessary pressure during building, but wants to delight me in it.
  
  
• #445 by roma847 on 25 Feb, 2014 11:02
• Today, I have now started to test production of lampshades. When gluing the tiny tubes (1,3 x0,9 mm) in the screens you need any aid, because you can no longer hold in the tweezers without them jump away if suddenly. You also have to make sure that applying only very small doses of the superglue, otherwise there is a disaster.
  
  Therefore, it is best if you bead the screen and the tube on a needle,
  
  
  
  and then the tubes dabbed with superglue, but without coming here to the needle, otherwise you must start over again. But this is possible under the magnifying glass, if you are careful enough and a steady hands has.
  
  And these are the first lampshades.
  
  
  
  Here I have tried a pattern, without widening the shield of the end ferrule before. This screen you could possibly use for the caution lights that are slightly smaller in diameter. Therefore I'm going to order some red LEDs. Would then have only one suitable cover over it as a bell or glass shade, possibly a pearl, let's see.
  
  
  
  Now with the finished lampshades I wanted to simulate the four lamps on the right MLP side to find out how I could best fix. As you can see in the next picture, the lamps do not sit on the reinforcement bracers, as in the later missions, but in the interstices and are apparently attached to a thin support rail.
   
  
  Source: NASA
  
  This arrangement is seen here as an interim solution on an assembly sketch. Initially, I threaded the Sunny White LEDs and fixed the wires with tape. Then I glued the support rail of steel wire (0.3 mm) with tiny superglue droplets on the sockets, this somewhat off-center, so the screens do not directly abut the wall.
  
  
  
  
  
  Then I have connected the LEDs in series with each other, you have to really look closely, thus always positive pole comes to the negative pole ... The positive pole of the LEDs can be recognized because his wire is about 10 mm longer. And this time I did not use a flat battery as before, but my current bank with power supply.
  
  And as you can see, apparently everything is connected correctly.
  
  
  
  Then I have this LED linkage temporarily attached to the MLP wall to test the lighting effect in front of the wall.
  
  
  
  The first sees again surprisingly bright, but in reality is not nearly as blatant. This may be because, firstly, that the LEDs are now powered by the current bank (constant current source) with constant 6 mA and perhaps my flat battery has delivered of a lower current. But but undoubtedly, the combination of the four LEDs on a relatively small area has an impressive light.
  
  
  
  As a result of the brightness test with the test box I had anyway tend to lower current intensities of 2 to 3.5 mA. So I'm going to replace tomorrow the fixed resistor (47 Ohm) to a variable resistor in order to reduce the current and the brightness adjust anything else.
  
  
  
  And here is the comparison to the bright cold light of Pure White LEDs I've used first.
  
  
  
  As you can see, everything want to be tested only once, before you can commit and start to the final assembly ...
  
  
• #446 by shuttlemodeler on 25 Feb, 2014 19:02
• lookin good Manfred
• #447 by roma847 on 25 Feb, 2014 20:53
• Thanks Tom for your nice words. 
• #448 by roma847 on 25 Feb, 2014 21:26
• So, and here, as already announced, the tests with the variable resistor in one circuit of the current bank.
  
  
  
  Here are the Sunny White LEDs with adjusted lowest current of 1,5 mA,
  
  
  
  and in comparison with the bright Pure White LEDs.
  
  
  
  Here with 4 mA:
  
  
  
  Here at the maximum setting of about 8 mA:
  
  
  
  And here without room illumination at 1,5 mA:
  
  
  
  
  
  And here the slow expiration of the LEDs after power-off, so even lower brightness than the 1,5 mA.
  
  
  
  So friends of the LED light, now judge for yourself, I hope that for every taste is catered for.
  
  
• #449 by roma847 on 26 Feb, 2014 16:26
• Hello folks,
  
  and here again a little addendum to the lighting tests in daylight, at
  
  current 1,5 mA:
  
  
  
  current 8 mA*:
  
  
  
  current 1,5 mA:
  
  
  
  current 8 mA*:
  
  
  
  Only again to clarify, the lighting under the Blast Shields with the Pure White LEDs have always unchanged by flat battery (parallel connection), the Sunny White LEDs by current bank/power supply (series connection).
  
  * At the specified current 8 mA at minimum position of the variable resistor is relativized to say that the ammeter was at the stop of the scale, the last value 6 mA was given. Consequently, the current was > 6 mA .   Current 1.5 mA was measured at the maximum position of the variable resistor.
  
  When measuring the current in Pure White-circuit the ammeter was also at the stop, the current was also > 6 mA.
  
  This confirms once again the now generally known trend that you should go down with the current possible further by increasing the resistance because of light effect then looks more realistic.
  
  Accordingly, you should definitely aspire to lower current levels by about 0.5 mA .
  
  
• #450 by roma847 on 27 Feb, 2014 19:46
• Well, now the picture becomes more clearly in the direction of lower amperage, whereupon it is then also run out.
  
  Today I have made ​​a lighting test on the left Access Platform AP1 and used the lamp linkage from the right side because the dimensions about the same. But the temporary installation of the lamps under the blast shield  was quite difficult and did not want to really succeed at first, until it is then still halfway succeeded me.
  
  Here are the first pictures of this afternoon, even without room illumination, which could correspond approximately to a twilight atmosphere on the pad.
  
  In the following pictures I have chosen only the preference setting in 1.5 mA in Sunny White LEDs now that Pure White hanging, however, as usual on the flat battery.
  
  
  
  
  
  As you can see, the lighting looks pretty well, I think.
  
  
  
  Although the lamps hanging a little too low and too far forward, but I came with the lamps unfortunately only up to the diagonal support struts of the blast shield.
  
  But as one can see in this picture here, the lamps hanging further back, about the middle of the shield. But I just wanted to see how the lighting looks under the canopy, and this test is always enough.
  
  
  Source: NASA
  
  In these images, with ceiling lighting now everything looks a bit more realistic.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  So, I'm in any case more than satisfied with these impressions, and that gives buoyancy for further work!
  
  
• #451 by RichO on 27 Feb, 2014 20:24
• MANFRED,
  
  It looks like you have got a good grip on the situation. The Sunny White light looks very close to the actual photos. My hats off to the Lighting Department. Now we want to see this MLP side with Sunny Light only. Great work!!
  
• #452 by roma847 on 27 Feb, 2014 20:59
• Thanks Rich for your nice words, I am also a little proud of myself that I have reached this level.
  
  Thanks again for your inspiration, otherwise I would never have started with the lighting story.
  
  Now can follow the next step and I can start with the serial production of the Sunny White lamps, so the Side 1 will soon shine only in warm white lighting.
  
  
• #453 by Ronpur50 on 28 Feb, 2014 02:06
• You should be proud, this is amazing.   From the level of detail to the lights, it is a work of art.
• #454 by roma847 on 28 Feb, 2014 20:23
• Hello Ron,
  
  thanks for the compliments,   I like it now also, the effort was worth it.
  
  With lighting, everything looks more realistic.
  
  
• #455 by roma847 on 05 Mar, 2014 08:20
• And for a change, now again on the TSM ladders. Since I still had experimented with the base of the ladders. In addition I originally wanted to try this railing part, or bend the ladder supports individually.
  
  
  
  For the bend I have this brass square profile (3x3 mm) used and first time bent over a support from 0,2 mm brass wire,
  
  
  
  what would nearly fit to the ladder width.
  
  
  
  So I have now bent the supports of the railing as well,
  
  
  
  
  
  and adapted this base on the ladder. And as you can see, you can pretty well align the ladder from the rung spacing and width to the substructure.
  
  
  
  But if you look closely, you can see another problem, which I had not considered when bending the ladders.   Since the ladder rungs are after bending on the cutting mat minimally below the ladder stile, there is a small gap between the stile and the longitudinal strips of the base, which I'm so not like. That should both lie close to sticking it well.
  
  
  
  
  
  In this picture the gap is a little bit clearer. 
  
  
  
  Since I'll probably have to think of something during bending so that the ladder rungs do not protrude downward. And if that does not work, maybe the variant with the individual supports is indeed expensive, but possibly better solution.
• #456 by roma847 on 06 Mar, 2014 13:05
• Hello all together,
  
  during my current crosstrainer tour I again considered back and forth, and now I probably still choose the variant with the individual ladder supports. That with the substructure of the rail but is not as the yellow of the egg, especially because this variant would be suitable only for the two ladders at the outer sides of the TSMs. And also, the handling of this extremely fragile structures, in particular in the attachment on the TSM that's not for the faint of heart.
  
  Since the supports of the four ladders at the side of the Service Platform boxes are standing both on the boxes as well next to it, the legs of the rail for the longer sub-assembly supports at the left side of the ladders would be too short.   And also the distances between the supports to the spars of the base are almost twice as large as the original. Therefore, it is more favorable overall, choose the other variant for the TSM ladders, which I am now going to put all on the same principle to individual posts.
  
  
  Source: NASA
  
  That's why I tried here once with this variant further, which was already in the last post shortly see,
  
  
  
  and have prepared two supports from 0.3 mm brass wire, which are about 1.3 mm above the ground.
  
  
  
  And so it then looks with applied ladder, where then every 5th rung a support will stand.
  
  
  
  Since we're on the rungs, as there are above the ladders also four smaller individual rungs to the fastener sitting above, as can be seen in this picture. I also wanted to try still the same on the occasion.
  
  
  Source: NASA
  
  For this I used 0,2 mm brass wire. For these rungs, as well as in the ladder supports discussed above, it is advisable to make one foot a little longer, because this positioning and insertion is made easier in the pricked holes.
  
  
  
  Here a first rung is inserted. Because now follow two rungs below and one above.
  
  
  
  That's enough for today with these little details that in any case unlikely to be visible on the finished model.
  
  
• #457 by Bubbinski on 08 Mar, 2014 13:17
• Whoa....love the lighting job!  I've never lit up a model before, ever.  That is something I've been wanting to experiment with.
  
  All those little details including the ladder will make your project stand out.
• #458 by roma847 on 08 Mar, 2014 15:30
• Thanks Bubbinski for the nice words.
  
  Yep, the lighting breathes new life into the MLP, but it is also a rather difficult chapter, which costs a lot of extra time.
  
  
• #459 by roma847 on 08 Mar, 2014 15:36
• Hi there,
  
  today even a little bit transverse patch.
  
  I had already a long time ago a Bug (4'') bought, which is this great bending tool here, which at latest for bending PE parts from the LVM detail kits should be used, which must then be bent at the Tower in all directions.
  
  
  
  This tool I have now used for bending this little ladder steps on the top of the TSMs, and that is really better than using tweezers, since you can clamp the part to be bent under the fingers and then turn around calm.
  
  And then today came also the red LEDs (0401), and therefore I have made a first test.
  
  
  
  These LEDs I want to use for the caution lights (beacons).
  
  
  Source: NASA
  
  And so there was suddenly a practice alarm without warning,
  
  
  
  only they do not blink, but this is also provided.
  
  Well, now I'm going to dismount the Pure White LEDs and replace soon by the Sunny White. And now the lampshades have to get the finishing touch and paint before they go into the electrical workshop.
  So boredom can not arise, it is going round ...