Flickering tail lamp on brake van

Hi All. I came across this “ simple project “ online, I had my shopping list and went out/sent out, for all the stuff. First off select a guards van, battery holder and battery, LED,switch, Fibre optic cable, tail lamp. Simple, at the time Maplin were in business. The delay in this project came about because I am a bit uncertain about the most important aspect of this project? That being “ Drilling a hole in the LED to thread the Fibre optic cable into. The LED sits inside the van with the Fibre optic being threaded to the tail lamp. My question is “ how many LED’s could be ruined? or the Modeller made it look simple by using a suitable piece of plastic with a hole in it, one side where he would place the LED and drilled through a smaller hole from the other side for the Fibre optic cable. I really know what has to be done, it is just doing it. Has anyone else bothered with this “ simple project “ ?   Best wishes Kevin 

Kevin
https://makezine.com/projects/how-to-connect-optical-fibers-to-leds-and-sensors/
4 by 8 Foot Track Plans for Model Train Layouts

is just two of many found by Googling      LED and fibre optics

Hi Ron. Thank you. I didn’t think about doing it that way. I would have to be careful not to drill right though the LED’s though.  That is a different way of holding the LED , but I will have a go. Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

The end of a large LED is mostly plastic, so can be drilled, filed, or shaped. I assume the author intended for the hole to be drilled down after filing a flat on the top. Into which the LED is inserted. There is probably around 2–3 mm on a 5 mm LED. Trial and error.

There are alternate means. File a very small flat (nail board works well), small blob of 5 minute epoxy, inset end of fiber optic, hold in place until set. Paint black. Or take a LEGO/MEGA brick, remove interior pins, drill a hole one end for the LED, drill a hole the other end for the fiber optic, have then touching each other, epoxy in place. That way you can fix it to the floor with 2-sided tape and avoid lighting the inside of the van. You can do the same with scrap bits of styrene. Or even one of those plastic scale wooden boxes.

You have to use epoxy on a surface mount LED.

Nigel

Hi Nigel. Thank you. Surprisingly not, the Modeller used 1mm Fibre optic cable and drilled a1mm hole directly into the Led, but his trick was a piece of nylon as a jig with a 1mm drilled through and opened up at the other end to 5mm to accept the Led. The tail lamp was made of lead and he warned the viewers to be careful not to break it. Black paint was his answer to light escapism, if I knew how to get a piece of nylon , it would be a simple job.Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

That is why filing or sanding a flat is easier. LED bulbs are just a large diameter fiber optic, the light is focused to come out of the top. Putting the fiber there collects all the light as the epoxy blob focuses the light as well. I presume you are using a red LED. 

I used to use LED lanterns from DCC Concepts, prewired and ready to go. Armature wire, fiddly but easy to hide. Since then fiber optics as above.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.  Thank you. Now that you mention it I purchased some prewired Loco lamps from Gaugemaster, if I can find them? And when I remember the safe place where I put them, I now have a “ Safe Place notebook “ , and it works.Filing? wouldn’t glass paper work, and not be so harsh?  Best wishes Kevin 

Hi Kevin,

You want it flat. Emery board (nail file). Although a fine needle file works. 

Nigel