# Adding Lights To HO Scale Police Car



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

I'm not sure if there is a thread on this matter, I did a search and was unable to find one.

I would like to add flashing lights to my AFX police cars. I don't like the old school contraption as it looks like it robs the car of power. I figure with today's technology there has to be a better way. I looked at some videos of diecast with flashing lights I assume there is board small enough to fit under the body that could run two lights. I haven't been in electronics class since high school:hat: so my electrical skills are weak. Any pointers will be greatly appreciated.


----------



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

You can buy LEDs that flash without a separate circuit board. The smallest ones that I could find are 3mm diameter.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...&geo_id=10232&keyword=3mm+flashing+led&crdt=0


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

Rich Dumas said:


> You can buy LEDs that flash without a separate circuit board. The smallest ones that I could find are 3mm diameter.
> http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...&geo_id=10232&keyword=3mm+flashing+led&crdt=0


Do you know how to wire them to the car? Would it be a simple matter of soldering the wire to th chassis.


----------



## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Look here http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/bl-213-f.html 

These lights work great. My wife bought me some for Christmas and I installed them into the Aurora AFX Caprice Police Car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6TfOXVqZEI

- Jim


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

jimkelsey said:


> Look here http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com
> 
> http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/bl-213-f.html
> 
> ...


Thanks, do you have a photo of the car without the top I would like to see how you hooked up the lights on the car.


----------



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

LEDs operate at low voltages, if you try to run them at full track voltage they will burn out immediatly. The LEDs that jimkelsey recommends include dropping resistors. If you were to use plain LEDs you would have to buy the right resistors, so using LEDs that come with the resistors attached will save you some grief. The polarity has to be correct for the LEDs to work, with plain LEDs the short leg goes to negative. If the ones that come with resistors do not have the polarity marked you can just touch the wires to the terminals of a 9 volt battery. If the light works just mark the plus or minus wire. If the lights do not work just switch the wires. HO cars have the negative side on the right looking in the direction of travel.


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

Rich Dumas said:


> LEDs operate at low voltages, if you try to run them at full track voltage they will burn out immediatly. The LEDs that jimkelsey recommends include dropping resistors. If you were to use plain LEDs you would have to buy the right resistors, so using LEDs that come with the resistors attached will save you some grief. The polarity has to be correct for the LEDs to work, with plain LEDs the short leg goes to negative. If the ones that come with resistors do not have the polarity marked you can just touch the wires to the terminals of a 9 volt battery. If the light works just mark the plus or minus wire. If the lights do not work just switch the wires. HO cars have the negative side on the right looking in the direction of travel.


Thanks!!


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)




----------



## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Jazzy:

I uploaded some photos of LEDs that I wired after Christmas of this year. https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

I run exclusively Aurora Speed Steer (gotta limit my spending somehow), but the principal is still the same. If you purchase your LEDs from Model Train Software, they come with instructions and with the bridge rectifier already built in. I am not too keen on electronics either; however, Slot Car Dan has helped me a lot (www.tycotcrracing.com) in many wiring projects - not so much this one, but the experience in the past helped me to easily hook these up. 

There is a trick to soldering, if you are not good at doing it - make sure that you "tin" the wires prior to trying to solder them together. Tinning means to coat the wire with solder. I use rosin as it helps the solder adhere easier. I have many different types of solder, but the stuff that I like the best is 40% tin/60% lead. I have a tip on my soldering iron that is cupped, like a crater. This allows the solder to pool in it, making it easier to apply to the wire. 

There are three photos, all Aurora AFX bodies wired three separate ways: 1) Ferrari 512 with an LED and bridge rectifier hot-glued to the body; 2) Corvette GT with an LED and 3) the police car with two flashing LEDs.

In the case of the Ferrari, the body lay so low that I had to hot glue the bridge rectifier to the body to get it out of the way of the steering gear which sits in the nose of the car. If you run slot cars, you will not run into this issue.

With the Corvette, I glued the bridge rectifier to the magnet mount with CA+ glue. I also cut the wires back so they weren't so long (they come quite long) and soldered them back to the LED.

The police car was a bit more complex because of two LED's. I created a mounting plate that sits on the frame just above the differential. I then cut the wire back and used color-coded shrink tubing to keep track of which side of the car the light needed to go on. Then I glued the wires that go to the electrical hook-up to the magnet clamp to keep them clear of the armature.
The thing with LEDs is that they are one-way, so if you cut the wires back, test your polarity with a 9-volt battery, otherwise, you could blow the LED if you chance it with 120v coming from the wall. 

I would like to convert all of my cars to LEDs, but they get kinda expensive after a while. I have another set of flashing lights for my other police car that I haven't hooked up because of other projects (and the time involved). I hope this helps you out.

- Jim


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

Thanks Jim!


----------



## Rich Dumas (Sep 3, 2008)

You only need a rectifier if your track is AC, unless you are running old Aurora vibrator cars you can skip the rectifier. If you get lights with a rectifier they might still work with a regular DC track, but the rectifier will drop the voltage a little and the lights may be dimmer if the come on at all.


----------



## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Wow ... not even an honorable mention? 

Just go read "Creative Light and Motion" and anything by "Bob Woodely" right here at HT. Joe D takes the custom LED approach beyond the nth degree.

Woodely's approach is more pragmatic and generally uses strictly readily available/off the rack components in a more user friendly way.

Between the two they capture the yin and yang of LED lighting and you will have a better understanding of "where it's at".


----------



## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Tom (I don't have his last name, but he posts on this forum) was the guy who steered me onto the LEDs from Model Train Software. Here is a link to his youtube account. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OARqGZ3PVhk


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

jimkelsey said:


> Tom (I don't have his last name, but he posts on this forum) was the guy who steered me onto the LEDs from Model Train Software. Here is a link to his youtube account. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OARqGZ3PVhk


I just check out his videos!


----------



## AFXRICK (Dec 6, 2008)

I like the pancake A/FX police chassis, with the flashing lights. I built a few that are super quick, by using aftermarket magnets, Mean Green or Lam armature, and well broken in /oiled. 

I recently converted the Smokey and the Bandit set only release Buford T. Justice Pontiac Catalina over to twin flashing blue lights, since the original bar was so poorly done.


----------



## JazzyJerome (Feb 14, 2012)

AFXRICK said:


> I like the pancake A/FX police chassis, with the flashing lights. I built a few that are super quick, by using aftermarket magnets, Mean Green or Lam armature, and well broken in /oiled.
> 
> I recently converted the Smokey and the Bandit set only release Buford T. Justice Pontiac Catalina over to twin flashing blue lights, since the original bar was so poorly done.


Nice!!! What did you use to make the bar?


----------



## AFXRICK (Dec 6, 2008)

The bar is a vintage AFX part from the 1979 Chevy Impala, as is the chassis.


----------

