# Secrets Iron man MkVI lit.



## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

*Secrets Iron man MkVI lit. WIP now with pics*

Decided to go for something simple as far as electronics go after the fiasco with the Voyager. I'm picking this up at the end of next week.

This is the schematic I'm using for the lighting of this.

It takes advantage of a 2.5mm DC jack to supply power. I'm using a 9v 200ma power supply as the same supply will also power the MkIII, Chrome and War machine.

This will be the same for the chrome, mk3 and mk6 models.










This is the one for the War machine.










total draw from the power supply for the Mk3, Mk6 chrome and war machine is 200ma so spot on as far as the power supply goes.

The LED's in the hands will be SMD's and using (for those who remember them) PC ribbon cables for the wires as they make excellent paired wires for small scale model lighting.

The switch and DC jack will go in the bases of the models.

Any thoughts appreciated.


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## Antsnest (Jul 26, 2011)

Slightly convoluted circuit diagram there, but you need to have a separate resistor for each LED if they are connected in parallel.

A couple of other observations - each LED should typically be drawing 20mA, so the total here should be 60mA not 200mA!

However at 20mA you may find your chosen LEDs are too bright anyway (particularly if they are high brightness SMD types) so you may want to reduce the current accordingly.

Also this sort of circuit could run for days on 2-3 AAA batteries that would fit in the base and make the whole thing portable. Why tie yourself to the mains when you don't have to?


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

I tested out the diagrams and they work fine, a calculator shows that they draw 20ma max from the source, not 60. also its using a 200ma power source because the power source it driving 4 figures, not just 1 or 2 so the source needs to have enough current to handle that.

If the leds are to bright, I'm just going to paint them the required color to down them down.


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## Antsnest (Jul 26, 2011)

You will need to fix the War Machine circuit so that each LED has a resistor, or you risk the LEDs failing once they are sealed up inside the model.

Just because something appears to work on the bench doesn't mean the circuit is operating within component tolerances or that failure is necessarily going to be immediate.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

the war machine was built using a calculator to work out the best method of connecting the leds and resistors, that was the primary suggestion.

it's common knowledge leds are fine 3 per resistor assuming you use the right value resistor.

I will run the circuit 24/7 for a few days to ensure it will not fail though.

as a side note, several leds in my voyager build are 3 on 1 resistor and have not failed. that was built several months ago and is used frequently.

p.s - mains power = no faffing with batteries later on. it also means all the iron man figures can be lit, and have a led spot light running on the same power source. which im going to use a 12v 2amp psu for now. so the above are all kind of moot as far as values go for resistors.

I do appreciate your trying to help though.


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## Antsnest (Jul 26, 2011)

secretreeve said:


> the war machine was built using a calculator to work out the best method of connecting the leds and resistors, that was the primary suggestion.
> 
> it's common knowledge leds are fine 3 per resistor assuming you use the right value resistor.


I don't know how you arrived at that, because it's flat WRONG. 

Very small variations in forward voltage of each device can mean that one can start conducting before the others, and that means all the current intended for all goes through just one, pushing it outside operating limits until it fails. Then the current will start flowing through the next one with the next lowest forward voltage until that fails and so on until the whole chain is destroyed.

If you're _lucky_, this may not happen immediately, but why risk it when the correct design will give you a circuit that will last decades? It just doesn't make sense...


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

I think your over thinking things, I've ALWAYS used leds in an array like this for years and not had a problem. not to mention companies using parallel arrays without issue too.

show me some examples of this happening, be most interesting to read about.


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## miniature sun (May 1, 2005)

I guess it's up to the individual how they go about wiring up their lights and there's always more than one way to do everything.
I personally_ have_ had LED's fail once installed so as a matter of course now I give each LED it's own resistor....no big deal when the resistors cost practically nothing....


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

current project work in progress


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## Cajjunwolfman (Nov 15, 2004)

Looks like WM circuit is series/parallel. 60 MA total that splits into three branches of 20 ma.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

amperage isn't an issue as i'm using a 1A power supply. It will also feed the other 3 moebius Iron man models when I do those as well.

I added some polystyrene rocks I made to the base of this model and put a led in each to light up the model from below.

It casts some nice shadows over the model as I put one lighting the back and one lighting the front. I will post some pics tomorrow of it.

Point is though, amperage went up another 40, so thats 100ma for the MkVI, assuming each one has the same its only 400ma so room too add a little led lighting from above when I assemble the display cases for them as well.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)




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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

just a quick update,

laid down the primer coats using tamiya fine surface white and painted up the base. the base isn't quite done yet, not sure what color to paint the edges but meh.

the spot lights and internal lighting is working like a charm.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Looking good!


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

thanks paul, the spot lights really give a nice effect i think.

video on its way too.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Yes, the spotlights are excellent. Can't wait to see it with color.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

thanks again, the primary colors will have to wait a little while, i got the MkII Viper coming next week which needs lighting installed on that so this project is being shelved for a fortnight while i play with that.

of course, it will be a moebius viper though, not the crummy revell one haha.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

took a while but as promised

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZIO66B5mB0&list=PL1ja0k2ccCfsPOUa1lYjtr_u0yA6TsU5t


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## Fozzie (May 25, 2009)

I really like the spotlight idea. Very well executed. (I really must get me one of these Mark VI kits...)


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

thank you, i just thought that would be the most "natural" way to do it 

he's all wrapped up in bubble wrap at the moment as i got given a galactica kit and i have to import paint for iron man but cant afford to do it atm


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

secretreeve said:


> thank you, i just thought that would be the most "natural" way to do it
> 
> he's all wrapped up in bubble wrap at the moment as i got given a galactica kit and i have to import paint for iron man but cant afford to do it atm


http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=373281

Before you spend any more money on other things, how about taking care of your outstanding debts, like the $23.95 I spent shipping a circuit I built for you and you received on 03/29/13?????:drunk: I came here to ask since you don't respond to my PM's. What a piece of work you are...... I didn't charge for the work or parts that went into the board, just asked you to cover the shipping, haven't seen a dime. And you plan to offer your own F/X circuits, this should be fun when members send you money and all they get are excuses or a board that won't work. For anyone who would like to follow, just read through his tread and you'll see that he hasn't a clue when working with electronics.....:freak:

I know that I have no one to blame but myself and that it's just pocket change, but it just shows the kind of person he is....... As the old saying goes, "No good deed goes unpunished"......


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

i didnt reply to your last pm because your attitude stank. might be pocket change to you but im unemployed, on income support so take your high and mighty attitude and DO ONE.

honestly, what makes you think if I cant afford to buy paint then i could afford to get that over to you immediatly?

circumstances change!

you will get your damn money when I have the money to send back to you, which due to a problem with the bank and the income support i dont have, which i tried to explain to you already. £15 is a full weeks worth of dinners over here when your unemployed and even more valueble when the income support isn't paid or the banks screw up. of course, if you had sent it in a box that wasn't 5 times to long or twice as wide as it needed then it wouldn't have cost so much to ship and you'd have had it back by now

by the way, the board you sent required modifications in any case


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

secretreeve said:


> i didnt reply to your last pm because your attitude stank. might be pocket change to you but im unemployed, on income support so take your high and mighty attitude and DO ONE.
> 
> honestly, what makes you think if I cant afford to buy paint then i could afford to get that over to you immediatly?
> 
> ...


If your unemployed and don't have the money to pay, then you don't go asking for something to be made with funds to follow......:freak:, By the way it's flat rate shipping, so no matter the size of the box it would still cost the same......... If the board needs modification it's because you don't have a clue what your doing. No matter, I'm done with it and you.


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## secretreeve (Sep 11, 2012)

actually it needed changing because you set the timing resistors to the wrong values.

frankly your done with me? im done with you pal, you come onto here and derail a thread because your attitude stinks. its not on.


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