Pico LEDs | Illuminating N Scale Buildings | CCMR At The Bench #19

[@kahunatiki6498]

Just fantastic Eric! what you are doing in Nscale and sharing with the community is just exceptional. Thanks as always. Scott.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

You bet Scott. Always a pleasure to hear from you!

[@carlvitko1355]

You have much much more patience than me Eric working with tiny things,I really admire you and your layout. You never cease to amaze me,looking foward to seeing more of your work my friend.😊

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Carl - it's the beauty of never being in a rush. There's always time to try something new (and sometimes have it not work!)

[@kennethmattsson880]

Great workmanship and patience! Lighting has come along way in the last decades. Amazing what you can do with modern LEDs.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Sure has! Once upon a time it was just a big light bulb inside these models.

[@kennethmattsson880]

@@ChicagoCrossingRR Exactly what I was thinking about while watching this! Remembered back in the day when lighting was just a light bulb in the middle of the building. 😁

[@mrrail99]

I think i caught the dryer in the background. Glad I'm not the only one out there that has the train room right by the laundry room. Great work, it's surprising no one has mass produced those old outdoor building lights. I vaguely remember them being called mercury vapor lights, they seemed to be everywhere in the 90's.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Yep!! Laundry day in the basement! Right, mercury vapor (cool white) and sodium vapor (warm white) lamps were all pretty common in the old days before real LED lamps.

[@melkitson]

Nice one Eric. By pico I assume you mean 406s and similar. I have been buying the ones from China with resistors already installed. I tend to put ceilings and walls into the building as I construct it, that way I can channel all the wiring down one corner of the building. I realise yours is an upgrade to an existing building and so somewhat different. Now add Arduino to have different lights come on and go off in different offices or appartments through the "night". It looks utterly amazing. I also used picos for flashing lights on cop cars and an ambulance.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hey Mel, great to hear from you. I'll assume they're 406's as well, I honestly never looked. I've purchased them from multiple suppliers and I've got a mix of LEDs with and without resistors pre-soldered, which helps when having to thread the wires through the tiny holes. You're absolutely right, were these new constructions the whole lighting process would be MUCH easier than it is here. I'm excited about arduinos, and love the application you mentioned.

[@apburner]

Just I hope a little help. The LEDs are designated with 1/4mm numbers. The smallest available is an 0201 which stands for 1/2 mm by 1/4 mm. There is also 0402, 0603, and 0805. Do a search for the number and then wired leds. Such as 0204 wired leds and you will find all kinds of places to purchase them

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks!

[@brooklyngraham1151]

Great video, Eric. I’ve always been a proponent of lighting on my layout. One of the first things I do when assembling a kit is to paint the interior a flat black. This prevents light bleeding through the building itself. I like the idea of window boxes though as it is more selective, and as you’ve demonstrated, allows for different lighting in different areas of the building. I’ve only recently started investing in lighting systems, such as the Just Plug system by Woodland Scenics. I like the central dimming. I too use the nano leds but mostly for outside lighting. It’s always rewarding to see your layout lit up. Brooklyn

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hi Brooklyn, I agree, it's important to paint the interiors a darker color to increase opacity. For the life of me I can't remember whether I did so with this example, though I recall doing so for subsequent buildings (this was the first I ever built). My layout is sort of a hybrid between JustPlug and other stuff where options or price point make the former less attractive. It is a nice system, and for me was a really straightforward way to build out a lot of the wiring before diving into more custom stuff.

[@chiparooo]

Looks great! That loading dock really pops. Never played with the picos before. Will have to check them out. Thanks for sharing!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Yeah it was odd seeing those folks working in the dark :D

[@RonMontagueSWRR]

You did an excellent job explaining the process. It's similar to what I incorporate in my structures. It's fun, but you have to figure out what rooms you want to be dark or lit to determine how many or what LEDs to use. Thanks for sharing Eric.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Ron. Which rooms to illuminate is my current conundrum with the Cassidy building, planning to model some interiors in there.

[@jensknopfrangiert]

I love everything what you do on your layout. It's fantastic and inspiring me for my project. I would like to say thanks a lot at this time to you. Best wishes from Berlin, Germany

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Jens. Glad this is helpful. Your layout is incredibly interesting. I don't often come across European shelf-style switching layouts like yours. It's a lot of fun to watch and impressive how long of a run you're able to get with all of the modules connected. I'm also partial to the vinyl record collection that shows up periodically in the shot.

[@jensknopfrangiert]

​@@ChicagoCrossingRR Thanks and sorry for the late reponsens. The vinyl collection and the layout form a good harmony. Some jazz records or hip hop instrumentals out the speakers and do some switching jobs. This is perfect for relaxing. I like your layout very. It's more "european" style withe the oval. And so much nice details around. :)

[@CharlesGallo]

Very nice. One I always see when I look at a building at night, the red emergency exit lights. Every floor, right outside the stairs

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hmmm, I like that idea Charles.

[@HartfordWhaler]

Great video! Gives me good ideas for my structures. Nicely done.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Fantastic, thank you!

[@vincenthuying98]

Dear Eric, love this episode! Very interesting how you’ve blanked out the ground floor windows and made those partitions and the ceiling to divide the building into separate sections for the lighting. Yep those pico leds indeed look awesome. Also like how you’ve mounted ‘m. Really fits the scale bill in N scale. Definitely will check those picos out for my HO scale layout. Curious for the lighting job on the Cassidy Tyre plant. Cheerio

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hey Vincent glad you enjoyed! Picos are likely even better scaled for HO and I bet you’ll have a lot of fun installing them!

[@jeffherdz]

Eric, Unlike the Bear. You can add winning touches to your layout. And not have to worry about a hail Mary pass(with 25 seconds left on the clock) To get the job done right.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

I can certainly attest that patience is a real virtue in this situation.

[@kevo05s]

This is such beautiful work

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thank you!

[@PlanetMojo]

Great job! Now you just need to find a flickering LED to mimic that florescent fixture with a dying ballast 😉

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Not so difficult. Probably couldn't do it on this building given how full up it is, but there are a few chips that can be used to replicate the effect. It can absolutely be done with arduinos :)

[@michaelhollman9470]

Spectacular workmanship! Thank you for such an inspirational video!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

You bet Michael!

[@mloik1]

Nicely done!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks Michael!

[@William-n1b]

Nicely done.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thank you!

[@aarosandeinosmodelrailway3818]

Great result!

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

I've been pretty happy with it!

[@Vman7757]

Thanks for sharing.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

For sure!

[@MikeDrzycimski]

Great job Eric. Can you post a close up picture of the fixture hood you fashioned for the penthouse light? I have a few of these that I would like to install on my own building.

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Hi Mike - I'm currently putting together a video with a bit more info on those, happy to share.

[@stevetandysr.2816]

Also maybe a light on the single recessed door .

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Was thinking about that, thanks Steve. When I do the main door I might include the smaller one as well.

[@Howie2025]

Nice work, really adds to the overall effect on the layout. What value resistors did you use for the pico leds?

[@ChicagoCrossingRR]

Thanks! I use 100 ohm resistors for these LEDs.