1	Garden Railroad Electronics Inexpensive Sound Boards LED Lights Solar Charging
2	Introduction This workshop is designed to give an overview of a number of simple electronic devices and circuits that can be used in garden railways. All of the topics have been covered in great detail in articles that ran on LSOL over the last year. (search for BODNAR under Info Center / Library)
3	Objectives: Examine lighting options using inexpensive LEDs and powering them with solar charged batteries Provide an overview of inexpensive sound boards for garden railway applications Allow time for discussion and questions
4	LED Lights Advantages of using LEDs for lighting Reasonable cost Very low power requirements Much longer life than incandescent bulbs Do not generate much, if any, heat
5	LED Lights Disadvantages of using LEDs for lighting Operate from DC only Require consistent polarity Voltage / current must be controlled Generate a focused beam
6	Dollar Store LED Lights
7	Dollar Store LED Lights Where to find them Dollar Tree (www.dollartree.com for locations) eBay search for “laptop LED light USB”
8	Dollar Store LED Lights Twist off metal cover Solder Red (+) wire to upper contact Solder Black (-) wire to lower contact DONE!
9	Dollar Store LED Lights Preparation of LEDs – Original Method Cut off USB connector Gently cut into insulation Remove 1” piece
10	Dollar Store LED Lights Preparation of LEDs Separate two bundles of wire Red wires are negative Gold are positive
11	Dollar Store LED Lights Preparation of LEDs Dip ends in hot solder to tin Test with 9 volt battery
12	Dollar Store LED Lights Use in buildings The mount provides an ideal way to direct light to windows Just clip to strips of wood glued behind windows and doors
13	Dollar Store LED Lights The mount can be modified to give a small spotlight type fixture Cut off the bottom half of the clip Glue, nail or screw in place Direct as needed
14	Dollar Store LED Lights
15	Individual LEDs Other LED sources batteryspace.com White - 50 for $19.95 Red - 50 for $9.95 Amber - 50 for $15.95 eBay Radio Shack (very expensive: $0.60 - $5.00+)
16	"Current limiting resistors MUST be..." Current limiting resistors MUST be used 300 to 1000 ohms depending on the LED and voltage 470 ohm is a good value for most LEDs if using 5-12 volts
17	"Current limiting resistors MUST be..." Current limiting resistors MUST be used Wire in series with one lead and power Longer LED lead to positive Lead by notch in LED to negative
18	Powering options Batteries Simplest option Must recharge frequently or replace Have to turn on/off manually Track power Only works when trains are running Requires regulation circuitry to protect LEDs from damage
19	Solar Powering LED Lights Advantages Charge batteries whenever the sun shines Automatically turns lights on at dusk and off at dawn
20	Solar Powering LED Lights Sources of solar panels Harbor Freight VW dealers eBay Electronic supply houses (All Electronics, Electronics Goldmine, etc)
21	"Circuit to automatically charge batteries..." Circuit to automatically charge batteries and turn lights on at dusk
22	Solar Powering LED Lights Choosing Batteries for LED Lighting NiCad’s are the best choice as they can provide as many as 1000 charge / discharge cycles (3 plus years) NiMh have greater capacity but fewer (roughly ½ as many) charge / discharge cycles SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) don’t like to be completely discharged
23	Solar Powering LED Lights Using track power for charging
24	Sound Boards Devices you can use when you don’t need a full sound system
25	Sound boards - Synthesized “Four train sound” boards These simple circuits can be purchased for under $10.00 and can be put together in a matter of a few minutes The sounds that they generate can be used in trains and trackside applications These sounds are synthesized, not samples of the actual sound
26	Sound boards - Synthesized 4 Train Sound Board 1 Best price found at Marlin P. Jones: http://mpja.com/ Whistle (3 times) Crossing Bell (8 times) Click Clack (12 times) All 3 + Chug
27	Sound boards - Synthesized 4 Train Sound Board 2 http://xtronics.com/ #EM-105 Whistle Crossing Bell Click Clack Chuff One brief sound per button push
28	Sound boards – Digital Recorders These boards record sounds onto solid state recording chips Similar to what happens when a computer or MP3 player records sound The device samples the sound thousands of times each second and store a digital representation of the sound
29	Sound boards – Digital Recorders The entire article upon which this presentation is based is available for download from: http://www.LargeScaleOnline.com/library/free/article_373.html
30	Sound boards – Digital Recorders The quality of their audio output is determined by: Microphone quality and recording circuitry The size and quality of the speaker and amplifier Sample rate The number of bits used to record one sample (usually 8 or 16 – the higher the better)
31	Sound boards – Digital Recorders Dog bone voice recorder PetEdge.com 10 second message Can easily add An external speaker Amplifier A reed or other switch External power
32	Sound boards – Digital Recorders 20 second voice recorder - http://electronics123.com/ item DA63 20 second message Can easily add An external speaker Amplifier A reed or other switch External power
33	Sound boards – Digital Recorders 120 second voice recorder 120 second message(s) Any combination of messages to 120 second total – each played sequentially Can easily add An external speaker Amplifier A reed or other switch External power
34	Sound boards – Digital Recorders TrainSetElectronics.com devices A number of sound boards designed for use in HO, O and G scale trains Similar to other boards in construction and sound quality
35	Questions ? ? ?
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