11 replies to this topic

[Wannabe80]

Not sure if this is the right spot in the forum, if not please move it to the correct spot.

 

Is it possible to put LED lights on a Brushless flexi 1/24 car?

 

Headlights and taillights like those on hard-body cars.

 

has anyone done, got pics and how it was done.

 

Thank you in advance.

[MG Brown]

Yes, power your lights with a coin-style battery and have a on-off swich on the bottom.

 

Why? So that the lights stay on when you deslot. Trust me when I say that this is the way.

[Wannabe80]

Oh, i didn't even think of using an on board battery and that makes a lot of sense actually.

 

Also i never thought about de-slotting, as i tend to do that a fair bit.

 

I am new so I'm hoping that i will get better with that part of it.

 

I just think the lights look cool.

[DeanJ]

I don't get it, why not use a light kit like ZMachine or SlotIt?

 

Here's the SlotIt kit standard setup on a 1:32 McLaren F1 body

 

[Wannabe80]

Hi Dean,

 

I did not know they existed.

 

Thank you for that i will have a look into them.

[DeanJ]

Well thats a good reason!

Heres the basic SlotIt kit

https://132slotcar.u...eplaces-sisp16b

[DeanJ]

Lets see the car you want to add the light to.

 

Youll want to source the proper sized SMD LEDs also (3.5, 4, or 5mm)- and also what color (3500K to 5000k). I get all my LEDs from DigiKey. If you dont want to buy 10 or so I could sell you headlights and taillights just for this project.

If you just wanna add light and dont care about the details, then standard LEDs would be easier to source and install but tend to be much bigger in size.

[Wannabe80]

I was thinking of adding them to a 1/24 flexi, so not a hard body.

 

Would have to be mounted to the chassis and not the body i would think.

 

Although from looking at it it would need a fair bit of custom mounting and is more than likely not worth the effort at all.

 

Might just bite the bullet and buy a hard body, as there is heap of decent looking cars with awesome details.

[Bill Seitz]

I have seen lights applied to vacuum-formed Lexan bodies, both .007 and .010. Simply tape the lamp/LED to the appropriate spot on the inside of the body. Using a battery makes things simple.

 

With incandescent 'grain of wheat' bulbs, they can be used at full track voltage, but they're not intended for 12 volts and burn out quickly.

 

LEDs are ~1.5 volt devices, so powering from the track requires some voltage-dropping method.

 

An IC voltage regulator is the most elegant way and will keep the lights on longer, especially if a larger capacitor is used. Resistor voltage dividers also can be used. This involves having a small electronic board on the chassis, so the battery is simpler and likely no heavier or more space-consuming.

[MG Brown]

In the past, we have had enduro races with lighted cars. Everyone chose to go the 3v coin battery-powered route.

 

 

 

Details on the cars, the results and so on can be found on The Raceway Cleveland TN Facebook page.

 

Mounting for the lights is fairly easy using either flat pieces of Lexan or cardboard.

[Dave Crevie]

The cool thing about some of the 1/32nd lighting kits is that most of them have working brake lights; (I.E. the brake lights come on when the controller is in the braking position. 

[Mark Onofri]

REH used to have some with flashing exaust when you hit the brakes. The one I bought was pricey for the time but, better than the Corvair style bright now dim now bright direct wiring. Personality, I prefer a black light, floursent paint and MC5 & Blue Cheer @ 30,000 decibels or more.