White & Bi-colour LED

DCCconcepts exclusive products….

White & Bi-colour White/Red

LED Selection

An Austrains CL class… with lights as they should be!

(Loco has them all on at once... only for the photo shoot of course)

First, a little about the choice of white and white-tinted LEDs for the modeler.

We first got into the supply of LEDs for the modeller using the same “Golden white” that had originally been created for US modelers…

However as time progressed it became evident that the strong amber colour of the unlit bulb simply looked wrong, and that while the tint itself was just fine at full blindingly bright levels, at the correct lower level to properly represent “scale” locomotive lights, it was far too amber or golden in tint.

We therefore commenced evolution of our own exclusive DCCconcepts “prototype white” colour and after several generations and several hundred thousand LEDs produced and sold to happy modelers, we can truly say that it is the only white LED available anywhere that does it right!

We really have created a look to the illumination that is the classic soft white typically given off by incandescent light when shining brightly, and yet we have retained an ability to create the warm soft golden glow of a signal or UK loco lamp when dimmed with a much, much greater resistance.

We also took the trouble to widen the available range of pure whites - with NO tint at all, no blue, no warmth at all. This is the “Pure white” of mid-day sun, as seen in a modern diesel or electric locomotive lamp. Suitable for diesel locos from the 1970’s onwards, it is also excellent as interior illumination for modern coaching stock and buildings, which always look wrong with the blue tint light of common white LEDS.

To go straight to our white and bi-colour LED selection, Please Click HERE.

To see the “best practice” way to connect an LED to your loco or coach wiring, Please Click HERE

To learn more about our White LEDs and their use, just read on.

…you will find more specific information on each LED in our wide LED selection at the end of this added information… and soldering data at the end of the LED selection.

A little information about our “White” and Red/White LEDs.

White LEDs are static sensitive and should be treated accordingly.

Depending on their exact specification, their required forward voltage will vary, but will average approximately 3 to 3.4 volts.

We recommend that you never use less than 1,000 ohms unless you are very certain that the supply voltage is below 15 volts. (less than 1k will give no benefit nor better light level at normal track voltages).

If you wish to calculate your own values: When calculating for alternate values using Ohms law 3 volts and either 15 or 20mA will be safe in all cases… this will always give you a “safe” resistor level.

Remember that you are calculating resistance for the total track voltage less 3 volts, so for example: Track = 15v (less 3 for LED) so using V=I x R we get: 12 (v) = .015 (15mA) * 800 (ohms) - showing our 1K is very safe!

protection from reverse voltage - DC Layouts only!

LEDs are sensitive to reverse voltages.

There’s no issue on DCC, as LEDs are supplied with non-reversing DC voltages via a rectifier within the decoder but when using LEDs on a DC layout / in a locomotive best practice means you should have a simple low current diode “reverse connected” across the LED to protect it from reverse voltages.

What resistor value?

We supply our white LEDs with 1000ohm resistors which is safe for all track voltages and gives maximum brightness when the LED is used as a loco headlamp.

We suggest that you experiment with values from 1k~10k ohms for brighter lamps and up as high as 60~70k ohms for oil lamps… & decide for yourself which will be the best for your particular application.

DCCconcepts BI-colour red/White LED’s.

We have specially created 3-lead Bi-coloured LEDs in red/white in 3 sizes.

Being specially made, they have a common positive centre lead for DCC use, and correct light levels and tints for both red and white.

The Red chosen is “True red” - which is the correct red specified for real locomotive red light. It is a lower power LED than the correctly tinted “prototype white” which is a high power LED suitable for headlight use.

This is the ONLY Bi-colour red/white LED created this way, just for railway models!

A handy scale chart for LED sizes

Some examples of our LEDs in use….

This really unusual HO scale Aero train uses our 2mm tower type LEDs in the red+ prototype white and prototype white only versions (They have been filed to perfect scale size to fit accurately drilled lens sizes)

This HO scale model of UP 9726 uses our 1.6mm butterfly lead LEDs for Ditch lights and our 2mm tower LEDs for headlights.

Both are in “prototype white” tint

This Hornby 4mm scale (OO) Stanier 8F uses our 1.8mm Microdot LEDS filed to shape and painted to represent UK steam era loco lamps

This GWR Pannier tank (O scale) uses the same LED in a truly accurate scratch-built styrene loco lamp. It uses 70k ohms to dim to prototype light levels (the locomotive is a brass kit built model and it is DCC equipped)

Our 3mm Prototype white LEDs are used front and rear on this nicely weathered HO scale UP steam locomotive

And finally…. Our 0.8mm Surface mount LEDS.

Example #1:

They are used for the lamp in the guards hand… they are wired using conductive silver paint so the wiring is truly invisible once the guards clothes are painted on to cover it!

The model is in English OO scale. (4mm to the foot)

Example #2:

They are used for the lamps on the Loco buffer beam - in this case, the original whitemetal lamps were filed/drilled out and the whitemetal was coated with a thin superglue layer as insulation.

The DCCconcepts 0.8mm surface mount LED has kynar wire attached and then the led solder pad area was also painted with superglue to insulate it. When both were dry, the LED was inserted into the lamp and glued in place with a small amount of glue. The lens ring was made of fine wire and the lamp painted black….

The model is in English OO scale. (4mm to the foot)

DCCconcepts WHITE & WHITE/RED LEDs

3mm T1 type White & White/Red LEDs

NOTE: All led packs are supplied complete with 1,000 ohm resistors

Text Box: 6-pack, 3mm T-1 2 Prototype White and Red 3 lead LED (common positive ctr lead)

Click here for our colour selection of this LED

5mm T1 type White & Prototype White/Red LEDs

NOTE: All led packs are supplied complete with 1,000 ohm resistors

Text Box: 6-pack, 5mm T-1 2 Prototype White and Red 3 lead LED (common positive ctr lead)

Click here for our colour selection of this LED

2mm Tower type White & Prototype White/Red LEDs

NOTE: All led packs are supplied complete with 1,000 ohm resistors

Text Box: 6-pack, 2mm Tower Prototype White and Red 3 lead LED (common positive ctr lead)

Click here for our colour selection of this LED

1.8 mm Micro Panel dot White LEDS

NOTE: All led packs are supplied complete with 1,000 ohm resistors

Sorry - This LED is not available in red/white

Click here for our colour selection of this LED

*** NEW Product ***

1.6 mm Mini Gull Wing White LEDS

$Text Box: smaller than our microdot & only fractionally larger in practical terms than the DCCconcepts surface mount LED that is loved for its ability to light anything anywhere, this new LED is perfect for N scale colour light signals & HO and 4mm scale semaphore signal lamps, it is also remarkably close in size to late steam era (UK) buffer beam electric lamps (in fact the same LED os cold by a UK supplier as a lamp—at GBP3 each!) Its uses go well beyond that though—ditch lights, step lights, table lamps, footplate lamps… the list is endless. The convenient butterfly leads make connection easy, and each LED has a very clear polarity mark on the rear surface. 1.6mm scales to appx * 9” in N * 4.5” in OO * 5” in HO * 2.5” in O It is available in Prototype white (shown) and also in pure white (sunny). (We are often asked, so yes, packs of 100 are also available to special order)$

NOTE: All led packs are supplied complete with 1,000 ohm resistors

Sorry - This LED is not available in red/white

Click here for our colour selection of this LED

0.8mm Surface mount White LEDS (0603 type)

(Also available with pre-soldered leads—click here)

NOTE: All led packs are supplied complete with 1,000 ohm resistors

NOTE: This LED is sold in 10 packs

Sorry - This LED is not available in red/white

Click here for our colour selection of this LED

Soldering/Installing LEDS

This covers all LEDS in general, however from step 3 really applies only to LEDS with leads - SMT requires a more delicate approach which we are happy to share… email us please.

You will need the following:

DCCconcepts S179 Sapphire Solder. (Click this link)

DCCconcepts Sapphire liquid flux. (Click this link)

A good quality clean tipped soldering Iron. (Click this link)

Fine wire. (Click this link)

You also need….

Good light, a clean workbench and a clear idea of where it is to be installed.

Step 1. Identify which lead is which:

On an LED with leads, the longest lead is the positive—this applies to both single colour 2 lead and dual colour 3 lead LEDs.

On a butterfly LED, the positive is marked with a black bar on the rear of the LED

On a surface mount LED, the positive is marked with a triangle on the rear of the LED

Step 2: Identify which (decoder) wire is which.

BLUE is the common positive for ALL functions

White is always (-) for function 1 (US) / front leadlight (US/EU)

Yellow is always (-) for function 2 (US) / rear headlight (US/EU)

Green is always (-) for function 3 (US) / auxiliary 1 (EU)

Purple is always (-) for function 4 (US) / auxiliary 2 (EU)

Step 3: Solder the resistor to the positive leg of the LED.

Cut the resistor wire to about 1/2” or 15mm. Wrap it tightly around the LED leg 3 times, and make sure it is exactly where you want it to be.

Cut off any spare resistor leg neatly close to the LED leg.

Add a small amount of sapphire flux with a damp Q-tip or cotton bud.

Wipe the soldering iron on a damp sponge, apply a small amount of sapphire 179 solder to the tip and bring the tip to the joint.

The solder will flash onto the joint area immediately—remove the Iron as soon as it does so - this whole procedure should need the Iron at the joint for less than 1 second.

If solder does NOT immediately flow from Iron to joint, then re-flux with a little more and repeat the process.. Do NOT linger as LEDs have a limited heat tolerance.

When the joint is done, cut off any excess length on the LED lead (we didn’t do this earlier as the added length acts as a heat sink offering a wee bit of protection to the LED from the soldering heat)

Step 4: Solder wires to the LED / resistor.

Strip the wires for appx 5mm and if stranded, twist the strands to keep them together.

Twist the stripped wire around the leg of the LED lead at the place you wish to solder it. About 3 times is enough...

Do not forget to add some flux.

As with step 3... wipe the iron tip on the damp sponge, apply a little Sapphire 179 solder to the tip and the whole joint should be completed quickly.

Now you can trim this wire as before.

Repeat for the other end of the resistor we soldered to the LED earlier.

Step 5: Insulate the joints / bare wires

Use fine heat-shrink (Click here) We offer many colours in one pack as it is nice to match heat-shrink colour to wire, but its more important to just to it well so no accidental short circuits can occur…. So if you prefer to just use one colour, that’s fine too!

Slip some over the positive lead and resistor until all bare wire is covered

Slip some over the negative lead and wire until all bare wire is covered

You can shrink the heat-shrink with the heat from the side of a soldering iron tip, a butane lighter or similar—however for the best result, try using a heat gun.

If you do not have one, then a standard domestic hairdryer set to hot will do the job really well.

Take care you do not melt any adjacent plastic though please!

That’s it: Job done!