Lights

[njmlondon]

I am facinated with having working lights on my car [] and have two questions...

Firstly I have a 959 (which comes with working lights) but intend to use a ESC or even CPR so the light connector that is on the speed control wont be on the car []... does anybody have any ideas how I can connect them? I really dont want to put on a seperate set of batteries for the lights and would rather take the power from the main one.[]

Secondly, I am thinking about putting lights on my Wild Willy 2 [}]- has anybody done this? Does anybody know of any good lights that could be used on the roll bar? And are there any that can be fitted where the plastic discs currently fit on the front grill. Finally, will I need a separate power source or can I tap the battery. I am using an MSC at the moment but would like to change to an ESC or CPR.

Thanks for reading this and any advice is most welcome![8D]

Noel

[raemin]

For power supply you may us a Y connection to the ESC black and red wires. These are the one that provide your radio control unit with power.

As far as the wild willy is concerned, I would use the Hilux front light set (chrome part + crystal), just check the diameter is correct first. This part is pretty expensive when NIB. I would be happy to sell you one of my replica for this purpose but for the time being I'am just having some troubles with the clear resine. So maybe you could look on ebay for a used set.

Raoul

[WillyChang]

There is nothing against wiring up your lights to 7.2V; Tamiya's lightbulb set is designed for this. You could easily make a adaptor lead using male & female battery plugs, and a fly lead with a suitable plug for the lights.

However, 2 caveats:-

1) Tamiya's light bulbs draw quite a lot of current; leave them on a full charged pack and they'll flatten it within 15-20 mins even if the car doesn't move an inch. They also run quite hot so be careful where you mount them.

2) If one bulb blows, there's no way to replace it - its 1 pr or nothing.

[njmlondon]

OK... I seem to have a few more questions... please excuse my total ignorance of how electricity works!!![:I]

quote:For power supply you may us a Y connection to the ESC black and red wires.

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If I use a Y connection, is this on the red and black wires that run FROM the battery to the ESC/CPR, or on the red and black wires which run from the ESC/CPR to the motor?

Secondly... and this is dumb... what is a Y connection?[:I][:I] Is it an actual splitter box that I can buy, or is it just where i strip the red and black wires and attach the light wires to them and then wrap it in insulation tape???

Thanks for the education!!!!

Noel

[raemin]

quote:

Originally posted by njmlondon

OK... I seem to have a few more questions... please excuse my total ignorance of how electricity works!!![:I]

If I use a Y connection, is this on the red and black wires that run FROM the battery to the ESC/CPR, or on the red and black wires which run from the ESC/CPR to the motor?

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You could normally use it on any red/black wires that gets out of your receiver (in theory). Best thing however is to do it on the ESC wires.

quote:

Secondly... and this is dumb... what is a Y connection?[:I][:I] Is it an actual splitter box that I can buy, or is it just where i strip the red and black wires and attach the light wires to them and then wrap it in insulation tape???

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id="quote">id="quote">

This question might be related to my poor english I presume ... a Y connection is the cable you use when you want to connect twin servos, this cable basically features on male plug (for the receiver) which is wired to 2 female plugs (one for each of your servos). Hence the "Y" name we use in France : the shape of this item looks like a "Y". By the way the tamiya light kit come one spare Y connection.

Of course you may cut the wires manually an perform some soldering, I would however not recomend tape for insulation.

As per wether to use 7.2 or 6 volts, I personally prefer to use the 6 volts options for the bulbs I use tend to be expensive and are connected with a BEC plug (which is supposed to be 6 volts). However some others are fitted with a tamtech plug (7.2 volts).

[DJTheo]

If you are willing to build you own lights use new white leds instead of bulbs, they consume much less, glow much brighter, dont warm up so much, have incredible life duration, only advantages...

[J3cubfan]

Where do you find white LEDS?

John

quote:

Originally posted by DJTheo

If you are willing to build you own lights use new white leds instead of bulbs, they consume much less, glow much brighter, dont warm up so much, have incredible life duration, only advantages...

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[CarterTG]

quote:

Originally posted by J3cubfan

Where do you find white LEDS?

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In the US, a new generation of white LEDs can be found at Radio Shack & other electronic component shops. They take slightly more voltage than conventional LEDs, but are TREMENDOUSLY brighter... bright enough to leave a temporary blind spot on the retina if stared at for a few seconds. These are the same InGaN LEDs used in keychain flashlights. The primary problem with the ones sold at Radio Shack are inconsistent batches. Some exhibit a green tinge, some slightly blue.

Hobbyists in this thread should know that LEDs shouldn't be treated like regular incandescent bulbs when designing the circuit. In most cases, a step-down resistor is required to control the current flow.

[DJTheo]

Be carefull, very bright leds like lasers (even small laser pinters)can leave a non-temporary blind spot on the retina, never point them to eyes or look into them! [][:0]