Lighting for Modular Buildings

Comments

• ecmo47 North CarolinaMember Posts: 2,101

  April 2017

  Here's one place that sells lighting kits. There are others.
  
  https://www.brickloot.com/collections/all?page=2
  

  

  2
• SprinkleOtter Member Posts: 2,758

  April 2017 edited April 2017

  I hear these red candles are great.
  
  

  

  4
• CCC UKMember Posts: 20,366

  April 2017 edited April 2017

  Do you want a no-nonsense system or do you like tinkering? If the latter, you can get really thin wire (like hair) that is easy to run in the joints between bricks/plates so can easily be hidden. Then just add some LEDs where you want them (do it in parallel). The smaller 3mm ones can fit inside a transparent minifigure head if you want a light shade.

  0
• Boardshorts85 ChicagoMember Posts: 183

  June 2018

  Bumping this thread...
  
  Thanks to MrBookieBoo's posts on Instagram, I'm looking at possibly lighting up my modular setup.  Who has done this?  Any recommendation on brands?  I've been looking at Brickloot as they are here in Chicago.

  0
• Switchfoot55 The Northwest, USAMember Posts: 2,761

  June 2018

  Aliexpress has a number of sellers that have custom light kits for most of the modulars. 

  0
• Baby_Yoda The world's backsideMember Posts: 1,295

  June 2018

  I've heard many good things about Light My Bricks but I'm not sure how they'd do shipping to the US.

  0
• hleonffu USAMember Posts: 244

  June 2018

  I and my LUG use Brickstuff to light out mods and our displays. Start with one of their starter kits. 

  0
• Cyberdragon Maryland, U.S.AMember Posts: 546

  July 2018

  https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/28745/completely-lit-up-lego-city-with-leds-wip

  0
• Cyberdragon Maryland, U.S.AMember Posts: 546

  July 2018 edited July 2018

  There are also incandescant rice bulbs (used in old watch backlights), they can even be smaller than LEDs (<3mm). However, they run on very low voltage (1.5-3V) so you'll have to run seperate power or use large value resistors. Not sure how much power they draw, but I have some I can test if anyone wants to know. I'll get some photos to show how small in a bit.

  0
• Cyberdragon Maryland, U.S.AMember Posts: 546

  July 2018

  Here's a photo of watch bulbs compared to a 3mm LED and a penny. They are rather dim, so not good for general illumination. But they would be great for making minifig scale glowing jewelry, light strings (for them to hold), or other super tiny details. I'll have to find a source for them but they should be cheap and come in high quantities.
  
  
  

  0
• aap GermanyMember Posts: 8

  July 2018 edited July 2018

  In matter of size nothing can beat SMD-LEDs. You can buy them already soldered to magnet wire, which is so thin that it fits between stud and antistud.

  The smallest size is 0,65 x 0,35 x 0,2 mm, but for placing under a clear round 1x1 plate sizes up to 2 x 1,25 x 1 mm can be used, which are availiable blinking without additional electronics.

  
  

  

  
  

  The small orange speckle in front of the jumper plate is such a blinking SMD LED, the wire is below the jumper plate.

  
  

  Andreas
  

  

  7
• Cyberdragon Maryland, U.S.AMember Posts: 546

  July 2018 edited July 2018

  LEDs are best for hiding under studs (as the tiny ones are also flat). They look gross and box-shaped exposed though, bulbs look better bare (hence minifig jewelry and whatnot).
  
  String lights made of tiny bulbs would probably look better and more realistic than those strings of SMD LEDs (especially the pre-made ones with glue on the LEDs). 
  
  EDIT: I have not found 1mm radial lead LEDs yet, but if they exist they would work as well. 

  0
• Cyberdragon Maryland, U.S.AMember Posts: 546

  July 2018

  Here's an example of bulb jewelry.
  
  Pardon Frankenmione (my bulb is pretty mangled and I gave up on hair thin wire that was refusing to solder properly).
  
  1.5v bulb at 1.0V and about 10mA.
  
   

  0