Moon Bus part 4

I have added some lighting to the model. I purchased a 1m led strip light that runs on 12 volts. You can cut the strip into any multiple of three of the surface mount leds and they will still work on 12 volts.

 The picture above shows what is left after cutting of all the bits I needed for the Moon Bus project.

You cut the strip on the line between the 4 copper contact pads where it says +12V. You then have to carefully cut away the clear covering over the contact pads and solder your wires to the pads. It comes with a strip of foam tape adhered to the back of the strip so it can be stuck into position.
They really throw out an impressive amount of light.
For the front I added a length of the strip to a piece of aluminium angle. A 2mm styrene box was then made to fit over this and secured with a styrene tab at one end and a dual ball cabinet catch at the other. A small 3 led strip has been added to the cockpit interior as an overhead light.

The rear lights were made from a two 3 led strips painted with Tamiya clear red. A similar styrene box, made to secure in the same way as the front, hides the wiring connection at the rear. Some kit part detailing has been added. A single white led has been added to the rear porch to light the rear hatch. A 1k resistor was calculated to be correct to run it from the 12volt lighting circuit.

To power the the lighting I will need a voltage booster to get 12 volts from the 7.2 volt motor battery.
The leds don't pull much current so I should be able to use a booster from Hobby King with no problems.

More soon...

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7,