Ngineering Micro Super-white LED's

Grumpy Popeye · Post by **Grumpy Popeye** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:51 am

Hey all,

I just picked up a 10 pack of these beauties this past weekend, and wow! It's stuff like this that will revolutionize the hobby! I can't wait to try them in a model!

http://www.ngineering.com/lightng.htm

I'll try to post some pictures later today.

Cheers,

NNYGamer · Post by **NNYGamer** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 2:35 pm

I can see someone putting one behind each window of the Enterprise (any) and have them all controlled separately.

tetsujin · Post by **tetsujin** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 5:31 pm

These LEDs are a standard surface-mount size called 0603. You can get them from other sources a lot cheaper - about $0.70 each at Mouser, less if you buy them on Ebay from sellers in China.

But, yeah, there's a lot you can do with these small LEDs. For instance, one of my unfinished projects is a 1:72 VF-1 fighter from Macross with the formation lights and slime lights in the wings lit from inside the wing by 0603 LEDs. (The wing is maybe 2mm thick in those areas...) You can fit them almost anywhere.

More recently, the smaller 0402 types have become available - these are 0.5 x 1.0 mm, where the 0603's are 0.8 x 1.6 mm. So there's even fewer places you can't put one.

A friend and I collaborated on a tutorial for the use of surface-mount LEDs in models.

jwrjr · Post by **jwrjr** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:47 pm

Unique-Leds has 1.8mm non-surface mount white leds. They are pretty bright.

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 4:10 pm

Even better did you see their special magnet wire? It self strips as you heat the wire to pre tin it! no more scraping

Madman Lighting · Post by **Madman Lighting** » Mon Dec 08, 2008 8:37 pm

Tetsujin is right, these are industry standard surface mount LEDs in an 0603 package. That means its a chip thats 6 thousandths long by 3 thousands (of an inch) wide. Other packages are 0805 and 0402.

And yes, Mouser and Digi-Key have them for less than $1.00 in singles.

You might want to get some good tweezers when working with them, small are they!

Chacal · Post by **Chacal** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 10:52 am

Isn't that 60 thousandths by 30 thousandths?

NNYGamer · Post by **NNYGamer** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:13 am

Take a bunch of them in different colors and decorate a very small Christmas tree

tetsujin · Post by **tetsujin** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 11:37 am

Madman Lighting wrote: You might want to get some good tweezers when working with them, small are they!

Normally when I work with them I just use regular-size pliers - I wrap a rubber band around the handle so the pliers will hold tension on the part while I attach wires to it. (But, admittedly, I still do lose the little buggers from time to time - they have a way of vanishing - which is another good reason why if you buy 'em you should get a good price!) In Mark's version of the tutorial he uses a set of spring-loaded tweezers... Probably a good way to go. For the time being I'm too cheap to shell out for such a thing. :)

Once you get at least one wire attached, though, the LED becomes significantly harder to lose, and significantly easier to find if you do lose it...

Grumpy Popeye · Post by **Grumpy Popeye** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 2:51 pm

Yeah, don't sneeze before getting that first wire soldered on!