mweber6476

Hi All,

Does anyone have any experience with the AirBrite lighting systems or something similar?  Their solution appears to be geared towards the Christmas Village crowd but the idea of quickly deploying lighting without wires would speed up the detailing of my layout..  (Note, I am in no way associated with this vendor).

Best,

Mike Weber

 

Reply 0
GeeTee

I have no direct experience

I have no direct experience with this product , but from watching the demo videos it appears that they are just generating a alternating magnetic flux field inside the pad and the LED are attached to an antenna/coil on flex circuit.

The power travels "wireless" from the pad to flex circuit antenna a distance of about 3 - 6 inches.

Its essentially is air core transformer. You still have to plug it in.

I 'm not sure that there's anything to be gained by removing  3- 6 inches of wire. It does do anything that you couldn't do with a string of Christmas lights by pulling out half the bulbs and cramming the lit ones inside the buildings.

 

 

Reply 0
Jackh

Take a look at this one

It uses fiber optics for it's lighting system. They have an interview with a modeler who has done some pretty amazing stuff with them.

https://www.dwarvin.com/

Jack

Reply 0
railandsail

THANKS !! for that

THANKS !! for that reference,...looks very interesting on initial inspection.

 

 

Reply 0
railandsail

Another Fiber Optic article that appeared on MRH

Fiber optic structure lighting

https://forum.mrhmag.com/magazine-feedback-was-ezines-891776

 

(I guess there are not that many folks presently working on such projects....thus some lack of responses to this subject?)

I was also surprised to see the number of different subject threads started on "structure lighting", ...and only different in primarily how they were titled. Seems like with a little judicial use of the 'search tool' some of these multiple subject threads might have been condensed into a 'master thread' on the subject??

Reply 0
barr_ceo

Fiber optics definitely have

Fiber optics definitely have their advantages. I used them to run a light for a FRED from a container  (with a battery and flashing LED inside) to the end of a well car, for example, and it was basically invisible.

However, I don't really consider it to be "wireless". You still have the wiring to the light source to install, and it can get to be a real zoo getting the fiber from the light source to the point you want it to come out.

If you're lighting a building, for example, and want the building removable - you're still going to need to put your source in the building somewhere and run power to it. The only real advantages are you can have the fibers connected to a white source and dye the ends different colors, sharing a single source between multiple emitter points.

Rather than "wireless",I'd call it "simplified" or "reduced" wiring.

I'm considering using fiber optics and "smart pixel" LEDs in combination with an Arduino Nano to light a warehouse (interior, exterior, and loading dock) on a T-Trak module, using 18650 batteries to make it completely self-contained.

 

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Reply 0
Jackh

Fiber Optics

I'm really interested in using them, but not close enough to structure lighting yet to even beginning experimenting with them.

There was an article in MR way back, 80's or 90's? that showed how to use them also. I have no idea if it is an article I saved or not. I remember seeing a layout in the Minneapolis area that used them to light up a movie marque. I don't remember if it also had a flashing sequence to it. It was pretty impressive.

Jack

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