I have several of the ebay ones and they are great , 12v all you need is a switch and power . They come with just bare wire on the ends but its easy to add a switch and a generic 240 - 12v dc converter
or I just run mine off the 12V battery in the Obs which has a Ctek trickle charger on it .
I have several of the ebay ones and they are great , 12v all you need is a switch and power . They come with just bare wire on the ends but its easy to add a switch and a generic 240 - 12v dc converter
or I just run mine off the 12V battery in the Obs which has a Ctek trickle charger on it .
Thanks Marke.
I've got 12V and switches under control then.
I see they have marks on them where you can cut them. I want to install a strip under each tread, without the zig-zagging of one continuous strip. Is it a simple matter of soldering wires to the ends where you cut them?
I see they have marks on them where you can cut them. I want to install a strip under each tread, without the zig-zagging of one continuous strip. Is it a simple matter of soldering wires to the ends where you cut them?
Baz.
Yes you just cut to length and solder , and mentioned above the water proof
ones are better but I am using both and no problem .
Blue might look cool, but it has to be the most annoying colour for extended usage. Just about every new appliance in the house has blue LEDs to tell you they have power connected. Those LEDs have a negative effect on melanin production which makes it hard to sleep.
Blue might look cool, but it has to be the most annoying colour for extended usage. Just about every new appliance in the house has blue LEDs to tell you they have power connected. Those LEDs have a negative effect on melanin production which makes it hard to sleep.
er...... i think in your observatory, you dont want to fall asleep ha ha!
pat
You could do it differently and save a lot of work, IMHO - e.g. install a long strip on the inside (left) edge to cast light across the steps with a reflective strip on each step's edge*. You could also use discrete LED clusters for the same thing.
* These work best when the light source is on the same line as the eye, so you might get equal value from any light-coloured strip.
I would recommend the RGB led strip with the 44 button remote controller.
I've used this before, it comes in a 5mt roll.
You can get it from eBay for about $35 inc postage from Sydney...not Hong Kong.
That way if you have any issues, you can contact someone who speaks English.
I would go for the SMD 5050 as a minimum (large diodes and very bright).
With the controller, you can dim or brighten it, change colour to whatever blue you like or yellow or pink. You can store upto 6 different custom colours.
You can choose different modes of light and make it flash, change colour or pulse. Options are a plenty.
There are 4 wires to solder though, just use 4 core security cable from bunnings, it's about $0.30 per metre and you'd only need a maximum of 5 metres depending in where your power source is.
Just make sure if you cut the strip, you dab a small bit of silicone on the bare end, otherwise you will have exposed live ends. It's only 12v so it would tickle more than anything.
The stairs are actually completely closed in from upstairs so the light from them won't be a problem. I have a vision in mind (I have from the very beginning) and downstairs is all about brigtness, warmth, comfort, luxury and spectacle. I really like blue LED's. I have plenty of opaque white perspex in the shed, which I will probably cut into two-foot-long strips to diffuse the LED's. My idea is to mount them UNDER each tread, pointing down to glow some soft light onto the tread below.
I know it's a bit of extra work and fiddling around, but I've come this far building this entire thing from the ground up, so I don't want to take too many short-cuts now. I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron, so it shouldn't present much of a challenge. The anamatronics I've been learning about in building my Iron Man suit have taught me a lot about amps, volts, resistance and much more.
Upstairs I am going to use a red LED strip, right around the skirt of the dome with a dimmer on it.
The lights upstairs are only on for moving about or chilling out on a cloudy night. Once I am imaging, I sit still in my chair behind the telescope and ALL LIGHTS ARE OFF.
Twiggy15, thanks for pointing out the RGB one with all the controllers and options to program colours etc. Not that I really need all these features under the stairs, but as it's so affordable, why not?
I have several of the ebay ones and they are great , 12v all you need is a switch and power . They come with just bare wire on the ends but its easy to add a switch and a generic 240 - 12v dc converter
or I just run mine off the 12V battery in the Obs which has a Ctek trickle charger on it .
Wow mark your observatory looks amazing ( I sooo want mine to look like that one day )
Ohhhh and baz yours looks like it's going to be awsome too I love the stairs
I have some of these Baz, a 5 metre strip will draw about 2 amps - so as long as your power supply is up to it, you can connect as many strips in parallel as you like...
I love the stairs
