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Semper Vaporo
1st Class Member
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Engineer
Posts:1216
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 | | 04/20/2008 10:38 AM |
| I don't do much model making but I found something CHEAP that some might be able to use to make a simulated fire, either in the firebox of a sparkie steamer or maybe in a trackside building (fireplace, furnace, etc.) or a campsite bon-fire etc.
At Wal*Mart, (I believe in the "Party goods" (?) area) are a couple of childs toys... a magic wand (fairy Godmother type thingy) and a "Flashing Tiara"... these are silvery things with faceted moldings to look like diamonds, etc. and they have a small module in them that has 6 Red LEDs that flash in a sequence. The packaging says the batteries are not replaceable and warn, "Do Not Attempt to Remove the Batteries", but I think that is an attempt to keep the batteries away from the age child that the toy is aimed at. I think it would be easy to remove the 2 small button batteries and solder in wires for using either larger batteries or to steal track power somehow.
The LEDs are mounted in a bit of a circle and the flash sequence is a circular pattern, but I think the LED wire leads could be bent such as to get the lights closer together to eliminate the definate circular sequence to produce a better "fire flicker".
I point these out because they cost only 98 cents! (You can't get individual button batteries for less than twice that price and LEDs cost more than that, too.)
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 C. T. McCullough
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
SA #37469
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