Light up Lego Lampposts (How to make?)

Post by **Professor Fairfield** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:27 pm

Whenever a nerd reaches the point where he owns enough Legos to cover the the floor of one of his rooms, he often resolves to do the natural thing and build a big, often wacky-looking, city with them. I've done this a number of times, and now that I have the bricks sorted, I think I could do it better than ever before.

However, the problem with these epic models is that they can be fairly lifeless, especially when one considers that it's hard to edit or play with them, partially as a result of their giant size. So I was wondering how I might be able to light up my creation at night. Bulb pieces, and the electonic parts that go with them, have always been some of my favorites, but they are hard to obtain and come in small numbers when you do. Their shapes also makes them inconvenient for many custom functions.

If there are any official Lego lights that would work, please tell me--but even if there are, I would need a lot, as well as a way to energize them. Alternately, custom-building lights could work, too, but I need advice.

Post by **pesgores** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:36 pm

About building your city, I'd recomend you to use tables built in modules so you can have access to all parts of your city without having to do huge gymnastix.

As for the lighting, I think Mindstorms has some of the stuff you want...

Post by **tahthing** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:50 pm

use power functions the lights are small and the batter box can be put inside a building.

Post by **Professor Fairfield** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:57 pm

Both of you made some good suggestions, but might I ask what "use power functions" means?

Post by **pesgores** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:01 pm

"Power Functions" is a Mindstorms program.

Post by **IVhorseman** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:50 pm

Manly Santa Day lights are easy to wire through and make look good.

Post by **Pvt Expendable** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 9:57 pm

led's, 9v battery and 1 resistor,.....

Post by **tahthing** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 9:11 am

power functions is not mindstorms,
its on lego.com under products find out about it there.

Post by **Professor Fairfield** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:44 pm

I was thinking LED lights, too. Lego already uses them, though in specific arrangements not conducive to my goals, they're little, and they are relatively bright. Any particular size that fits well with Lego bricks, as in, snuggly inside of them? That would be useful for building. Also, how hot are they? I don't want to melt the plastic! Finally, do any of them have a means of power input that is not those two wide metal rods on the far right and left? Because that would be a problem when building.

Edit: Anybody speak Czech? http://www.josefnav.cz/Lego%20modely/Nadrazi.html

Post by **tahthing** » Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:54 pm

LEDs don't get very hot, not many lights do of that size.

Post by **Dr. X** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 3:11 pm

I did it once with a large building, and used cut-up strings of Manly Santa Day lights and a few large 24v SLA batteries under the desk. Simple, really.

If you want to put them into lamp post, well that's tougher. If you don't want to start drilling parts then first you have to find a part that has space enough in it for a Manly Santa Day light or LED, then find some sort of support with room in it for the two small wires.

Post by **Joe_N** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:34 am

Hello,
I have recognized some visits on my web site www.josefnav.cz from this forum, so if you have some questions to LED lights, let's write them!
But please apologize my english, I'm not so strong in languages

Post by **OneEye589** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:04 am

Hmmmmm, maybe some really thin wire through the center of a stack of 2x2 cylinder pieces? Then get some of those really small, but cool LED lights that are just the little bulb with the two wires sticking out of them. I think that may do the trick.

EDIT: One of these:

Post by **Natalya** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:24 am

That's actually really sexy One Eye. maybe I should put lighting in my Armoured Core that I'm building.

Post by **OneEye589** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:28 pm

NatalyaAF wrote:That's actually really sexy One Eye. maybe I should put lighting in my Armoured Core that I'm building.

I used to have a whole bunch of electronic kits and stuff when I was a kid, but they were really just boxes of my dad's old wires and motors from various broken-down appliances. I had a lot of fun with those little lights and things.