HOW TO MAKE A HOOD FOR YOUR MODEL RAILROAD SIGNALS

you will need some black construction paper, a pair of scissors, a small round dowel or screwdriver, and some CA glue

this method takes some trial and error fitting and cutting to get the desired shape

first cut a piece of black construction paper into a small rectangle as shown below

test fit the paper to the led at every step as you go along to make sure it is going to fit and trim as necessary

5mm bipolar 2 lead red/green led shown below

then cut it into a rounded shape as shown below

test fit the paper to the led at every step as you go along to make sure it is going to fit and trim as necessary

to make it a rounded hood shape, start rolling it around a small screwdriver or small wood dowell

to make the paper hold its shape as shown below

test fit the paper to the led at every step as you go along to make sure it is going to fit and trim as necessary

after rolling it around the screwdriver or dowel several times, it will start to hold its shape as shown below

test fit the paper to the led at every step as you go along to make sure it is going to fit and trim as necessary

with the paper cut rounded at the top it should look similiar to this

as shown it the two photos below

test fit the paper to the led at every step as you go along to make sure it is going to fit and trim as necessary

again, roll it over the screwdriver or dowel to make it hold its shape

as shown it the photos below, some more trimming of the edges may be necessary

to make the shape and size of the hood fit your particular led

test fit the paper to the led at every step as you go along to make sure it is going to fit and trim as necessary

and then test fit the hood and trim as necessary so it looks like the photos below

before gluing it into place

here we did the same thing with a 3mm led except we just cut the tip of the paper hood so it has a more rectangular shape

you may want to paint the led and hood silver or leave the hood black and paint the led silver

depending on the prototype signal you wish to model.

I hope you enjoy making realistic signals for your layout.

as a general guide most bi-polar red/green leds require a 560 ohm 1/2 watt resistor to run at 12 volts

failure to use a current limiting resistor will destroy the led

In most cases when you buy leds from us, the proper current limiting resistor for 12 volts is included

if you need resistors, we sell them for 2 cents each plus shipping

Thanks - Mark Hannah

Quickar Electronics / Moreleds.com

call 503-377-8247