Bright-Chips Kato passenger car lighting

[Maxy]

I am wondering if anyone has experience using bright-chips lighting in Kato passenger cars. 

My question mostly revolves around the ease of installation and the non-blinking consistency of the lighting.

[Yavianice]

What is bright chips lighting? You mean the ordinary KATO LED lighting?

 

Because those are super easy to install* and if you do it correctly and have a clean track, won't flicker either.

 

*Terms and restrictions apply. Most models may be extremely easy, though some may be excruciating.

[katoftw]

I think the OP is using it as a term to describe led stripes.

[gavino200]

9 hours ago, Maxy said:

I am wondering if anyone has experience using bright-chips lighting in Kato passenger cars. 

My question mostly revolves around the ease of installation and the non-blinking consistency of the lighting.

 

Never heard of them? Can you add a link?

[kvp]

I think it's about this company:

http://www.bright-chips.com/en/service/railmodel-lighting/

 

However, i couldn't find any photos of the actual products. The train shown as an example has beams of high intensity light emitting from one end of each car. This might indicate a high efficiency single unshielded led. From the description, it seems some variants have buffer caps and have to be glued and probably soldered in (the text says no contact spring is used). Cold and warm white and something called '6 colors' is available for N and if i'm right in H0.

 

I found the site using google search and i never heard about the company or their products before and the site seems to lack actual product pictures or i just couldn't find them.

[chadbag]

I'll take one for the team and order a few of these.  My SIL should be sending a holiday package soon to us so she can include these when she sends it.

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by chadbag

[chadbag]

Ordering is a PITA.   They only accept orders from Japan (So I cannot put in my US address as billing address and my SIL's address in Japan and shipping address) and they only accept bank transfers.  I forgot some of the reflectors so I did a contact me to them and asked them to add some reflectors and give me a new total so I can ask my SIL to make the payment and I can send her some money.

 

And their website keeps asking for an HTTP login even though you can cancel and continue just fine.

[chadbag]

http://www.bright-chips.com/en/product-category/twilight-museum/鉄道模型照明/

 

So they have 3 series plus the 6 color ones.

 

The three different series are

 

"White color"

"Bulb color" (I assume incandescent)

"Intensive white color"

 

Each series has 4 models that vary in thickness, buffer cap (I assume that is the noise condensor), and style of installation (plug-in, plugin-in/glue in, glue in, screw in).  I ordered 2 each of the "bulb color" the plug-in (listed as KATO compatible), plug in/glue in (ALL compatible), and 4 of the glue-in (ALL Compatible).  I also asked them to add in 4 each of 2 different 20m "reflector" sizes in my email to them as I forgot them.  I assume the reflector is a type of light tube/diffuser.

 

Under the 6-color ones you can choose which color you want from 6 different color temperatures but only one style of board

 

2000K Incandescent color

2700K Halogen lamp color

3400K neutral color

4100K flourescent ligh bulb color

4800K White flourescent lamp color

5500K LED light color

 

These ones sold by color temperature are a little more expensive and only come in the 0.2mm glue in form with cap.

 

 

 

 

 

[Maxy]

Chadbag, you went to a lot of work! I got a catalog from them, no probem, but never started trying to order without checking here for experiences.

I'm in the States too, so ordering will be beyond my reach unless I find a Japanese seller.

I anxiously await news of your results and opinion!

[chadbag]

So they replied to me and the original order.  They had not seen the "contact us" submission I I had made to add some reflectors in so I re-sent it through email.  They got it, updated the order and sent me a new total and payment info.   They email in English (and it is pretty good).

 

I just asked my SIL to send them the money (and a promise to send her some money to cover it -- Luckily I am getting some money in for a side job I did).    Good thing LINE works well and has a auto-translate bot you can add to the conversation.  She is my secret helper in-country receiving stuff that the vendors won't send to the US, etc., and now this.  That way I can avoid having to ask the wife to ask her 🙂

 

She should make the payment in the next day or two (if I know her) and she should get the stuff some time in November.   They usually send us a care-package at the end of the year each year so she will include the stuff in with that package so I should get it sometime before the end of the year.   I'll post photos etc. and maybe even try to install some of the stuff 🙂

 

Edited October 26, 2018 by chadbag

[chadbag]

The light boards/reflectors have arrived at  my sister-in-law's house.

 

Edited November 6, 2018 by chadbag

[Sheffie]

The website does claim to address the issue of flickering lighting due to poor supply, so (much as I feel nostalgic for British Rail local trains and their occasional lightning failures) I would be interested to see how well these perform. Presumably they use a capacitor to store some energy to bridge any gaps in power pickup. 

[chadbag]

I did get the Bright-Chips stuff in December but have not had chance to do anything with them yet.   I'll post when I get around to doing something with them.

 

I got some stuff made for KATO and some stuff that seems to be generic. I bought a couple different parts to try.