Lighting up your diorama....... (1 Viewer)

[Naps...just Naps]

I was running out of space to display my soldiers and wanted some space to create several dioramas.
I bought a large glass display cabinet which has five thick wooden shelves. It is the ideal size and shape but unfortunately the only room it fits in at the moment is a north facing room which is quite dark.

The cabinet has no lights in it. I started loading the shelves with the soldiers to see what they looked like and it is too dark.

I need to install some lighting above each shelf and wondered if anyone has any recommendations.

I know that some lighting can soften the metal soldiers so I want to avoid hot lights if possible. I also want to avoid miles of cables and want to plug all the lights into one or two socket if possible.
I tried battery operated lights but they cost a fortune in replacement batteries.

Any ideas guys?

Cheers
Paul

 

[RPZ]

I can not suggest a particular fixture, but I would go with LED bulbs. They can be little bit pricey but they use a miniscule amount of electricity and last a very long time.

 

[simmo]

Hello. I had the same dilemma and went for Ikea lights. Can't recall the name (Saxby maybe?) but for about £25 you get a set with 4 x slim line circular LED lights with double-sided tape to fix them on the underside of the shelf above. They come with a mains adaptor so no need for batteries and the cables are quite thin so you can unplug them from the lights, drill a small hole and feed them through. I found them just the job. Mark.

 

[ostrein]

I bought for my IKEA Disply units 5 meter of LED Tape. You can cut them to the desired length and connect the stripes using very thin cables. They're cheap and and won't generate heat. Amazing how much light they produce.

Oliver

 

[Naps...just Naps]

I can not suggest a particular fixture, but I would go with LED bulbs. They can be little bit pricey but they use a miniscule amount of electricity and last a very long time.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Naps...just Naps]

Hello. I had the same dilemma and went for Ikea lights. Can't recall the name (Saxby maybe?) but for about £25 you get a set with 4 x slim line circular LED lights with double-sided tape to fix them on the underside of the shelf above. They come with a mains adaptor so no need for batteries and the cables are quite thin so you can unplug them from the lights, drill a small hole and feed them through. I found them just the job. Mark.

Hi Mark,
I'll check these out at the weekend in my local Ikea.
Thanks for your help.
Regards
Paul

 

[Naps...just Naps]

I bought for my IKEA Disply units 5 meter of LED Tape. You can cut them to the desired length and connect the stripes using very thin cables. They're cheap and and won't generate heat. Amazing how much light they produce.

Oliver

Hi Oliver,
How difficult is it to connect these strips? I have five shelves to light. Can they all be connected to one adaptor or plug?
Are they self-adhesive?
Did you get them from Ikea or an electrical store?
Thanks and regards
Paul

 

[ostrein]

Hi Paul,

I got mine on eBay (Germany) - ebay item 350490143128. I'm shure you'll find these or similar also in the UK. They're self-adhesive.
Because the complete strip is made up of elements containing 3 LEDs, you can cut these strips to the desired lenght.
All elements are parallel connected, so its up to you if you wire them up in a long line or (as I did) connect each strip to one shared plug.
I managed to hide the cables within the shelfs and connected all LED stripes behind the shelf to one plug.

I'll see to post some pictures later tonight.

Oliver

Hi Oliver,
How difficult is it to connect these strips? I have five shelves to light. Can they all be connected to one adaptor or plug?
Are they self-adhesive?
Did you get them from Ikea or an electrical store?
Thanks and regards
Paul

 

[cruelios]

www.macleds.eu

Not cheap, but really good.




And this is a good online chop

http://www.led-verlichting.org/tl-vervanger-led-bars-macleds-flat-lo-small-c-492_538_566.html

 

[ostrein]

Dark room and no flash was used on the first two images:







That's how all the three LED light strips are being connected behind the unit:

One pair of these cables is going to the power supply.

Oliver

 

[Naps...just Naps]

www.macleds.eu

Not cheap, but really good.

View attachment 127246


And this is a good online chop

http://www.led-verlichting.org/tl-vervanger-led-bars-macleds-flat-lo-small-c-492_538_566.html

That set-up looks great. Thanks for the ideas and the website links. I really appreciate your help.
Regards
Paul

 

[Naps...just Naps]

Dark room and no flash was used on the first two images:

View attachment 127249

View attachment 127250

View attachment 127252

That's how all the three LED light strips are being connected behind the unit:
View attachment 127251
One pair of these cables is going to the power supply.

Oliver

Oliver,
Thanks for the great photographs and all your help. This is exactly what I'm looking for.
:salute::
Regards
Paul

 

[Toy Soldier Brigade]

LED's are the way to go. I just installed LED strips under my kitchen cabinets. It's amazing how much cheap bright light you get from them. They are perfect for toy soldier displays, no heat and they won't fade the paint.

 

[RPZ]

The visual affect of those strips in the photos is very good. To shield direct view of the bulbs on shelves above waist height they could be mounted on some angle aluminum.