I am struggling to find miniature 240V indicator lamps (neon or LED) that
are sufficiently small to install into a standard depth wall plate - like MK
LOGIC.

All the parts available from MAPLIN are simply too long (30mm+) to be
elegantly used. IDEALLY I am looking clip in lamps with integral resistor
and insulated flying leads.

Any suggestions?

[BTW the application is to make a diagnostic light panel to go near my CH
wiring centre so I can clearly see what is going on at any point in time
with the various stats, pumps and timers etc. This will need multiple
indicators.]

On 28 Mar, 09:23, "Vortex5"
wrote:
I am struggling to find miniature 240V indicator lamps (neon or LED) that
are sufficiently small to install into a standard depth wall plate - like MK
LOGIC.

All the parts available from MAPLIN are simply too long (30mm+) to be
elegantly used. *IDEALLY I am looking clip in lamps with integral resistor
and insulated flying leads.

Any suggestions?

[BTW the application is to make a diagnostic light panel to go near my CH
wiring centre so I can clearly see what is going on at any point in time
with the various stats, pumps and timers etc. *This will need multiple
indicators.]

A rather more expensive solution, but you could look at an MK
gridswitch panel (up to 4 by4 locations I think), and the MK clip-in
red neons for the gridswitch range.

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:23:54 +0100, "Vortex5"
wrote:

I am struggling to find miniature 240V indicator lamps (neon or LED) that
are sufficiently small to install into a standard depth wall plate - like MK
LOGIC.

All the parts available from MAPLIN are simply too long (30mm+) to be
elegantly used. IDEALLY I am looking clip in lamps with integral resistor
and insulated flying leads.

Any suggestions?

The only ones I found, when considering the same problem, need height or width
instead of depth e.g:-
http://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/3151...red/dp/1135534
http://uk.farnell.com/multicomp/3151...een/dp/1135535

--
Geo

Vortex5 explained on 28/03/2010 :
Thanks.

Displays nicely in "notepad". A nice idea but becomes complex when I'm
potentially needing 9 indicators:

Those components would work out at a bit less than half of that, but
still expensive. A slightly cheaper, but much less convenient way to do
it - would be to use a 9 way break before make wafer switch, to connect
the one indicator to each circuit in turn to check its status.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

"Harry Bloomfield" wrote in message
. uk...
Vortex5 explained on 28/03/2010 :
Thanks.

Displays nicely in "notepad". A nice idea but becomes complex when I'm
potentially needing 9 indicators:

Those components would work out at a bit less than half of that, but still
expensive. A slightly cheaper, but much less convenient way to do it -
would be to use a 9 way break before make wafer switch, to connect the one
indicator to each circuit in turn to check its status.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk


Sorry but I NEED an array of panel lights. It's a self indulgence thing!

You see as a child I enjoyed Thunderbirds (the first time round).

Vortex5 wrote:
I am struggling to find miniature 240V indicator lamps (neon or LED)
that are sufficiently small to install into a standard depth wall plate
- like MK LOGIC.

All the parts available from MAPLIN are simply too long (30mm+) to be
elegantly used. IDEALLY I am looking clip in lamps with integral
resistor and insulated flying leads.

Any suggestions?

[BTW the application is to make a diagnostic light panel to go near my
CH wiring centre so I can clearly see what is going on at any point in
time with the various stats, pumps and timers etc. This will need
multiple indicators.]




OK, here's a bodge. If you take a double-pole[1] illuminated rocker
switch, it will have four terminals Lin, Nin, Lout and Nout. If you
connect mains across Lout and Nout the integral neon will light.

So,just to be clear, you ignore Lin and Nin and the position of the
switch is irrelevant. You could superglue the switch into one position
to avoid confusing stupid people.

e.g. http://cpc.farnell.com/SW01122

Solder flying leads on and use heatshrink to insulate.

Less than a quid each. :-)

You can get neon indicators to match rocker switches, but none of the
usual suspects stock them any more.

Finally, be aware that neons will illuminate on the merest hint of
current, including the leakage current of solid-state relays, so be
careful in your design to make sure that your neons are showing what you
think they are showing ;-)



[1] You could use a single-pole three-terminal illuminated rocker, which
will be Lin, Lout and N. Use Lout and N.

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:23:54 +0100 someone who may be "Vortex5"
wrote this:-

I am struggling to find miniature 240V indicator lamps (neon or LED) that
are sufficiently small to install into a standard depth wall plate - like MK
LOGIC.

Grid components have already been mentioned. MK and Crabtree
http://www.screwfix.com/cats/A444155/Electrical-Supplies/Switches-Sockets/White-Moulded/Crabtree-Anti-Microbial
make ranges. This is the quick but expensive route. Others have gone
into the cheaper but slower route.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000...#pt3-pb3-l1g54

Dave Osborne wrote:
Vortex5 wrote:
I am struggling to find miniature 240V indicator lamps (neon or LED)
that are sufficiently small to install into a standard depth wall
plate - like MK LOGIC.

All the parts available from MAPLIN are simply too long (30mm+) to be
elegantly used. IDEALLY I am looking clip in lamps with integral
resistor and insulated flying leads.

Any suggestions?

[BTW the application is to make a diagnostic light panel to go near my
CH wiring centre so I can clearly see what is going on at any point in
time with the various stats, pumps and timers etc. This will need
multiple indicators.]




OK, here's a bodge. If you take a double-pole[1] illuminated rocker
switch, it will have four terminals Lin, Nin, Lout and Nout. If you
connect mains across Lout and Nout the integral neon will light.

So,just to be clear, you ignore Lin and Nin and the position of the
switch is irrelevant. You could superglue the switch into one position
to avoid confusing stupid people.

e.g. http://cpc.farnell.com/SW01122

Solder flying leads on and use heatshrink to insulate.

Less than a quid each. :-)

You can get neon indicators to match rocker switches, but none of the
usual suspects stock them any more.

Finally, be aware that neons will illuminate on the merest hint of
current, including the leakage current of solid-state relays, so be
careful in your design to make sure that your neons are showing what you
think they are showing ;-)



[1] You could use a single-pole three-terminal illuminated rocker, which
will be Lin, Lout and N. Use Lout and N.
N.B. Check that the measured voltages will be 230V and 0, a 3 way valve
has a back feed on some of it's inputs for instance..

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:23:54 +0100, "Vortex5"
wrote:

[BTW the application is to make a diagnostic light panel to go near my CH
wiring centre so I can clearly see what is going on at any point in time
with the various stats, pumps and timers etc. This will need multiple
indicators.]

I made one recently out of neons simply held in place with hotmelt
adhesive. The windows were simply 4mm holes drilled and covered on
the inside with thin plastic. As I had some green neons as well as
the standard orange it was colour coded as well :-).

I've still got a dozen or so neons (they came out of some salvaged
control boards) and 180k resistors if you would like some.

Panel mount neons such as the one on the bottom right of the page at
http://www.partridgeelectronics.co.uk/opto.htm are widely available as
well.

John Stumbles submitted this idea :
One small-signal diode (1N914 or whatever) reverse-connected across the
LED should do, n'est-ce pas?

one diode could be used, but the LED would light at 50Hz rather than
100Hz.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Done my research now and I think my first effort will be to use the
Maplin "snap in" neons like this:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?moduleno=31620

If you bend the spade terminals 90 degrees and cut off the plastic lug
they project back about 25mm from the front face of an MK plate,
theoretically leaving plenty of room within a 30mm surface pattress.
Total budget about 15 quid.

I appreciate LED's are the 21st Century approach but don't fancy fannying
about with discrete components.

D

Sorry, you can't just snap off that plastic lug. The lug is there to
provide for creapage (surface tracking) and clearance between the two
lugs.. Try this instead
http://www.rapidonline.com/Electroni...dicators/29276

James

Well spotted James. These are even better for me (and cheaper):

http://www.rapidonline.com/Electroni...dicators/61840

Exactly what I wanted in the first place!

Thanks.

"Peter Parry" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 09:23:54 +0100, "Vortex5"
wrote:

[BTW the application is to make a diagnostic light panel to go near my CH
wiring centre so I can clearly see what is going on at any point in time
with the various stats, pumps and timers etc. This will need multiple
indicators.]

I made one recently out of neons simply held in place with hotmelt
adhesive. The windows were simply 4mm holes drilled and covered on
the inside with thin plastic. As I had some green neons as well as
the standard orange it was colour coded as well :-).

I've still got a dozen or so neons (they came out of some salvaged
control boards) and 180k resistors if you would like some.

Panel mount neons such as the one on the bottom right of the page at
http://www.partridgeelectronics.co.uk/opto.htm are widely available as
well.


Thanks for the kid offer Peter, but I've just ordered some from rapid
online!

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:29:37 +0100, Peter Parry wrote:


Panel mount neons such as the one on the bottom right of the page at
http://www.partridgeelectronics.co.uk/opto.htm are widely available as
well.

Good find - I see they do these as well (for 50p)
"MAINS NEON INDICATOR Will fit MK grids"


--
Geo