This page is part of my Model Remodel series of articles.

DISCLAIMER: If you choose to attempt any of these modifications, you assume all risks thereof. I just wanted to share my experiences here. Neither Fanhome, nor myself, are responsible for any damages that may occur.

Trying out the Custom Lighting on the Model for the First Time

In between sessions at the build desk, I have been working on learning Arduino programming and electronics. Since we now have a completed upper saucer with no light leaks, I wanted to show the results of what we have come up with so far in a quick test. Don’t worry, I plan on going into great detail regarding the programming and electronics in a future article.

As of this writing, I am using an Arduino Uno, IR (infrared) remote & receiver, and a 4-channel MOSFET board to separately control the lighting of various parts of our Enterprise D partwork model.

Using a 5 VDC power supply, a bunch of alligator clips, and some electrical tape, I hooked everything up. A 3-foot LED Strip for lighting the Windows was temporarily taped into place around the Skeletal Supports inside the saucer. The end of this strip was then soldered to the wiring for the Bridge/Deck Two LEDs. The stock circuit boards seen here were only used as junction points to connect some of the stock wiring together – they will not be used in my final design:

First up, I powered up the Windows. I took this first picture with my phone flash turned on:

The lights look even better with the flash turned off:

These same strip lights also illuminate the Arboretum:

Second, the Impulse Engines. I plan to use these as ‘power on’ indicators. Although I do not plan on lighting the two saucer engines, I hooked them up just to show how they look:

Third, the Formation Lights (also called navigation or position lights). The port and starboard LEDs have been connected to steady power and no longer blink, which is accurate to the studio models:

Next, here is the custom Beacon Light we added to the bridge. Using the most often seen timing in the television show, this light has been programmed to flash at the correct rate of the four-foot shooting model (200ms on and 1200ms off). Here is the Beacon turned on…

and here is the Beacon turned off:

Finally, I turned off  the saucer lights and powered the Warp Nacelles. They have been programmed to perform startup, shutdown, and going to warp sequences:

There are a few things that I still plan on updating, such as the color of the Bridge LEDs to better match the other windows and using red LEDs in the Impulse Engines. However, I think I like the blue color of the Observation Lounge lights, even if they need to be a bit dimmer. We shall see, I am always looking to do better:

As we have reached the end of my Model Remodel – Part Two, I created a short video to demonstrate the various lighting and sound functions I have added so far. Remember, everything here is ‘work in progress’ and things may change as this remodel continues on:

Next Section

NECK – Remodeling the Battle Section Neck