Mill your LED's!!!

theAnonymous1 · 11th August 2006, 06:46 PM

I was in need of a LED for a project and all I had on hand was various colors of 5mm LED's. The size of the LED didn't please my eye and I also didn't like how it threw off a focused beam of light.

Here was my solution......

Its very fast and easy to do. All I used was a cordless drill and a file. The LED lense material is easy to mill and also very strong. You can make it pretty thin without worrying about it breaking off.

I'm probably not the first person to think of this, but I havn't seen it done before.

inuyasha44320 · 11th August 2006, 07:40 PM

I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i wish i had thought of that!
i think ill try that

carlsonmark · 11th August 2006, 08:42 PM

Can you get a photo of that from an isometric view, please? Looks awesome from the side!

theAnonymous1 · 11th August 2006, 09:07 PM

Hope this is what you mean....

carlsonmark · 11th August 2006, 09:27 PM

Yes, that is what I meant. Looks good from that angle too.

I know at least one person who has done that before, but I hadn't seen it until now.

theAnonymous1 · 11th August 2006, 09:31 PM

Here is a pic of the amp I used it on. I had to pad it down with a 2k resistor, having all that light collecting in the small tip made a blinding sight.

The AMP3 based amp is a birthday present for my my lil' bro in the marines. Hope he likes it.

cpemma · 11th August 2006, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by carlsonmark
I know at least one person who has done that before, but I hadn't seen it until now.

I flattened the top of a 3mm blue LED on my T-amp mod to kill the concentrated glare from in front, worked quite well. The dome shape is the main "lens" that determines beam angle on LEDs.

A guy called macroman at Bit-Tech drills holes into LEDs and fits a length of fibre-optic cable for a tiny point of light on such things as control knobs...he must have the touch of a midwife.

That was first published Jan 1, 2002 so maybe pioneering.

btw, you can buy LEDs like the top one, "lighthouse" case down to about 2mm dia, though not in blue or white AFAIK.

BWRX · 11th August 2006, 11:03 PM

Very cool! It looks to be a very good way to turn the clear lens LEDs into something much more diffuse.

theAnonymous1 · 12th August 2006, 12:05 AM

Yes, the diffused look was ultimately what I was going for. I could have just sanded the end, but I also wanted something smaller than 5mm.

I know you can buy diffused LED's of different sizes, but this forum is about DIY!!! Not to mention I have about a bazillion 5mm clear LED's.

rcavictim · 12th August 2006, 01:12 AM

You guys know of course that LED is an acronym. It stands for light emitting dot .

11th August 2006, 06:46 PM	#1
theAnonymous1 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Anonymityville	Mill your LED's!!! I was in need of a LED for a project and all I had on hand was various colors of 5mm LED's. The size of the LED didn't please my eye and I also didn't like how it threw off a focused beam of light. Here was my solution...... Its very fast and easy to do. All I used was a cordless drill and a file. The LED lense material is easy to mill and also very strong. You can make it pretty thin without worrying about it breaking off. I'm probably not the first person to think of this, but I havn't seen it done before.

11th August 2006, 07:40 PM	#2
inuyasha44320 diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2006	I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i wish i had thought of that! i think ill try that __________________ Okay, so how do i put the smoke back in?

11th August 2006, 11:03 PM	#8
BWRX diyAudio Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pennsylvania	Very cool! It looks to be a very good way to turn the clear lens LEDs into something much more diffuse. __________________ Brian

12th August 2006, 01:12 AM	#10
rcavictim diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Cool end of a soldering iron NW of Toronto	You guys know of course that LED is an acronym. It stands for light emitting dot . __________________ I.Q.Test. Have you ever purchased a recreational snowmobile?

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11th August 2006, 08:42 PM	#3
carlsonmark diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2006	Can you get a photo of that from an isometric view, please? Looks awesome from the side!

11th August 2006, 09:07 PM	#4
theAnonymous1 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Anonymityville	Hope this is what you mean....

11th August 2006, 09:27 PM	#5
carlsonmark diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2006	Yes, that is what I meant. Looks good from that angle too. I know at least one person who has done that before, but I hadn't seen it until now.

11th August 2006, 09:31 PM	#6
theAnonymous1 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Anonymityville	Here is a pic of the amp I used it on. I had to pad it down with a 2k resistor, having all that light collecting in the small tip made a blinding sight. The AMP3 based amp is a birthday present for my my lil' bro in the marines. Hope he likes it.

12th August 2006, 12:05 AM	#9
theAnonymous1 diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Anonymityville	Yes, the diffused look was ultimately what I was going for. I could have just sanded the end, but I also wanted something smaller than 5mm. I know you can buy diffused LED's of different sizes, but this forum is about DIY!!! Not to mention I have about a bazillion 5mm clear LED's.

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