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| Explain LEDs to me...( CarolAnne...come to da Light!!!) |
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| RandyT:
--- Quote from: 1UP on June 16, 2009, 04:48:13 pm ---I'll put some up when I get back to work on my cabinet. For sure it takes some powerful LEDs, but I just like the look of standard buttons with some color to them when unlit. The clear buttons just aren't my style with the spring visible, and all white buttons on your panel can be a little boring. Now if you had some colored Electric Ice, I'd reconsider...hint...hint... But I've already got more standard PBs than I'll ever use, so I'm sticking with them. Bezels don't need to light, but if the LED is at the bottom of the PB barrel, they will light the whole plunger pretty well IMO. --- End quote --- I have some plans in the button department that I won't talk about just yet, but just for fun, I put a NovaGem LED assembly (equal to 5 regular "superbrights") into a standard white button. The center of the plunger lit up pretty well, and there was lots of light pouring out around the edge of it (kind of like the photo Bender posted) but the outside edge of the plunger was dark, as was the bezel. A regular LED would have been only 1/5 of that. If one wants only "accent" lighting on their buttons, then this may be sufficient for them. But if you want them be illuminated, it's not going to cut it. As for the clear buttons and "seeing a spring", the diffusers we offer take care of that nicely. And the EI buttons are only white when they aren't lit, and if you aren't lighting them, what's the point? ;) RandyT |
| garnerb350:
RandyT... So if I wanted to have my cab to have lighted pushbuttons and trackball...what would i need ( from A-Z)? |
| whammoed:
These pics are of a regular blue (not translucent) pushbutton from happs. It is lit with a single wide angle blue led. I did this a while ago, but I remember it looking pretty good. I imagine the color of the button makes a difference in how well it lights. |
| arzoo:
--- Quote from: garnerb350 on June 17, 2009, 12:57:45 pm ---So if I wanted to have my cab to have lighted pushbuttons and trackball...what would i need ( from A-Z)? --- End quote --- There's no one single answer here - you've got lots of choices. For the buttons and trackball, both GGG and Ultimarc manufacture controls specifically designed to be lit up (and they include the LEDs). You can also go with translucent buttons and trackball and then add your own LEDs with mounting kits. Some do their own custom solutions - I just drilled holes into the bottom of my Happ trackball and inserted the LEDs. The same can be done with buttons. Search the site and you'll find tons of threads on the subject. Next you'll need an LED controller such as the LEDWiz (from GGG) or the PACDrive (from Ultimarc). The LEDWiz is by far the most popular - it's the only device with the ability to set an intensity level for fade effects or multiple colors when using RGB LEDs (the PACDrive can only turn the ports on or off). The LEDWiz has 32 ports and you can use more than one if you need additional ports. Each port can be individual controlled via software. Then there's your choice for the LEDs - single color or RGB? RGB LEDs allow you to vary the color - but they only work well with white or opaque buttons. The GGG Electric Ice controls are specifically designed for RGBs. Also, RGB LEDs require three ports each - so a single LEDWiz can control at most 10 RGBs (with 2 ports remaining). Lastly, you'll need software to drive the hardware. Some frontends have dedicated LED plugins (MaLa, AtomicFE, Maximus, GameEx, others?). LEDBlinky is another option - it can work with most any FE and has native support for many (including HyperSpin). Everybody has their own opinion on what looks best - so it's hard to get a consensus on this subject (LEDs). Many have posted pictures and details on their blinky/flashy control panels - so do some searches. And whatever your choices - get ready to put up $$ - lighting up your cp can get pricy! |
| RandyT:
--- Quote from: whammoed on June 17, 2009, 01:05:56 pm ---I imagine the color of the button makes a difference in how well it lights. --- End quote --- It does. The standard button is acting as a filter with very high absorption properties. Most of the light is either blocked or reflected, but some of the light, at a frequency which is compatible with the properties of the button color / material, is allowed to pass. LEDs are very specific in their frequencies, so the color of the button must be very close to that frequency or the aforementioned issue will occur. This is actually a problem with the green NovaGems. These are based on the standard IL buttons, and the green is utterly incompatible with just about any LED out there. In the photos one can also see the effect of room lighting. As the ambient light is reduced, you can see the button lighting better. One can expect the opposite effect as the ambient (room) lighting increases. Thanks for the explanation, Arzoo. All good info. |
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