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Electric Ice Buttons Question

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Sarver Systems:
I agree and disagree.

I have ground down a few T 1 3/4 LEDs to make them fit in a weird enclosure (back when I used to mad computers for a living) and I can tell you that lopping off the top of the LED and making flat most certainly does indeed turn a wide angle LED into a pinpoint of light.

After some more though, I wonder if what you mean is to scuff up or sand the surface of a clear LED to broaden it's light path? I have done many times before as well.

Can you clarify more? I think we might both be agreeing with each other, but just not understanding what we're each saying.

RandyT:

--- Quote from: Sarver Systems on August 07, 2014, 03:12:12 pm ---After some more though, I wonder if what you mean is to scuff up or sand the surface of a clear LED to broaden it's light path? I have done many times before as well.

--- End quote ---

If you can grind off the top surface of a standard LED, without the scuffing effect you describe, then you must be using an extremely fine diamond tool at high speed, at a very controlled feed rate and under liberal amounts of coolant ;)

Also, note that I'm not talking about grinding it down to within a fraction of the LED elements position, just taking off the rounded top.

We used to do this routinely with our RGB LEDs before going to a diffused lens material.

Sarver Systems:
So maybe thats why there is a difference of opinion here.

When I cut down my LEDs, I used a dremel tool, and cut them down right to the edge of the light emitting part.

In fact, I was too close on one of them, and it didn't light at all when I was done.

RandyT:

--- Quote from: Sarver Systems on August 08, 2014, 08:14:05 am ---When I cut down my LEDs, I used a dremel tool, and cut them down right to the edge of the light emitting part.

--- End quote ---

That would do it.  See above where I stated that light is projected outward from the source in a spherical shape.  The closer the diffuse surface is to the emitter, the less chance there is for the light to spread.  Still, any light which was transmitted would act similarly with regard to another surface a given distance away from it (i.e. interior button surfaces).  An intense pinpoint of light, without focusing/collimating optical elements would still be fine in all but clear or nearly clear pushbuttons.  In that case, an extra diffusive element would be called for.  The ideal situation, however, is a diffusive button material and an LED which directs the majority of it's light over the areas of most interest, based on the distance between the LED and those areas.

Sarver Systems:
Right. You want the spread of light to evenly fill the underside of the button as much as possible.

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