Dimming extremely bright and annoying LEDs


Hi.

I have a line conditioner with awfully bright indicator LEDs. Any ideas, short of replacing them, on how to dim them some?

Thanks,

leo.
leoturetsky
If you are near an urban area, you could also go to a local professional camera or movie supply and pick up a small sheet of Neutral Density filtration. This comes as a very thin sheet of plastic (gelatin) that is transparent but has a grey (neutral) coloration to it (you can also get various colors, but they likely will not change the color of a bright LED as you perceive it). It can be purchased in varying densities to cut the intensity of a light source by as much as three stops or more if you choose to stack it. One stop cuts the light in half, two-stops by 1/4, and three-stops by 1/8. You can cut it to shape with scissors or xacto and attach it with tape, or as you choose (fun-tak or butyl or tacky wax also might work), to the face of the display. If you need a large piece ask for Rosco gels or something like them. They are usually sold in sheets around 18X36 inches or so to filter a light source. If you just wanted to cover the small display itself you could just get small wratten filters used normally to filter at the lens which have less optical distortion and are a bit thicker (sizes are usually around 3" square or 5" square). The latter would likely be more expensive per square inch, but either would be an investment of under $15.

Marco

Marco

Marco
For what ever it's worth, in the past I've cut a piece of cardboard to match the size and shape of the offending face plate and attached black velvet to it. Prop it up when I need to, pull it down when I need to.

Sharpie!!!!

Red, Blue, or Black the most common. You can control the darkness (brightness to the LED)through layers of coating, not to mention that you can combine colors to create what you want. What about removing them later you say? For a glass or plastic surface(LED,etc),use ISP(isoprophyl alcohol) on a soft cloth or cotton ball. For paper like material...you're on your own. It is definitely permanent on paper products!!!!

hope this helps
Arcam: You sound like my business partner. He keeps preaching the same "LED's last forever" or "LED's never burn out", yet i keep replacing them or seeing them burned out on units coming in on a daily basis. While i know that newer technology LED's are lasting a LONG time, some do fail. This is besides the fact that some engineers don't know what they are doing and the LED's aren't being fed power in the most optimum manner. Sometimes it's not the parts' fault that it failed, but that of the engineer that doesn't know how to design proper support circuitry. Sean
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