Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2013 8:41:45 GMT -5
Is there any reason why I should not trim the face of an LED down to thin it?
I need to thin a SMLED so it will fit into my ditch light housing. I trimmed about 0.010" off the top of the LED. It originally measured 0.025" and now it is at 0.015" thick. I have tested it and it still lights up just fine. So I wanted to ask if by doing this I have shortened the life of the LED or have done something that will damage it later on?
Thanks
Brian
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Post by Mark R. on Nov 20, 2013 10:49:04 GMT -5
I cut down LEDs all the time to fit specific applications. As long as you don't hit the actual components encased in the housing, nothing will be affected, including their life span.
Mark.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2013 10:50:12 GMT -5
Thanks Mark for the response.
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Post by stevef45 on Nov 21, 2013 16:25:14 GMT -5
not to sound stupid, but is the yellow part you see just a coating?
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Post by Mark R. on Nov 21, 2013 17:27:11 GMT -5
The "yellow part" is an epoxy block of material that encases the electronic component. The electronic compont of the LED is usually mounted at the base of the material, with the material itself acting as a diffuser or focal lens for the light itself.
Mark.
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Post by malcolmcelyn on Nov 22, 2013 4:47:20 GMT -5
The "yellow part" is an epoxy block of material that encases the electronic component. The electronic compont of the LED is usually mounted at the base of the material, with the material itself acting as a diffuser or focal lens for the light itself. Mark. I think I'm right in saying the material is a nasty. Best to be careful. Wear a face mask, perhaps?
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Post by Mark R. on Nov 22, 2013 11:53:10 GMT -5
The "yellow part" is an epoxy block of material that encases the electronic component. The electronic compont of the LED is usually mounted at the base of the material, with the material itself acting as a diffuser or focal lens for the light itself. Mark. I think I'm right in saying the material is a nasty. Best to be careful. Wear a face mask, perhaps? No more dangerous than filing or sanding styrene .... Mark.
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Post by gnsteve on Nov 23, 2013 1:55:04 GMT -5
Brian, Have you considered the Ngineering Nano Super-Incandescent LED. After drilling out Details West DL-228 ditch lights, the nano LED fits right in.
Steve
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 8:23:44 GMT -5
Steve,
Right now I have moe LEDs than I can possibly use for my modeling. The LED I am using is the same size as offered my Ngineering and a fraction of the cost. I paid about $0.06 a piece for what I bought.
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rjm
Road Foreman
Iron Horses Forever
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Post by rjm on Nov 23, 2013 18:31:29 GMT -5
Okay you have me intrigued on these SMLED's. Have a SD70ACe that I would like to replace with LED's. I can find 2mm or .078”. Cannot find any LED’s that are the same size as the grain of wheatbulbs that came out of the SD70 and it is .052” or 1.33mm, way small. So if you don’t mind please share this conversion. Thank You RJ
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Post by emd16645 on Nov 23, 2013 19:53:04 GMT -5
You can get 0402 LEDs that are .4 x .2 mm. A guy that goes by Ledbaron on eBay carries these. They will fit in any ditch light housing.
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artur
Chairman
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Post by artur on Nov 23, 2013 20:10:35 GMT -5
The "yellow part" is an epoxy block of material that encases the electronic component. The electronic compont of the LED is usually mounted at the base of the material, with the material itself acting as a diffuser or focal lens for the light itself. Mark. I think I'm right in saying the material is a nasty. Best to be careful. Wear a face mask, perhaps? The yellow coating inside the LED is also what gives the LED white light, they are actually blue LEDs
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2013 23:16:22 GMT -5
I think I bought the 0406's from ledbaron on ebay.
Yes, if you cut the yellow covering down, the light gets a little more blue. But stil looks more white to me. I am not concerned though. They are so freaking bright, I can't tell what color they are other than freaking bright.
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Post by stevef45 on Nov 24, 2013 15:54:28 GMT -5
stupid question, how i can light up a led? I bought the pre-wired 0402's from led baron and want to make sure htey all work.
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Post by emd16645 on Nov 24, 2013 16:25:10 GMT -5
stupid question, how i can light up a led? I bought the pre-wired 0402's from led baron and want to make sure htey all work. The easiest way to test LEDs would be to use a household battery, a AA or AAA should work fine.
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Post by stevef45 on Nov 24, 2013 17:41:17 GMT -5
thanks. i really want to add these to my models. I can't soldering these tiny ones at all. so odering the prewired just made sense to me.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 24, 2013 22:08:48 GMT -5
Steve,
As Chris mentioned, AAA or AA will work. These LEDs will rake up to 3v max. No more or you will blow them up. I use two AA's which measures out to 3V. Go to Radio Shack and get a AA holder which has a connector on top of wire leads.
Soldering these little buggers is nto really all that hard. I thought it would be, but it iw quite easy.
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kpack
Road Foreman
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Post by kpack on Nov 24, 2013 23:09:18 GMT -5
I have not done it myself, but I know you can use either acrylic or enamel to lightly paint over the LED to change its color slightly. IE if it is bluer than you want, a coat or two of an amber paint will help.
Brian, I have a few locos where the LEDs are super bright, and it kind of bothers me. Prototype lights are bright, yes, but they don't look like a nuclear explosion. I'm experimenting with different mounting techniques and resistor values to get them to where they don't blind me. Some of my more recent installs turned out better and the lights look much more prototypical. The resistor values were the same as my crappy installs, but I set the LEDs (SMD) further back from the lens....made a big difference. The lights have a nice amber-ish glow to them, but are still mimic the prototype in brightness.
-Kevin
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 8:46:32 GMT -5
Kevin,
What paint do you use?
I cannot set the ditch lights back any further from the lens.
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kpack
Road Foreman
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Post by kpack on Nov 25, 2013 16:54:14 GMT -5
Brian, I'm not totally sure what brand/etc of paint to use as I haven't done it myself. But I do remember reading that either acrylic or enamel will do the trick. I believe that acrylic will darken it more than enamel, but I would recommend testing it. If it were me I would try using cheap craft acrylics first, and if that didn't work I would try some of the translucent paint that the car/military modelers use to make brake lights and turn signals.
If you are wanting them dimmer, you can experiment with different resistors. I'm not an electronics genius (in fact it's my least favorite thing about building locomotives) but I believe the higher the resistance the lower the power to the LED, and therefore the lower the brightness. My standard is 1K Ohm 1/4 watt resistor and it seems to do the trick most of the time. But I know you can go higher and get a better result. Also, some decoders allow you to dim the LEDs through CV settings. I have Railpro and I ca do it on the fly. Adjusting it on the decoders works, but you will notice flickerig of the lights when you take video of the model that is invisible to the naked eye (has to do with the frames per second of the video camera). Not a big deal if you aren't taking video.
-Kevin
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