LED mounting options

[notneb]

I bought a really slick looking chrome LED mounting bezel that looks sweet from the outside... um, can anyone tell me how to use this and still be able to connect the LED to the board??? The bezel mounts from the outside in with a locknut on the inside. There's a rubber plug that slides over the leads and presses tight to hold the LED snug. No way I can get my fingers in there to push it up into the bezel while it's mounted to the board. How does one use these things?

[PRR]

If you can trim the LED so it *exactly* goes in the bezel just-right, slip insulation scraps over the leads and assemble without the rubber plug.

But I think they expect you to solder flexible wires to the LED (or a mini-board on the LED) and run the wires over to whatever feeds the LED.

[davent]

Like Paul was saying- as long as your hole lines up with the led placement on the board, set the led in the bezel. Slip the led leads through the pcb mounting holes, mount the board to the enclosure. Solder the led leads to the pads on the pcb, trim off excess lead.

Just above each switch there are a pair of leads poking through the board and those are leds ready to be soldered in. No bezels, just mounted through holes in the enclosure but the same idea.





dave

[R.G.]

Take note when Paul says "exactly".  Otherwise, use flexible wires. If you don't already know how to get things lined up to within perhaps 0.01" between the PCB and the enclosure, go with flexible wires.

[thermionix]

In some cases, like many double-sided PCBs, you can install the LED on the board unsoldered, mount everything up in the enclosure, push the LED forward (up?) to where you want it, then solder, trim leads.

[J0K3RX]

If it's the chrome bezel I am thinking of you are probably better off putting the LED in the bezel, install it into the enclosure, push the rubber plug in and cut off the leads so there is enough to solder to. Solder insulated wire to the leads and put small heat shrink tube on the + lead and then slip a little bigger heat shring tube over both but you can just heat shrink the + lead, should be good enough. Solder the wires to the board.. done. If this is the same bezel that I have used this will save you the hastle of unsoldering the LED if you have to remove the board and the hastle of re-installing it when you're done.. 

[patrick398]

My LED wiring always looks super messy and i hate fiddling around with those little rubber buggers so i use these;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pre-Wired-3mm-LEDs-With-Resistors-Various-Colours-5v-6v-9v-12v-Pack-of-5-/111778924854?var=&hash=item1a068b0936:m:maot8H77wGg929xOnytx3jA

Not the cheapest way of doing things by any means (pretty sure you can find these cheaper too) but it sure looks neat and purdy! I really love the look of the 3mm LEDs just poking through the enclosure, no bezel, no fuss.
The one downside is that they are so bright they nearly vaporised my retinas the first time i hooked one up   

[anotherjim]

It can be very annoying to discover the only way to get a pcb out is to start unsoldering things. Its an assembly technique popular in mass production because they only care about fast/efficient/cheap with no interest in any future servicing requirement. We can do better.

Me, I'm starting to like 3mm leds in a hole just right so it's a friction fit with a dab of contact adhesive and flexible wire. LED placed so it's unlikely to get stomped down. I know some file the top flat so it's a flush fit on the outside.

Some of those bezels do look good, but I'd use it with wires if it locks the LED in. Be careful with soldering - I find LED's are the most temperature sensitive things to deal with. Most LED's have a thicker section in the leg about 3-5mm from the body & I try keep that bit as soldering any closer to the body runs a risk of damage to the LED.

If you're not familiar with light output of the LED, test it before properly installing into the case as the series resistor may be too low value for it. Unless you're trying to attract alien lifeforms, 6k8 or even higher may be needed.

[notneb]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, guys. I think I'm gonna try Jim's idea of chopping the leads and using flexible wire to the board. It's a really tight fit in the bezel and I really don't want to have to desolder the LED later... cause are we ever really done tinkering with 'em? Again, thanks so much.