LED mounting options

[swinginguitar]

i've been using the screw on bezels for LED mounting.

I recently tried just drilling out the diameter of an LED and letting it directly through the enclosure, with a bit of hot glue or epoxy to immobilize. Problem is, as delivered, the LEDs stick up/out too far. Is there a way to "stand off" the LED to control the reveal that comes through the box?

I'm not board mounting at the moment. I have also seen commercial products that drill smaller then the diameter of the LED and have it register against the underside of the enclosure (so you're looking kind of down onto the LED). How would you immobilize it using that approach?

[Mark Hammer]

I find that I can usually rely on the lead of the LED, soldered directly to the 3PDT switch, with a bit of heat shrink or leftover wire insulation over it, to poke just a bit of the LED up through a hole  If the LED diffuses well enough, it will be visible at many angles.  If the paint job is dark enough, the contrast will be good.  And if you mount it near the switch there is no risk of stepping on it and pushing it back into the chassis.  Cheap n' easy.  Of course, if you need to have it situated somewhere different, or if we're talking about an LFO rate LED somewhere away from the switch, that's another matter entirely.

[swinginguitar]

Of course, if you need to have it situated somewhere different, or if we're talking about an LFO rate LED somewhere away from the switch, that's another matter entirely.

Yes, that's where I am now....*sigh*

[Barcode80]

Do you have a uni-bit (also called a stepped bit) for your drill? If do, I drill from the inside out and stop drilling at a pint where the LED sits just below the surface. It takes some trial and error, but it always looks snazzy! If I do that and am positioning the LED away from the switch, I run a small line of super glue across the back of the LED, making sure each end of the super glue line falls on the enclosure. This holds it secure, but still leaves you able to break the glue if you need to change the LED.

Check out John's stuff at http://www.basicaudio.net/, he does something similar to what I mean.

[swinginguitar]

That is a great idea - i will try it!

the super glue works even though the LED is not in real close/full contact with the enclosure?


man i love this place.

[Barcode80]

That is a great idea - i will try it!

the super glue works even though the LED is not in real close/full contact with the enclosure?


man i love this place.

yeah, the glue solidifies and adheres to the metal. It isn't a prefect bond like if you wanted to glue two things together, which is why I do it (because you can pop it out and replace if needed), but it hold perfectly fine against wear and tear. If I can find any of my build pics where I used that method, I'll post them. When I do it, I try to limit the drilling so that the LED sits flush with the outside of the enclosure.

[.Mike]

I use VCC led mounts. I always seem to post about them, but I really like them. I've noticed a few more people using them, too.

They mount from the top in a 1/4" hole, the LED snaps in from the bottom (LED is removable, clips sold for extra support if you want), and they only stick up 0.07" from the surface of the enclosure. They also make the LED much more visible-- 180 degrees-- especially with a diffused LED. They're available in colors, clear, and white, and in a variety of shapes and sizes. And, they're pretty cheap.

Here is a close-up of a 5mm LED, so you can see how much it sticks up: link.

They're on this page of the Mouser catalog, upper right, figure D for 5mm.

Check 'em out.

Mike

[LucifersTrip]

I've used most of the above methods & many more...you really can have some fun.

One of the easiest is to drill any size hole you want and glue one of these [or any square or rectangular led with a flat side] down on it's side, right under the hole. You can file off the lip at the base of the led if you want it to lay flatter.


another method I've used is with a grommet:


drill a hole for the grommet, then stick the led thru. The grommet will work a bit like a bezel and prevent the led from being pushed down. I usually use glue with a grommet, tho.

[screechingowl]

+1 for the VCC mounts. I got a bunch from my old workplace when they closed shop.