xiwi
November 29, 2012, 8:43pm
1
I'm having trouble finding a specific part. It's a cap that sits snuggly on top of a 5mm LED. It's semi-transparent and acts as diffusion for the LED.
At the top there's also a little bump in the center. As if it had been ripped from another piece of plastic. Tried to show this in my drawing.
Here's a photo of it mounted on a faceplate
... and a shot from the back
And here's my diagram of what the part actually looks like.
Is anyone familiar with it? A link to a website where I could buy it would be SUPER AWESOME.
Thanks!
dan333
November 29, 2012, 9:31pm
2
fungus
November 30, 2012, 8:18am
3
A thin layer of hot glue works quite well...
tkbyd
November 30, 2012, 11:58am
4
If you want the LED visible across a wider arc... at the inevitable price, however you achieve it, of at a lower brightness... then all you have to do is use a fine file or similar to flatten the end of the LED.
xiwi
November 30, 2012, 2:55pm
5
Thanks for the help everyone, but I'm actually building a replica of this device and I need the exact part.
I'm still baffled by it! I've hit up 3-4 electronics forums and no one seems to be able to track it down.
I have a good alternative lined up already using just simple semi-opaque laser-cut acrylic.
But I've added a bunch of neat new tricks to my book for how to diffuse an LED.
Another way is using 400 grit sandpaper or dipped the thing right into some white paint. I wouldn't really recommend either though haha.
fungus
November 30, 2012, 5:04pm
6
I used to use sandpaper before I discovered hot glue.
Hot glue can be molded, too. Here's an LED 'candle' I made just by adding hot glue to a LED.
(The camera doesn't show it by that's actually a warm-white LED, in real life it's the same color as a candle flame...)
fungus
November 30, 2012, 6:28pm
7
Telecommando:
Did the original use LEDs or lamps? From the apparent age of the original, I'm guessing lamps.
I agree. It looks like it's from a time before LEDs.
The lamps are also a lot bigger than 5mm. Maybe what you need is something like a 10mm diffused off-white LED.
eg. 10mm diffused warm white led for sale | eBay
Edit: fixed the link...
dan333
December 1, 2012, 12:05am
8
Try various searches at google images, you can quickly scan over 100s of images, and
may get lucky.
xiwi
December 2, 2012, 7:24pm
9
From another forum we've decided it's a crimp used by electricians called a butt splice.
The fact that it fits an LED is coincidental.
Still looking for a place to purchase them though.
The diameter is 3/8" at the top.