Build Your Own Clone Message Board

I have this 5mm Green LED in my confidence boost pedal. This is actually kind of a funny problem. The light is SO bright it's like a laser. In fact, when I look down I can't even see where my knob is positioned . I have a 4.7K CLR on it too! Did I buy like a really strong one or is there something I can put over it to dim it down?

Use a higher value resistor. Try 10K.

I was maybe thinking of a solution that didn't require a resistor swap. I've spent way too much time on this cboost already haha
I guess I'll poke around for something to cover it slightly to take the edge off. Maybe some epoxy...

I've heard Elmer's glue can mellow an led

Someone stop if I am wrong but if you use some sand paper (High Grit) on it. It should diffuse the light a bit and make it less like a lazer.

Try placing a 2.2K resistor across the LED to tone it down a bit.

You grabbed the right one. The water clear are just that way unless you use a high value resistor. Like Stephen says, just add another one, assuming you can get in there to add it. But, if you have to pull the guts so to speak I'd just swap it if it was me.

It's so easy to replace the resistor. Just do it. Won't take long. When I was shopping for green led's I noticed their MCD brightness ratings were off the chart compared to other water clears. Blues are around 2,600 To 3,200 but greens were in the 10,000 to 15,000 range. Might need to go with something even higher than 10 k. 22k maybe? If you want to avoid soldering again, invest in a comfortable pair of acetylene welding goggles.

I've been doing this on my LEDs, and it works well. I think I've been using 1000 grit sandpaper (I can verify which grit some time this weekend if anyone is interested).

Sanding the LED helps to diffuse the light somewhat, but it will still be friggin bright.. the best thing to do is increase that CLR.

Ya, I have tried to sand a blue waterbright, and it just took it from blinding to really annoying. It had almost no effect when i was standing over the pedal looking down, and I still cant see the knobs.

Thanks for the tips guys, I guess I'll test the brightness before I build it. Are these kingbright waterclears all super powerful?

What's with all this needing to see the knobs anyway. I thought you just turn them all to the right as far as they go and play

Don't get me started about knobs again. I'm still frustrated about not being able to push the shaft into the hole! I don't want to think about turning it as well.

In short, yes. I built a little dodah with a spare 3pdt board, a battery snap and some single in-line sockets to make a "LED CLR resistor tryer outer" (you dont need the board, just 4 sockets, a battery snap and some wire). Im at work (working really hard obviously) so I dont have a pic, but i whipped up this highly precise and technical drawing using the expensive and powerful image software provided to us at work (MS Paint).

Ok so I want to pick up some CLRs from Rat Shack and they only have Carbon film (not metal film) 1/4 W resistors. I'm assuming it doesn't make a difference between the two? (For LED purposes that is)

Only if she asks do you need to worry about turning it. Just concentrate on the hole

Not really. The difference is the tolerance which may or may not be any difference. You could buy a few and measure to get as close as you need.

Nice design! This MS Paint must be cutting edge - DuhVoodooMan used it for something the other day as well. I must be getting left behind in the graphic software race - I'm still using Photoshop and Inkscape! I'm going to make one exactly like that this weekend (well, apart from the wobbley lines). I had the same problem with a blue waterclear last week with 4.7k CLR, I was going to try 10k but now I'm not so sure it will be enough.

Like I said, the shaft wouldn't fit in the hole, no matter how hard I tried! Looks like the only answer is a smaller shaft. Urr..

Just so I don't create another thread:
I just got some BYOC assorted 50ft of tinned and stranded wire. I thought the wire didn't need to be tinned. Am I thinking of the wrong kind of tin? Just took a split and the strands are all "loose".

Normal stuff is bare copper
Tinned is tin plated individual strands
"topcoated" is stranded wire that's been "tinned" like what you'd do with an iron (ref: http://www.buildyourownclone.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=28045&p=223482)
Makes perfect sense, aye?

You will need to tin the stuff you bought with an iron before you solder it, though I think you'll find that it tins easier than bare copper wire.

Tinning is just hitting the exposed end of the wire with a bit of solder. Alot of follks do this to hold the strands together when inserting into eye holes and parts, and to help get a good solder on the wire. Personally I never bother.

Ah so I've been looking for the wrong thing! Tinning wires just feels like a pain. Now I know I need to find "top coated" wire. Do you have a good source?

Smallbear and guitarpcb.com both carry it. Smallbear calls it "pre bond", GPCB calls it "Barry's Special Hook Up Wire" (or something similar).

Oh snap, Barrys Wire is already on the way to me. Forgot about that