5mm LED Diffuser - Quick & Dirty

thingiverse

I was messing around with an Arduino prototype, but my water-clear LEDs were being both difficult to video and blinding to look at. I was using anything for a diffuser - paper, polythene bags, etc. (I had no pingpong balls or white straws - the usual suspects). So, enter the printable, 5mm LED diffuser. It's not pretty, but it's incredibly sturdy! Instructions There are two files here, depending on how you wish to use this. Shrink-Fit Diffuser If you have the LED to hand when you're printing, you can use the 'shrink' model. As soon as the printer has finished depositing ABS, squeekily pop the LED into the diffuser before it cools. It will shrink to a very tight, near-permanent fit. Press-Fit (Non-Shrink) Diffuser If you want to print these for later use, go for the 10% scaled up 'noshrink' version. This will be a tight fit when cooled, but will go in with a bit of care and maybe some pliers. No raft required. (Please note, the photograph was taken of the LEDs when they are fading up and down. The exact brightness of them is pretty random at any one moment.) Video of the LEDs fading (not using printed diffusers):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syGVw7-35r0 Blog post about the LEDs fading, including the Arduino code:http://myriadwhimsies.wordpress.com/2011/03/20/i-love-you-like-nature-loves-sine-waves/