5mm LED Trimming Jig

thingiverse

I needed a flat top LED for a project. I didn't want to order a pile of them as I am already overflowing with dome style LEDs. I made this little jig to cut off the top of the dome with an exacto knife. One version has a recess for a flat washer to protect the plastic from the blade. I just used the closest washer I had on hand that had a hole bigger then 5mm. I believe it's a #10 imperial size. I made a version without a washer recess in case you live in a more advanced country where metric is used. Should be easy enough to create a recess in Meshmixer. The two pieces snap together and allow the knife blade to easily slip in the groove without twisting. Slight pressure cuts off the tip. Takes a little practice to get a perfect 90° cut. Even at a slight off angle it still produces a very nice flood light effect.