LED types and appearances

[Jidis]

I'm getting ready to track down a batch of lights. Most of what I've used have been of unknown spec and origin.

I'm partial to the type that have the nice, smooth, solid color when lit, as opposed to the ones that look like a light inside some plastic. Is there a spec or name that designates those or is that usually the difference between the colored lens and the clear?

I'll probably go 5mm for some and 3 for others in red, green, yellow and maybe blue. I'm under dimmed recessed ceiling lights, so the brightness probably won't matter if they look solid, but I have no idea what the mcd values amount to in the real world.

-Thanks

George   

[Screaming_Rabbit]

Is there a spec or name that designates those or is that usually the difference between the colored lens and the clear?

"... diffused lens"

Greets, Roger

[tgp]

hey man.... what color are you going after? typical colors have more MCD ratings. if your going after blue, white, violet, ect (exotic colors) then you will have a dimmer MCD and way higher cost, usually.

i got mine off of ebay from the user "vdehkl", they are from hong kong but got here in about a week or two tops, and im on the east coast even.

the guy is very friendly and if your after bulk then he gives some good prices. im 99% sure he sells regular colors even if they are not on his ebay 'selling' section.

my 5mm white LED's are supposedly 10,000MCD and they are damn bright. bright enough if you look at them straight on about 2ft away youll be seeing starts when you close your eyes for the next hr. but the wavelength of the color might have a big factor in the "brightness"

also remember that the viewing angle adds to the brightness somewhat. ive got some 10 degree 10mm LED's that are rated at 30,000MCD and they dont look very bright unless you get directly above them. esle you get a diffused section of light that doesnt look very bright.

t

[Jidis]

i got mine off of ebay from the user "vdehkl"

Man, that guy's got WAY too much stuff. I think I've seen him on there a bunch. I've been on a buying spree lately and need to slow back down. It's 5:30am here (I'm east coast too) and I just got so sick of looking at stuff I grabbed a cheap multi pack of 3mm's and am calling it a night.

I may actually need small ones to keep from making the panel too crowded. I may be going for a variety of colors (maybe even the oranges and blues), but I like the look I arrived at for the rest of the design and I don't want it looking too obnoxious. It's got sort of an industrial, simple, "control panel" style. The smooth solid 5mm ones may even be too bold, but maybe not in the 3mm. I'll probably figure it out over the next few days and maybe go back and check out the hong konger.

Screaming Rabbit - Thanks! I see that "diffused" thing all the time and never made the connection ;)

-George