Rockboard LED Dampers - for your excessively bright LEDS

fretmeister

I quite like them!

ecc83

This is just down to lazy designers! When LEDs became cheap and common they were not very efficient and so you had to design for 5-10mA to get a decently bright light. Now you can get easily enough brightness with 200 micro amps! But the buggers can't be bothered to change the circuit values.

Some years ago I roughed out a back o the Ev circuit that would make the LEDs in a bit of kit sensitive to ambient light. Sunlight...blazing. Dark stage not so much. Might get lazzy A into gear and have another 'speriment?

Dave.

merlin

PRS make LED dampers that actually improve the tone of the pedal. 

I can't afford them so I use masking tape. 

TeleKinesis

Ha! The LEDs on my Walrus Audio Monument are piercingly bright. Great pedal, but crikey it puts out a distracting amount of light.

Bought some LED dimming film from Amazon, comes in some pre-cut shapes. Dims them well, but occasionally falls off.

Keefy

TeleKinesis said:

Ha! The LEDs on my Walrus Audio Monument are piercingly bright. Great pedal, but crikey it puts out a distracting amount of light.

Bought some LED dimming film from Amazon, comes in some pre-cut shapes. Dims them well, but occasionally falls off.

I have the exact same problem. My plan was to find some tubing with a bore equal to or slightly bigger than the LED mounts, place short pieces over the little buggers, and then fill them with candle wax - but can I hell find tubing of the right bore!

blobb

Brown packaging tape on mine. Perfect attentuation of the brightest LED.

ecc83

Keefy said:

TeleKinesis said:

Ha! The LEDs on my Walrus Audio Monument are piercingly bright. Great pedal, but crikey it puts out a distracting amount of light.

Bought some LED dimming film from Amazon, comes in some pre-cut shapes. Dims them well, but occasionally falls off.

I have the exact same problem. My plan was to find some tubing with a bore equal to or slightly bigger than the LED mounts, place short pieces over the little buggers, and then fill them with candle wax - but can I hell find tubing of the right bore!

The panel holders you can get for LEDs should serve. They come in 'LED' sizes,..3mm, 5mm and so on.

Dave.

Keefy

ecc83 said:

Keefy said:

TeleKinesis said:

Ha! The LEDs on my Walrus Audio Monument are piercingly bright. Great pedal, but crikey it puts out a distracting amount of light.

Bought some LED dimming film from Amazon, comes in some pre-cut shapes. Dims them well, but occasionally falls off.

I have the exact same problem. My plan was to find some tubing with a bore equal to or slightly bigger than the LED mounts, place short pieces over the little buggers, and then fill them with candle wax - but can I hell find tubing of the right bore!

The panel holders you can get for LEDs should serve. They come in 'LED' sizes,..3mm, 5mm and so on.

Dave.

You, sir, are a frickin' genius!

BillDL

Hah!  I've used little stick-on covers for years, for this exact purpose and for loads of other uses around the house.

For LEDs that are flush or slightly recessed I use clear sticky domes that come in a flat strip and are intended for use as kitchen cabinet door slam buffers / bumpers, as little feet for things, or for preventing glass table tops from sliding.  Just search for adhesive rubber silicone bumper pad feet. They don't really dim the light a lot, but they diffuse it a bit.

White versions that look almost identical to the Rockboard / Warwick ones are readily available from non-musical retailers like these for particularly bright LEDs that need dimming:

https://www.vital-parts.co.uk/stick-on-feet---sof010-6067-p.asp

https://www.vital-parts.co.uk/self-adhesive-bumper-feet-665-p.asp

stickyfiddle

I came in there thinking "nah this will be stupid" because you can just use a bit of masking tape. But honestly those little jewel bulb looking ones are neat and like $8 for 5 on reverb, which is fine.

NelsonP

They are really good. And they started this thread....

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/206073/paying-it-forward

richardhomer

Is this why Joe Bonamassa always wears sunglasses?

Sporky

If the crew of the ISS can't tell which pedals you're using, get back in the sea. 

timbuk02

Blu-tac and a plectrum, you can even colour co-ordinate

TeleKinesis

TeleKinesis said:

Ha! The LEDs on my Walrus Audio Monument are piercingly bright. Great pedal, but crikey it puts out a distracting amount of light.

Bought some LED dimming film from Amazon, comes in some pre-cut shapes. Dims them well, but occasionally falls off.

Took a punt on the Rockboard dampers, first impressions are that they work well for the WA Monument and the JHS Unicorn. Snug fit around the LED mount (large size dampers). The Monument is still a bit bright for my liking, but I'm hoping they stay on better than the film I was using. Certainly look better.

Keefy

I ended up solving my retinal scorching problem by dripping candle wax over the offending LEDs.

normula1

I use a little blob of blu-tac

TJT1979

I've heard that a drop of glue from a hot glue gun works well. Not tried it though. 

impmann

Its funny... I'm old enough to remember a thread about LEDs being too dim back in the day. 

I guess it depends on how dark your stages are (or bedroom is) but unless you are staring straight at your pedalboard all night (I'm looking at you Shoegazers) its a bit of a first world problem, nes pa?

ecc83

TJT1979 said:

I've heard that a drop of glue from a hot glue gun works well. Not tried it though. 

Well perhaps but if you read as many equipment reviews as I do you will know that once in a while this problem is cited and it can be a nuisance when the intensity of the LED 'blinds out' the settings on the equip

impmann said:

Its funny... I'm old enough to remember a thread about LEDs being too dim back in the day. 

I guess it depends on how dark your stages are (or bedroom is) but unless you are staring straight at your pedalboard all night (I'm looking at you Shoegazers) its a bit of a first world problem, nes pa?

Sorry cocked that up royally. Tired and a bit poorly.

Dave.

ecc83

I'll try again! Re LEDs being "too dim" as I said earlier, yonks ago LEDs were expensive and inefficient. In mains powered kit they were run at 5mA or more and the limiting resistor calculated accordingly.

LEDs have improved astronomically over the decades and become dirt cheap. However, they are still being run at 5mA+ and are too 'king bright.

"First world problem" Maybe Mr I but when the LED wipes out the legends and switches beside it it is a PITA!

ONCE upon a time manufacturers LISTENED to reports from customers and reviewers. Now most of them just bang stuff out for profit.

Dave.