Resistor for High Brightness LED's

[letsgocoyote]

What resistor value would you recommend to use with the high brightness LEDS for the indicator/status... to keep them from being blindingly bright.  cuz when your in a real dark room they are so bright that it blinds you from seeing what your controls are set at. just want to see what other people use.

[jonathan perez]

well, ive never played on a very dark stage...or in a very dark room...so id say, probably 2k.

[caress]

for superbrights, i use anywhere from an 6.8k to an 18k, depending on the LED color.  i usually like the LEDs pretty dim when on...

[Dragonfly]

for superbrights, i use anywhere from an 6.8k to an 18k, depending on the LED color.  i usually like the LEDs pretty dim when on...

Me too.

Total benefit in "less battery draw", yet they can still be bright. I generally go between 5K and 10K, but sometimes up to 15K for certain color LEDs.

or.....you could just use a 20K trim pot and dial it to exactly where you want it....

[moro]

or.....you could just use a 20K trim pot and dial it to exactly where you want it....

I've been using 10K resistors, but wow, what a great idea.

Would it make sense to put a 300ohmish resistor in series so you don't accidentally burn out the LED?

[CGDARK]

or.....you could just use a 20K trim pot and dial it to exactly where you want it....

I've been using 10K resistors, but wow, what a great idea.

Would it make sense to put a 300ohmish resistor in series so you don't accidentally burn out the LED?

Yes, it will do it or maybe a little bigger to keep it safer (470R).

CG

[John Lyons]

I think Dragonfly was talking about a 20K pot as a temporary trimmer to find the resistance needed to get the brightness you want.
Then measure the pots resistance and put in a fixed resistor of that amount.
I guess if you wanted to add another pot to the pedal you could put in a brightness knob...sounds a bit much though...

John

[Dragonfly]

I think Dragonfly was talking about a 20K pot as a temporary trimmer to find the resistance needed to get the brightness you want.
Then measure the pots resistance and put in a fixed resistor of that amount.
I guess if you wanted to add another pot to the pedal you could put in a brightness knob...sounds a bit much though...

John

either way works...but i was actually referring to a trimmer.   

that way if your preference on brightness changes, you just dial up a different voltage....

also, if youre running on battery power, you can set the voltage lower to conserve battery life...if youre primarily on a PS, then you can dial up a higher voltage for brighter LED.

i have done this a few times in the past on custom builds...that way the customer can set the brightness to his / her needs.....

[oldrocker]

What a funny selling point.  Effects with a LED brightness control knob.  Advertising : Tired of dim LED's when gigging outside in bright sunlight?  Tired of LED's that are too bright on a dark stage?  Try are new effects pedals with a brightness control knob and you'll never have to guess if your pedal is bypassed or not.

[Dragonfly]

What a funny selling point.  Effects with a LED brightness control knob.  Advertising : Tired of dim LED's when gigging outside in bright sunlight?  Tired of LED's that are too bright on a dark stage?  Try are new effects pedals with a brightness control knob and you'll never have to guess if your pedal is bypassed or not.

you'd be shocked at how many people find it to be a useful feature...using a trimmer to set it where they like it.

[Mark Hammer]

If you can't tell whether your fuzz or chorus is on by listening, then maybe you should give up now.

Personally, I tend not to install status LEDs on anything that is "obvious", but DO stick status LEDs on things like clean boosters, compressors, EQs, and swept filters, simply because there are many instances and settings where you do have to flick back and forth to figure out which is effect and which is bypass.

Of course, I can say that because I don't gig so the "monitoring" aspect of the LED is moot to me.  It is less moot to those who have to manage their pedals on their own in the heat of battle and need to know what's what.

On the other hand, some of those same folks also bring their stuff home and don't always absolutely need to use LEDs to be able to tell from a distance or a quick glance what needs to be switched on or off for the chorus or lead break.  So why not build in a "power-saving" feature?

Instead of Dragonfly's suggestion of a trimpot (which is also a great idea), you could also use a little two or three-pin header with some fixed resistance values and use a jumper (at least you can salvage something from that old 386 before you lug it out to the curb!) to select a preset brightness.  Essentially the same amount of trouble to adjust as a trimpot but likely takes up less room and will yield predictable changes in illumination.

So, imagine you had a 3k3, and a 12k or 15k in series, or perhaps a 3k3, 4k7, and 10k in series.  The jumper selects between max resistance (at home, power-saving) and either two (dim stage, brighter ambient lighting) or one (on-duty) other brightness setting.

[spudulike]

What a funny selling point.  Effects with a LED brightness control knob.  Advertising : Tired of dim LED's when gigging outside in bright sunlight?  Tired of LED's that are too bright on a dark stage?  Try are new effects pedals with a brightness control knob and you'll never have to guess if your pedal is bypassed or not.

you'd be shocked at how many people find it to be a useful feature...using a trimmer to set it where they like it.

Check the lockable pot for indicator brightness on any Pete Cornish board. He's been fitting them for years.

[Shakal]

I use just a 470 Ohm resistor. Poor LED, suffering... but never exploded.

[darron]

I use 56k for a 3mm super high intensity blue led. this lights up about standard for a BOSS/Ibanez etc. pedal.

Once you start going past about 10k it doesn't really effect the brightness much.

The pot/trimpot is the perfect solution to find what suits you. BUT, use it with a 1k5 or so resistor in series because you don't want the wiper on the pot to hit the edge and give you no (practically) resistance and burn the LED...

It will depend on the LED rating too.

[Shakal]

Why a Super Bright LED if its Brightness isn't Super?

[rmo]

If you use a high brightness led with a large resistor, you draw a fairly low current and still get a pretty bright output. If you use a standard led, you have to use a lower resistance, so you'll end up drawing more current.

[darron]

If you use a high brightness led with a large resistor, you draw a fairly low current and still get a pretty bright output. If you use a standard led, you have to use a lower resistance, so you'll end up drawing more current.

good call. not as much of a problem if you are running off a power supply or pedal board, but then you also MAY be adding a bit more pop when you toggle the effect on with a true bypass. that's why a the higher intensity the better.

[Dragonfly]

If you use a high brightness led with a large resistor, you draw a fairly low current and still get a pretty bright output. If you use a standard led, you have to use a lower resistance, so you'll end up drawing more current.

good call. not as much of a problem if you are running off a power supply or pedal board, but then you also MAY be adding a bit more pop when you toggle the effect on with a true bypass. that's why a the higher intensity the better.

hmmm....its almost like someone might've said that way earlier in the thread....who could it be ?     

Total benefit in "less battery draw", yet they can still be bright. I generally go between 5K and 10K, but sometimes up to 15K for certain color LEDs.

[darron]

If you use a high brightness led with a large resistor, you draw a fairly low current and still get a pretty bright output. If you use a standard led, you have to use a lower resistance, so you'll end up drawing more current.

good call. not as much of a problem if you are running off a power supply or pedal board, but then you also MAY be adding a bit more pop when you toggle the effect on with a true bypass. that's why a the higher intensity the better.

well that's why i didn't reply the first time (:

hmmm....its almost like someone might've said that way earlier in the thread....who could it be ?     

Total benefit in "less battery draw", yet they can still be bright. I generally go between 5K and 10K, but sometimes up to 15K for certain color LEDs.

well that's why i didn't say anything after that super quesiton

[Shakal]

More bright, more current. No super magic happens here.