07-30-2011, 07:11 PM
Same subject just came up on that 'other' forum.
If you have a clear-cased LED, hold it up to the light. You can see all the important bits inside, including a hair-thin wire leading from the smaller terminal to the top of the larger one. At that joint is where the actual diode action takes place. You can turn, drill, sand, file, etc. an LED so long as you don't go so far as to disturb any of those bits. One place people mess up is turning the lower sides near the terminals - if the case gets too thin there it will allow the legs to flex, which will break that delicate joint inside. When drilling in from the end, that wire sticks up a bit above the larger bits of metal inside, so don't drill down too far.
--Randy
If you have a clear-cased LED, hold it up to the light. You can see all the important bits inside, including a hair-thin wire leading from the smaller terminal to the top of the larger one. At that joint is where the actual diode action takes place. You can turn, drill, sand, file, etc. an LED so long as you don't go so far as to disturb any of those bits. One place people mess up is turning the lower sides near the terminals - if the case gets too thin there it will allow the legs to flex, which will break that delicate joint inside. When drilling in from the end, that wire sticks up a bit above the larger bits of metal inside, so don't drill down too far.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad of the 1950's in HO
Visit my web site to see layout progress and other information:
http://www.readingeastpenn.com
Visit my web site to see layout progress and other information:
http://www.readingeastpenn.com