All About Guitar Pedal LED's - Types, Colors, Mounting Options Etc

[@luuhinz]

As a guitar player who plays live regularly I now completely avoid those clear/bright LEDs. Just stick with the boring old diffuse red LED. It's just the most reliable - doesn't blind you in the dark and you can still see its on if you play in daylight. With all the bright LEDs on my DIY Pedals I had to put a piece of tape on top of them, otherwise there's no way you can still see and change the correct knob positions in a live situation.

[@DiyguitarpedalsAu]

Absolutely. This is another reason i have converted to 2mm extruded, they have a flat top instead of a lens so they dont blind you.

[@shader26]

Isn’t it possible to go to a much higher resistor to dim them?

[@luuhinz]

@@shader26yes, but then you can't see the state during a daylight gig :D

[@shader26]

@@luuhinz There might be a happy medium point? Test outdoors in sunlight? Ehats the highest that can Work?

[@luuhinz]

@@shader26I like to use very bright, but still diffuse LED's. Just avoid the clear LED's which are like focus lenses and will seriously blind you :)

[@TheForce_Productions]

6:20 I LOVE that pedal and the way you set it led system! Happy new 2020!

[@THEQueeferSutherland]

I like using the chrome bezels and mounting the LEDs flush with the top of the bezels.

[@billfrank471]

I really loved the video man! not what I was looking for, but you ended up giving me more knowledge than I actually required. I hope you have a really good evening and i hope your family stays safe and free of sickness!!

[@markhammer643]

Some pedal circuits employ an LFO that can drive an LED to show modulation rate. What I've done on some pedals is to use the stompswitch to insert additional current-limiting resistance, such that the one LED can show modulation rate, and be dimmed in bypass mode, while still permitting visual monitoring of modulation rate in bypass. So, for instance, if 4k7 provides enough brightness to tell you the effect is engaged, then in bypass, you might insert an additional 8k2-10k in series with the 4k7 to dim it but still see the pulsing. Electronically, the 4k7 and additional resistance are wired in series, and the 3rd set of contacts on the stompswitch are used to bridge/shunt the additional resistance in effect mode to restore brightness. I'll also note that a dimly pulsing LED provides useful information while not being a visual distraction.

[@LitesLAB]

Hope you are safe with all that is happening in the land down under!

[@barnstudios1679]

Ive been doing a pretty cheap method with my pedals where I drill the hole to size of the led where the lip catches and glue it in with silicone. Very messy and has the potential to pop the led when stepped on but the silicone seem to bond better than hot glue and makes it easier to replace than using super glue.

[@shader26]

Wondering if you’ve used also the bezel that have a round “pipe” threaded, mounts from the outside, and has a plastic holder that the legs from the LED come out of. I have some of these and cannot figure out how you keep the LED in (except for maybe loctite or glue on the outside of the LED). Also, how do you mount the standoffs in the box?

[@heggiss]

Great video, and it came just in time too! I'm currently assembling a vero board version of the whipper clipper and have run out of bezels, so I've been considering different ways to mount the LED. Thanks for all the great and inspirational videos!

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

There's also concave and flat-top LEDs, too! But if you just have regular LEDs and you want to have them flush with the top of your pedal, you can sand them flat and leave the flattened lens unpolished so it works as a light diffuser. But I wonder if you couldn't embed a surface mount LED in the epoxying phase of making a pedal... maybe run some thin enamel wire onto it and make a couple holes for them...

[@benchan32]

I was thinking about switching to the 3pdt pcb soon, might give it a go for my next build. I was wondering if u would consider doing an episode on how to go about a clean blend control for either a mod or a build, I’ve been struggling to find any wiring diagrams or schematics to do it. Love your stuff though mate keep it up!

[@markhammer643]

About current-limiting resistance and LEDs... 1) Contemporary LEDs can be several orders of magnitude greater in brightness than what Boss was using in the early '80s. A garden variety LED at that time would have had a luminance spec of 300-600 millicandles. These days LEDs in excess of 10,000millcandles can be had for a nickel apiece, and many suppliers will likely not sell anything spec'd at less than 1,000mcd. More efficient LEDs will require less current to shine brightly. Most folks will likely be using external supplies but if you prefer batteries, lower current-draw is a plus. 2) The required brightness depends on the contrast between LED and enclosure. It has to be easily visible (though not blinding). A white, blue or red LED against a black background won't need to be as bright to be visible. A green LED against a yellow background will need to be brighter to be visible. Black plastic bezels have the advantage of providing nice contrast no matter what colour scheme you use for the enclosure. Metallic bezels are pretty but don't provide as good a visual contrast. 3) I rigged up a 12-position rotary switch to test out current-limiting resistances. The resistors range from 1k up to 18k. For some high-brightness blue LEDs, sometimes 18k isn't enough. Start with the highest current-limiting resistance you have, and work your way downward until you reach something in the ballpark. So if 6k8 is a little too dim and 4k7 is too bright, then the nearest happy medium in a standard value will be 5k6. The nice thing is that since you know the value of each step of the switch, you don't have to do any additional measuring. And chances are pretty good that it won't take long to amass a drawer of LEDs whose respective brightnesses you've simply forgotten. So measurement becomes a requirement.

[@Doomchild2XL]

I still haven't figured out how to epoxy enclosures as cleanly as yours. At some point during the cure it will run down 100% in at least one spot. Never ever fails to do that. No matter how good it looks in the beginning. :( Edges are uneven most of the times, too.

[@DiyguitarpedalsAu]

Edges are difficult, definitely. Try heating up the epoxy. Put a cup of epoxy in a bowl of boiling water (wouldnt recommend putting the epoxy in a microwave or something you use to cook food). It will run thinner when it is warm. Might help?

[@MrRipperfpv]

Hi mate, i just build a HM2 clone from BYOC "the swede" i could only find some really small orange led's, would the type of led change to distortion? im quite new to this type of stuff...

[@cassvirgillo3395]

Hi Paul, I hope all is good with you and yours, Happy New Year. The Zombie (zombii) Fuzz is Iconic. Always good information on the topic you discuss, Thank you. It appears you aren't in danger from the wild fires, half a billion animals perished, I have heard, so sorry. I hope that Australia can recover. Wishing you and your family all the best, watching in Willamina, Oregon, C.

[@MarceloDurham]

What is that Smashing pumpkins pedal ?a BIG muff?

[@DiyguitarpedalsAu]

Punk'n Pi - www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=35&products_id=572

[@chambrotnick6171]

You didn't mention these LEDs that light the nylon ring of the footswitch ?

[@beryaka12]

My led was on everytime even if it's not engage. ( JHS V3 Angry Charlie ) What can be the problem? Can you help me please

[@loopyllu1236]

Hi just a quick question, what do you use to put the designs onto your pedals

[@43SLOWJOH]

Have you ever used the 3pdt footswitch that actually light up around the switch? See them ebay but haven't tried one yet.

[@guitargas1894]

I have been using them exclusively since I discovered them. Love it!

[@43SLOWJOH]

@@guitargas1894 Will give them a try. Would one do you think be bright enough for Wah pedal? I've already drilled LED hole and changed to True Bypass in one Wah i have. Also why don't Dunlop Wah's have On/Off LED's. Wear down battery too quick? Cost? Cheers.

[@markgreco1962]

Nice LED Tester

[@patrickmcmanus5373]

I installed the led light without a resistor and fried it. My first fail

[@erikvincent5846]

Wise words from the great Jason Newsted. It's good to know what to do. It's great to know what not to do. 😀

[@guitargas1894]

Imo all the options mentioned in your video are vastly inferior to those newer ring leds footswitches. It's the only solution I use now.

[@DiyguitarpedalsAu]

Still haven't tried those out, will have to get some in, cheers.

[@ryanstark2350]

You can get flat topped leds. Those would not knock out easily.