Method to dim DSP1124P LEDs

[catnip]

I just noted in Otto's post on "Rack Ears" a comment about using window tint to dim the front panel LED's. I just finished a new method (new at least to me!) that may interest others. If someone else has already posted this idea, please forgive my redundancy.

If you remove the left rack ear and look behind the front panel, you will see that there is a small clearance between the LEDs and the front panel ... around 1/16 inch or less. This gave me the idea of inserting some dimming material between the LEDs and the front panel.

Now, what could we use for dimming material? Well, after a bit of thought, I recalled that I had some ink jet printer transparency film. Using PowerPoint (most any other graphics tools will likely work) I created four rectangular boxes (1.5 by 9.5 inches) on a single page and filled them with four shades of gray starting with black and moving to a medium gray. I printed the image on transparency film using a Canon i960 printer and trimmed the rectangles to size. They fit perfectly between the front panel and LEDs and you can experiment with the level of dimming you like using one or more strips.

This method takes care of the LEDs to the left of the jog wheel; the ones to the right remain as-is, but they seem less intrusive than the ones on the left.

Hopefully someone will find this idea useful!

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Great idea!

What I usually recommend is getting some scrap window tint from a tint shop, either 20% or 8% depending on how much dimming you need. It has an adhesive back, so you can cut to size and stick it on the front panel over the LED’s. The adhesive isn’t fully activated without a special solution, so it will come off easily should the need arise.

Regards,
Wayne

[Sonnie]

Chuck... that is a pretty neat idea. I suspect you could take several shades of window tint and stick them on the back side.