I purchased a 32 and 64 gig USB thumb drive. I don't care about the brand, but I like
flash drives that have an LED indicator at the back-end of the stick. I found a couple
that got great reviews on Amazon and many other retail sites. They perform perfectly,
but the LEDs can only be seen through two slots that are cut into the rear plug for a
lanyard! There is a miniscule hole in the case (less than 1/32") for the LED dome.
I have some old books about LEDs and there are diagrams showing how to amplify
or redirect light from an LED using small lenses. I was thinking about replacing the
lanyard plug with some kind of plastic that would refract the LED light. You know
those fresnel sheets that enlarge print? I remember receiving a few as "free" gifts.
Maybe a fresnel sliver might work.
I've seen guys on the web who pull out the pcb and tinker with these thumb drives.
Altering the lanyard plug wouldn't harm the stick, but I don't want to touch the surface
mount components on the board. Any ideas would be appreciated.
I can't see these LEDs!
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
.
Greetings . . . . .fine tune . . . . . this is AFT . . . . . here . . . . as in (Automatic Fine Tuning) . . . . .<p>
Sooooooo . . . it just happens that there is being an internal "stream activity" LED, on your "Flash(ing) Drive"
but actually seeing it is a happenchance, unless you peek in thru those micro slits.
Lets initially think on the least invasive procedure initially, and see if it will work.
Initially, forget any FREE-NELL ( Cuz thats the ways you 'nounces it !) lens utilization, as just by virtue of
concept of design, they require a . . . w i d e . . . . . lateral footprint.
Thought # 1 . . . . .
This thought process was triggered by a kids plaything of old . . . . the Lite Brite set.
Its an incandescent light source within a sealed box, that has a massive squared matrix of holes and you put a
sheet of black paper atop the plastic Matrix grid holes.
One then plugs acrylic pegs into specific holes/patterns to get a brightly lit up pattern.
The acrylic carries light to the surface in either clear or colored pegs.
<p>In your case, you would want either clear plastic or one being the color of the LED.
LOOK MOM . . . . its a Lite Brite ! . . . .I WANT one !
I have used those pegs (Lucite plastic) in the past on my electronically constructed instruments, to carry light from a grain of
wheat lamp, internal of the case, to the surface, to light up the pegs external dome.
The kids had stray pegs strewn all around the house . . . even getting into "peg" fights !
Since these pegs are being in the order of ~1/4 in in diameter, it would require one to initially wrap a piece of
masking tape around the good end of the peg to get 2 or 3 layers and then chuck around it, into an electric drill.
<p>
Then you decide what reduced diameter length is required and put a mill file flat against that length and hold
the drill in your lap and "lathe turn" it down to that reduced size.
Or a cut off wheel chucked into a Dremel tool and using its side will accomplish that in fast order with both of
them spinning .
Don't rush it though . . . as the plastic will heat up and soften and start to be gummy.
That size would be determined by the possibility of finding the area of the flash’s case that is right in line with
the LED's light output.
Use the very tip end of a #11 Exacto blade to make an initial prick at that point and twirl it to make yourself an initial
small entry hole in the housing, then further use the blade to get your hole size on up to your sized needs.
Or you could then use a fine round Swiss pattern file with short strokes.
Then you can insert that initially over length "modified peg" inside, and right up right against the LED to
initially see how well it pipes the light out.
If that seems to work, you can further optimize light transfer efficiency by HIGHLY polishing the bottom
. . .LED end . . . end of the created "light pipe".
Even 1000# grit wet n' dry is being too coarse, but that would be a good start for an initial shaping of its flat end
profile.
My procedure is to use a dry bar of Lava soap that was initially lightly spray misted with water. Then you drag
against the ends in a rotary action .
In the interim you make checks of your degree of polishing finesse, by totally drying off the work piece and buffing
it with a dry paper towel.
When that initial procedure peaks out, you then transfer to a medium that will refine it to an "optical glass" quality
of refinement.
That is requiring the use of cerium oxide as the final FINE polishing agent . . . . . or . . . how you Clazy Amellicans say
. . . .Brasso.
That will finalize the acquiring of the highest degree of optical clarity.
If you are still needing more efficient light transfer polishing around those worked sides will up up the effect.
Then, the last optimization would be taking a small piece of aluminum foil to wind around the reduced diameter side
of the tube.
You would want to use the SHINY side of the foil, rather than the matte finished side, this reflects and directs spatial
light leakage back into the "tube".
You also want to make slightly more that one turn around in order to be able to place adhesive on that seam and not
contaminate into the intimate foil tube interfacing.
That also would require the slight enlarging of the hole in the case, to accommodate the new "baggage".
THOUGHT # 2 . . . . .
If you can't get fiber optic cable or its later generation plastic equivalency that became popular, try something that I
have played around with, sort of a cousin to the Acrylic family, mentioned earlier.
By the way . . . .I read minds also . . . and this about the time that someone associated with communications / phone
companies /cable companies . . . . chimes in with.
Fiber optic cables . . . .fiber optics ? . . . "Why we uses that thar' stuffs in our cables !"
FORGET IT . . . . you know how big a human hair is, well a single fiber optic strand is a Lilliputian in its size comparison.
Continuing . . . . .
The majority of novice fishermen use 6-12-14 # test of monofilament line.
I have used up to 20 at times and occasionally had some large 40 or 50 # test, from deep sea fishing.
That is on thing that I have used for a light pipe at times in experimenting in making a 7 segment display with
individual segments made with strands placed side by side and individually painted with white vinyl paint for flexibility.
(For that internal reflecting of stray light)
Then the layout of the segments alongside and upon four short, small 1/4 in square forms.<p> The segments get
adhered to the 6 sides and the single shared middle crossing and then like units "fibers" were formed into 7 round bundled clusters.
A short distance away the bundled fiber ends were end mated to 7 micro size grain of wheat lamps. the viewing end
got potted into black resin/hardener as a rectangle and finally sanded and polished .
Mind you this waaaayback in the dark ages . . . . . . and then, ten years later . . . . . BAMMMM . . . . .Hoolet Plastered
came on the scene with their similar micro dotted type of LED displays .
Sooooooo why not take some 20# or larger monofilament. .~ 2 in long . . . .and cut off the ends (square shear off with
a SHARP razor blade) and press an end up to the LED.
That initially lets you see if that medium will produce enough viewable light output being carried outwardly for you.
If not/or if you want to get more lateral dispersion of the light at the end . . . do this.
Take an experimental sample and shear its end off and then micro incrementally bring the lit flame of a butane lighter up
close to an end .
You will see that heated end is slowly folding up on itself and slowly widening and making an ever larger dome, and then,
on into a less desired . . .wider mushroom.
Don’t over heat or it will scorch and discolor, ideally it makes a small dome and is left very smooth and clear . . . . akin
to what a working chemistry lab calls flame polishing, when used on Pyrex glass.
If this works, several filaments can be stretched out under tension and bound together with adhesive and then then
utilize a SIDE by SIDE overwrap of sewing thread, to initially hold the mass together.
Those are my thoughts on “The Hidden LED Apoplexy “. . . . .
(And with that unique titling . . . . . it’s certainly apropo to be incorporated into an upcoming Big Bang episode.)
73's de Edd
[email protected]. . . . . . . . (Interstellar~~~~~Warp~~~~Speed)
[email protected]. . . . . . . . . (Firewalled*Spam*Cookies*Crumbs)
As a dirt poor young kid, I once asked God for a bike . . . after then going unrewarded. . . . .
I just figured that God was just too darn busy or doesn't work things that way.
So I just stole a bike and then asked for forgiveness.
(My very FINAL thought is being at the very bottom left corner of this post/page)
.
㹬
.
Greetings . . . . .fine tune . . . . . this is AFT . . . . . here . . . . as in (Automatic Fine Tuning) . . . . .<p>
Sooooooo . . . it just happens that there is being an internal "stream activity" LED, on your "Flash(ing) Drive"
but actually seeing it is a happenchance, unless you peek in thru those micro slits.
Lets initially think on the least invasive procedure initially, and see if it will work.
Initially, forget any FREE-NELL ( Cuz thats the ways you 'nounces it !) lens utilization, as just by virtue of
concept of design, they require a . . . w i d e . . . . . lateral footprint.
Thought # 1 . . . . .
This thought process was triggered by a kids plaything of old . . . . the Lite Brite set.
Its an incandescent light source within a sealed box, that has a massive squared matrix of holes and you put a
sheet of black paper atop the plastic Matrix grid holes.
One then plugs acrylic pegs into specific holes/patterns to get a brightly lit up pattern.
The acrylic carries light to the surface in either clear or colored pegs.
<p>In your case, you would want either clear plastic or one being the color of the LED.
LOOK MOM . . . . its a Lite Brite ! . . . .I WANT one !
I have used those pegs (Lucite plastic) in the past on my electronically constructed instruments, to carry light from a grain of
wheat lamp, internal of the case, to the surface, to light up the pegs external dome.
The kids had stray pegs strewn all around the house . . . even getting into "peg" fights !
Since these pegs are being in the order of ~1/4 in in diameter, it would require one to initially wrap a piece of
masking tape around the good end of the peg to get 2 or 3 layers and then chuck around it, into an electric drill.
<p>
Then you decide what reduced diameter length is required and put a mill file flat against that length and hold
the drill in your lap and "lathe turn" it down to that reduced size.
Or a cut off wheel chucked into a Dremel tool and using its side will accomplish that in fast order with both of
them spinning .
Don't rush it though . . . as the plastic will heat up and soften and start to be gummy.
That size would be determined by the possibility of finding the area of the flash’s case that is right in line with
the LED's light output.
Use the very tip end of a #11 Exacto blade to make an initial prick at that point and twirl it to make yourself an initial
small entry hole in the housing, then further use the blade to get your hole size on up to your sized needs.
Or you could then use a fine round Swiss pattern file with short strokes.
Then you can insert that initially over length "modified peg" inside, and right up right against the LED to
initially see how well it pipes the light out.
If that seems to work, you can further optimize light transfer efficiency by HIGHLY polishing the bottom
. . .LED end . . . end of the created "light pipe".
Even 1000# grit wet n' dry is being too coarse, but that would be a good start for an initial shaping of its flat end
profile.
My procedure is to use a dry bar of Lava soap that was initially lightly spray misted with water. Then you drag
against the ends in a rotary action .
In the interim you make checks of your degree of polishing finesse, by totally drying off the work piece and buffing
it with a dry paper towel.
When that initial procedure peaks out, you then transfer to a medium that will refine it to an "optical glass" quality
of refinement.
That is requiring the use of cerium oxide as the final FINE polishing agent . . . . . or . . . how you Clazy Amellicans say
. . . .Brasso.
That will finalize the acquiring of the highest degree of optical clarity.
If you are still needing more efficient light transfer polishing around those worked sides will up up the effect.
Then, the last optimization would be taking a small piece of aluminum foil to wind around the reduced diameter side
of the tube.
You would want to use the SHINY side of the foil, rather than the matte finished side, this reflects and directs spatial
light leakage back into the "tube".
You also want to make slightly more that one turn around in order to be able to place adhesive on that seam and not
contaminate into the intimate foil tube interfacing.
That also would require the slight enlarging of the hole in the case, to accommodate the new "baggage".
THOUGHT # 2 . . . . .
If you can't get fiber optic cable or its later generation plastic equivalency that became popular, try something that I
have played around with, sort of a cousin to the Acrylic family, mentioned earlier.
By the way . . . .I read minds also . . . and this about the time that someone associated with communications / phone
companies /cable companies . . . . chimes in with.
Fiber optic cables . . . .fiber optics ? . . . "Why we uses that thar' stuffs in our cables !"
FORGET IT . . . . you know how big a human hair is, well a single fiber optic strand is a Lilliputian in its size comparison.
Continuing . . . . .
The majority of novice fishermen use 6-12-14 # test of monofilament line.
I have used up to 20 at times and occasionally had some large 40 or 50 # test, from deep sea fishing.
That is on thing that I have used for a light pipe at times in experimenting in making a 7 segment display with
individual segments made with strands placed side by side and individually painted with white vinyl paint for flexibility.
(For that internal reflecting of stray light)
Then the layout of the segments alongside and upon four short, small 1/4 in square forms.<p> The segments get
adhered to the 6 sides and the single shared middle crossing and then like units "fibers" were formed into 7 round bundled clusters.
A short distance away the bundled fiber ends were end mated to 7 micro size grain of wheat lamps. the viewing end
got potted into black resin/hardener as a rectangle and finally sanded and polished .
Mind you this waaaayback in the dark ages . . . . . . and then, ten years later . . . . . BAMMMM . . . . .Hoolet Plastered
came on the scene with their similar micro dotted type of LED displays .
Sooooooo why not take some 20# or larger monofilament. .~ 2 in long . . . .and cut off the ends (square shear off with
a SHARP razor blade) and press an end up to the LED.
That initially lets you see if that medium will produce enough viewable light output being carried outwardly for you.
If not/or if you want to get more lateral dispersion of the light at the end . . . do this.
Take an experimental sample and shear its end off and then micro incrementally bring the lit flame of a butane lighter up
close to an end .
You will see that heated end is slowly folding up on itself and slowly widening and making an ever larger dome, and then,
on into a less desired . . .wider mushroom.
Don’t over heat or it will scorch and discolor, ideally it makes a small dome and is left very smooth and clear . . . . akin
to what a working chemistry lab calls flame polishing, when used on Pyrex glass.
If this works, several filaments can be stretched out under tension and bound together with adhesive and then then
utilize a SIDE by SIDE overwrap of sewing thread, to initially hold the mass together.
Those are my thoughts on “The Hidden LED Apoplexy “. . . . .
(And with that unique titling . . . . . it’s certainly apropo to be incorporated into an upcoming Big Bang episode.)
73's de Edd
[email protected]. . . . . . . . (Interstellar~~~~~Warp~~~~Speed)
[email protected]. . . . . . . . . (Firewalled*Spam*Cookies*Crumbs)
As a dirt poor young kid, I once asked God for a bike . . . after then going unrewarded. . . . .
I just figured that God was just too darn busy or doesn't work things that way.
So I just stole a bike and then asked for forgiveness.
(My very FINAL thought is being at the very bottom left corner of this post/page)
.
㹬
.
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
Or... since the on board indicator works, all you need to do is unshroud it. Take the case apart and plug it back into the computer. It should be very visible when looking directly down upon it. Determine its location on the case and cut or drill a small opening over the LED. Glue some crystal clear plastic from some scrap packaging over the hole and reassemble. Problemo solved.
Hey Edd! Great to see your contributions again. They always make me smile (and chuckle). Re: your final thought. Would that be "Offline" (currently), "Profile", ".", or the Kangxi 㹬?
CeaSaR
Hey Edd! Great to see your contributions again. They always make me smile (and chuckle). Re: your final thought. Would that be "Offline" (currently), "Profile", ".", or the Kangxi 㹬?
CeaSaR
Hey, what do I know?
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
CeaSaR, I mentioned that there is a very small hole for the LED. I may be wrong,
but I see some kind of "light tube" when I look through the lanyard slots. Could it
be a small piece of fiber optic cable? Probably not.
My first thought was to take the case apart and make that miniscule hole larger.
These thumb drives must be fitted together with some kind of automated arbor
press. If you pull on the USB plug with your fingers I doubt if the innards will slide
out of the case. Maybe I can pry the case apart with a chisel x-acto blade.
Even if I enlarged the hole there is still a problem. When the stick is plugged in with
the LED facing away from you it can't be seen. That's why my older thumb drives
have a clear plug with the LED inside.
If I can figure a way to take the sticks apart without damage, it makes more sense
to replace the surface mount LED with a very tiny package with leads. They can
be bent at a right angle and covered with a simple clear cap. Can you suggest a
bright, but very small leaded LED I might use as a substitute? Another thing I almost
forgot. Some LEDs have a built-in current dropping resistor. If that's what these
flash drives have, replacing the surface mount LED would be almost impossible.
Edd, your reply to my post is remarkable!
Either you're very young, or you never lost the excitment and enthusiasm I felt as a kid
building all sorts of stuff from those great (now defunct) electronics hobby magazines.
I know there is more "how to build everything" on the web, but I collected and preserved
copies of Radio and Popular Electronics. I saw a small classified ad for Nuts & Volts many
years ago. I didn't know what it was, but ever since I've had a free lifetime subscription.
I know it's too expensive, but I wish there were a few more still in print.
but I see some kind of "light tube" when I look through the lanyard slots. Could it
be a small piece of fiber optic cable? Probably not.
My first thought was to take the case apart and make that miniscule hole larger.
These thumb drives must be fitted together with some kind of automated arbor
press. If you pull on the USB plug with your fingers I doubt if the innards will slide
out of the case. Maybe I can pry the case apart with a chisel x-acto blade.
Even if I enlarged the hole there is still a problem. When the stick is plugged in with
the LED facing away from you it can't be seen. That's why my older thumb drives
have a clear plug with the LED inside.
If I can figure a way to take the sticks apart without damage, it makes more sense
to replace the surface mount LED with a very tiny package with leads. They can
be bent at a right angle and covered with a simple clear cap. Can you suggest a
bright, but very small leaded LED I might use as a substitute? Another thing I almost
forgot. Some LEDs have a built-in current dropping resistor. If that's what these
flash drives have, replacing the surface mount LED would be almost impossible.
Edd, your reply to my post is remarkable!
Either you're very young, or you never lost the excitment and enthusiasm I felt as a kid
building all sorts of stuff from those great (now defunct) electronics hobby magazines.
I know there is more "how to build everything" on the web, but I collected and preserved
copies of Radio and Popular Electronics. I saw a small classified ad for Nuts & Volts many
years ago. I didn't know what it was, but ever since I've had a free lifetime subscription.
I know it's too expensive, but I wish there were a few more still in print.
-
dacflyer
- Posts: 4748
- Joined: Fri Feb 08, 2002 1:01 am
- Location: USA / North Carolina / Fayetteville
- Contact:
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
just go for it,, pop it open and solider on a T1 size led 
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
An acrylic 'light pipe' can be canibalized from a discarded smoke detector.
- Abolish the deciBel ! -
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
Nice challenge, but I'm still trying to figure out why you want to see that LED in the first place.
What is it telling you?
(Call me curious)
John
What is it telling you?
(Call me curious)
John
WA2RBA
Re: I can't see these LEDs!
not sure about fine-tune but I like the light because it tells me a read or write is happening. If I copy a large file to a stick, I can see when the LED stops flickering and when to yank it out faster than any other way. (that's right, I never use the Eject device dialog). I most often use sticks to move files from one PC to another when not on a network.
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