tinted film for dimming bright LED's
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 1:05 pm
In the most recent case review article Lawrence mentioned a common problem - an LED light being uncomfortably bright. I ran across an elegant solution to this last year and a since it didn't turn up in a quick search of the forums I thought I'd make a post about it.
The product is called LightDims. You can find it on Amazon or directly on their website - http://www.lightdims.com It's basically a self-adhering tinted plastic film (in black or silver) that you apply over the offending light. The film is pre-cut into different size circles and rectangles. They also offer an uncut version of the sheet as well as an opaque black one too.
I purchased a complete set in at the beginning of the year which included one of each of the film types. I bought it specifically for one device but ended up installing it on nine so far: 2 computers, 3 monitors, router, modem, 2 A/V receivers.
My personal opinions...
Price: Initially I thought it was overpriced for what it was (meaning it felt like it had too high a markup above the perceived material/manufacturing costs). After having used them I feel the benefit they provide is worth the price.
Ease of use: The pre-cut shapes were good fits for most of my uses. The round ones especially are good for covering a single LED. The film pieces were difficult to remove from the sheet they were mounted on. I permanently creased a few while trying to peel them off. I felt a set of tweezers or a utility knife were necessary to remove the films and also to properly position them during application. Getting the smaller ones centered over a small LED can be a challenge. The low-tack adhesive allows you to move it around in place, remove and reapply it, or remove it completely without leaving residue behind. One of my applications was to cover a large vacuum fluorescent display on an older A/V Receiver that lacked a dimming option. I cut a 1.5" x 6" rectangle from the uncut film sheet for this and found it difficult to apply to the display without air bubbles or creases at the edges. I unpeeled and re-layed it 3 times to get what I thought was a clean lay, only to find an edge crease pop up several days later. Another partial unpeel and re-lay will probably solve that problem but I haven't tried it yet. Having said all that I think that particular application was outside of the usage scenarios the product is targeted for.
Appearance: Very unobtrusive in all of my applications. The film has a nice matte finish to it which I think helps it integrate visually. I can't say the silver film matches any of the 3 silver devices I installed it on, but the result is harmonious and certainly better than the black film would be. Overall, compared to my previous black electrical tape-based solutions this is a major improvement.
Performance: Excellent. I find the dimmed light levels to all be quite pleasant. The distracting brightness is gone yet the visual functionality of the LED remains. This is a major improvement over my previous electrical tape black-out solutions. I didn't find it necessary but I think you can easily add additional layers of the film to achieve increased blocking without having to go totally opaque.
When I purchased this I wasn't aware of any other alternatives. I'd like to think that there is an un-cut industrial film product available less expensively somewhere, but after using this product I can say the pre-cut shapes provide value in minimizing the film handling, as well as having the applied film look integrated. Also, after having dealt with all of the obnoxious LED's in my life I've barely made a dent in the sheets I got. It wasn't my plan, but I think I inadvertently bought a lifetime supply. Or enough to solve this problem for my friends and family too.
The product is called LightDims. You can find it on Amazon or directly on their website - http://www.lightdims.com It's basically a self-adhering tinted plastic film (in black or silver) that you apply over the offending light. The film is pre-cut into different size circles and rectangles. They also offer an uncut version of the sheet as well as an opaque black one too.
I purchased a complete set in at the beginning of the year which included one of each of the film types. I bought it specifically for one device but ended up installing it on nine so far: 2 computers, 3 monitors, router, modem, 2 A/V receivers.
My personal opinions...
Price: Initially I thought it was overpriced for what it was (meaning it felt like it had too high a markup above the perceived material/manufacturing costs). After having used them I feel the benefit they provide is worth the price.
Ease of use: The pre-cut shapes were good fits for most of my uses. The round ones especially are good for covering a single LED. The film pieces were difficult to remove from the sheet they were mounted on. I permanently creased a few while trying to peel them off. I felt a set of tweezers or a utility knife were necessary to remove the films and also to properly position them during application. Getting the smaller ones centered over a small LED can be a challenge. The low-tack adhesive allows you to move it around in place, remove and reapply it, or remove it completely without leaving residue behind. One of my applications was to cover a large vacuum fluorescent display on an older A/V Receiver that lacked a dimming option. I cut a 1.5" x 6" rectangle from the uncut film sheet for this and found it difficult to apply to the display without air bubbles or creases at the edges. I unpeeled and re-layed it 3 times to get what I thought was a clean lay, only to find an edge crease pop up several days later. Another partial unpeel and re-lay will probably solve that problem but I haven't tried it yet. Having said all that I think that particular application was outside of the usage scenarios the product is targeted for.
Appearance: Very unobtrusive in all of my applications. The film has a nice matte finish to it which I think helps it integrate visually. I can't say the silver film matches any of the 3 silver devices I installed it on, but the result is harmonious and certainly better than the black film would be. Overall, compared to my previous black electrical tape-based solutions this is a major improvement.
Performance: Excellent. I find the dimmed light levels to all be quite pleasant. The distracting brightness is gone yet the visual functionality of the LED remains. This is a major improvement over my previous electrical tape black-out solutions. I didn't find it necessary but I think you can easily add additional layers of the film to achieve increased blocking without having to go totally opaque.
When I purchased this I wasn't aware of any other alternatives. I'd like to think that there is an un-cut industrial film product available less expensively somewhere, but after using this product I can say the pre-cut shapes provide value in minimizing the film handling, as well as having the applied film look integrated. Also, after having dealt with all of the obnoxious LED's in my life I've barely made a dent in the sheets I got. It wasn't my plan, but I think I inadvertently bought a lifetime supply. Or enough to solve this problem for my friends and family too.