Introduction: Quick, Temporary, and Cheap LED Diffuser

By Coffeebot
About: Just a dude who likes making things :)

Not ready to sand/embed your LEDs, but they're too bright to look at? This Instructable is for you!

I'm fiddling around with my Arduino and TLC5940, and I'm getting a headache from staring at them. But, I don't want to sand them down, or otherwise permanently diffuse them, and putting them behind a sheet of paper or typical diffuser won't let me clearly see the specific patterns I'm trying to achieve.

Step 1: Straws to the Rescue!

Amazingly, straws fit atop generic 5mm LEDs perfectly.

What you need:
Straws (Normal, cheap ones. Bendy-style optional)
Scissors
LEDs you want to diffuse.

Step 2: Obviously...

After cutting, stick your straws onto the LEDs. They should rest nicely on top.

If you're anal-retentive like me, tape them together, so they stand up together.

My inspiration came from Mitch Altman's Trippy RGB Waves He used a straw as a diffuser, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. As such, I'm passing it on to you :)

I also have a copy of this back at Coffeebot Labs