daveq Posted March 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 Thanks Skot - The LEDs do take a bit of time and patience. The one thing I really didn't expect is the number of things that can go wrong when attaching the fretboard to the neck. If you decide to do one and need some info, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB7539 Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 My big question is what kind of LED's are you using for this... Since I am in the field of car audio, I have access to some pretty cool stuff, but I don't know if it will work on a guitar. For example I can get color-changing LED's that change about 10 different colors, but I have to dismantle a light bar to get them... that would be cool though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted March 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 You can use any LED that you want. You probably know that they come in various sizes, packages, ... I like to use the LEDs that come with the ~2 inch leads but I'm sure you could use the surface mount type if you knew what you were doing. The only concern I'd have with the type that changes colors is the number of connections required. I know most multi-colored LEDs require a connection for each color and a common. So for a tri-colored LED, you would have 4 connections. There's not much room under the fretboard for this if you plan on doing an LED for each marker position. If you were just going to use them in a few places, then I would expect that it could be done fairly easily. For side dots, I like the 3mm LEDs. You can use the super-brights but you'll need to use a much lower current than normal. I usually like to just get a standard brightness LED (~200 - 500 mcd) and use the nominal current rating (usually in the area of 20mA). Always test them out before installing. Rig up your circuit on a breadboard and make sure everything works as planned before going any further. The biggest hassle in using LEDs in a fretboard is the installation in my opinion, not the theory or circuit design. The actual installation and making it all fit into very small spaces is where it gets tricky. After you've done a couple, you'll start to get a hang of it and know what limitations you have but the first one is a real learning experience. I'm hoping I can help beginners avoid some problems by doing the tutorial. I just need to find time to do it (and ask Brian for the OK). Good luck - post pics if you decide to do one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf121188 Posted March 24, 2004 Report Share Posted March 24, 2004 dude, that is awesome...no, not just some awe, lots of awe. awe inspiring. i love it. I want to do one with red front dots. A tutorial would totally rock. I dont know which one to encourage you to work faster on, the guitar or the tutorial! How do you think a dark, dark blue going to black sunburst style would look for the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 Thank you very much. Thanks for reminding me about the possibility of doing a burst around the edges. I kinda forgot about that. I think I will look into doing that. I haven't done front dots yet (other than the skull eyes, of course). I would think that the main thing to watch out for would be to make sure the LED, wiring, ... is beneath the surface of the fretboard so the truss rod won't create problems. Then make your wiring channel offset from the center line. If you're not using a dual action rod, then it may not be much of an issue. One other thing to keep in mind - when sanding the LEDs flush, you need to be very careful not to sand too far down. So when you plan it out, have the LEDs in hand and measure how deep they need to be mounted beneath the top of the fretboard - then make sure that the bottom of the LED can still rest above the bottom surface of the fretboard if you know what I mean. You can practice sanding a spare LED down just until it fails to see how far you can sand (don't forget to solder a resistor to the spare LED while doing this). When I first started doing these, I thought that the novelty would wear off quickly but after playing a guitar with them, it is a bit of a let down playing one without them. I really like them! I hope to see your LED fretboard soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf121188 Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 i think i get what you are saying. I wanted to still have MOP dots though, in addition to the LEDs. Would I have to drill through the MOP and sand the LEDs flush with the MOP or could I put the LEDs under the MOP to get the whole dot to glow? Whats powering your LEDs? i think I count 12, but that would mean 12 times 1.5 volts per LED equals 18 volts of juice required...i think...anyway, the only thing that could do that would be two 9v batteries, and even then, the battery would die pretty quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 You might be able to drill the hole for the MOP, glue it in (slightly above the fretbaord - as usual), then put the LED beneath it. The only catch would be the height of the LED but I'm pretty sure you would have enough room to do that. The power source is a whole topic in itself. I'm using 4 AA's for the blue skull guitar. You're right about the battery life - a single 9V would die much quicker than the AA's so that's why I decided to go with them. I think your 18V came from using a series circuit. right? I use a parallel circuit which allows me to use a much lower voltage power source but it also requires more current (more battery life drain). I also like the parallel circuit for other reasons such as failure mode, smaller resistors, ... That doesn't mean that my way is "the" way of course, but I'm just trying to provide an alternative and reasons for doing so. Are you going to sand the MOP down a bit thinner than normal to get more light through or just leave it normal? I think in that case, a super-bright LED would be a great choice (something in the range of 2000mcd and up, maybe). If you can't find the LEDs that you want, let me know - I have found several decent places that have a great selection. One other thought on that: LEDs don't like heat. I don't know if burying one under MOP would generate enough heat to create a problem or not? I'm guessing it would be fine but that's just a guess. I'm really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out - get to it!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted March 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 If anyone else has LED questions that you think I can help with, just send me a message and I'll try to get back to you quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyB7539 Posted March 25, 2004 Report Share Posted March 25, 2004 I can probably answer the heat question for you Dave... LED's don't get hot enought to matter. As a matter of fact, I know of someone who is using LED's for headlights because he has a fishtank built into one of the headlights and didn't want to fry the fish... I will try to find a picture... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page_Master Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 that guitar is looking mighty fine dave. and litch, your idea about suggesting dave should do a tiger job on the figured top [a propper tiger job that is 3D stained and not painted like lynch's] i was thinking that exactly when i saw that pic, exactly. as they say, great minds think a like. ok, on to the point. dave, are the schematics for the LED's difficult for this job? i imagine it wouldn't be. i am not very good with electronics, i can build from schemtics, however my uncle usually helps me with the terminolgy and why and how it is done. could you please point us in the right direction? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf121188 Posted March 26, 2004 Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 I decided this was getting way off topic (the topic was daveq's whole guitar, not just the LEDs) and I created a new thread in the inlays section here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted March 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2004 Check the thread that lonewolf created - there's a link I provided that should explain most of the circuit info. I think the hardest part is the installation though - not the circuit. I have an Electrical Engineering degree so I do have a slight edge on others when it comes to circuit design but I really think the LED circuits are about as simple as it gets (I mean - after you have looked at the link). If it doesn't make sense, let me know - some people just don't get electronics kinda like some people don't get math. I know I have that problem with chemistry - I just don't get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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