I modd a AAA Cree XR-E flashlight to use a red Cree XR-E. I want to fit a clear cover over the LED -- no focus, just the raw pattern of the LED -- but have not found anything close to the right size.
I want the LED visible from all angles. Ideally I'd like something that is either a clear dome about 13mm ID or a little bigger, or a cylinder with a clear dome at one end. Perhaps 1-2mm thick for good durability without absorbing a lot of light. The exact dimensions are not important, I can make a spacer if it is too big, but I want to avoid something lots bigger (say, over 20mm OD), as it will make it bulky.
I tried browsing the local supermarket for things with a clear plastic rounded cap, the local plastics supply house, and so on, with no luck. I considered drilling out a clear acrylic sphere from the plastics shop, but the drilled surface would be white (scratched up) not clear. I do not need optical quality, but would like the best light transmission I can muster.
Anybody got ideas or sources? I imagine what I want is widely available from someplace, I just haven't been clever enough to figure out what it is.
I want the LED visible from all angles. Ideally I'd like something that is either a clear dome about 13mm ID or a little bigger, or a cylinder with a clear dome at one end. Perhaps 1-2mm thick for good durability without absorbing a lot of light. The exact dimensions are not important, I can make a spacer if it is too big, but I want to avoid something lots bigger (say, over 20mm OD), as it will make it bulky.
I tried browsing the local supermarket for things with a clear plastic rounded cap, the local plastics supply house, and so on, with no luck. I considered drilling out a clear acrylic sphere from the plastics shop, but the drilled surface would be white (scratched up) not clear. I do not need optical quality, but would like the best light transmission I can muster.
Anybody got ideas or sources? I imagine what I want is widely available from someplace, I just haven't been clever enough to figure out what it is.
