You can also find us on:

Close
Advanced Search Part-No.
Login / Registration Your location/language Canada, English

bl2503-backlighting-a

BENEFITS OF LED LIGHT PIPES

Light pipes – also known as light tubes or light guides – can be extremely useful. These handy transparent plastic rods or optical fibres are an efficient and cost-effective way to carry light from a PCB-mounted LED to an indicator panel.

They enable designs to be more compact – reducing manufacturing costs. They’re perfect for devices that require multiple indicators. They provide clear and clean status indication without the need for solder or crimped terminations.

Light pipes operate on the principle of total internal reflection: the material and shape are designed to minimise light loss, resulting in optimal brightness at the output end. On this basis, they don’t need to be conductive – eliminating the risk of short circuits due to pinched wires. So far so good. But there are some downsides…

DISADVANTAGES OF LED LIGHT PIPES

The first downside is that – in reality – there can still be some light loss; this can affect the brightness of the output. The second is that the LED and the target area must be aligned properly for best performance.

But it’s the third downside that can often prove to be the biggest headache for designers: watertightness. When it comes to waterproofing, light pipes can present a challenge. Their enclosure exit points can allow water ingress if not sealed correctly.

Ensuring a tight seal around these exit points is crucial. In theory, light pipes can be designed to meet specific Ingress Protection (IP) ratings by integrating them with gaskets or sealants that prevent moisture and particulate ingress.

However, this can be challenging in practice – especially if a proliferation of light pipes is required or the IP rating needs to be a higher one to cope with particularly harsh industrial and/or outdoor environments.

Fortunately, there is an alternative…

<< BLG2503-enclosures-with-led-backlighting