kevin.hoyt
LED Cutting Guide
Whether at workshops, or working on a project, I'm always cutting LEDs to fit flush into a breadboard. This usually involves me holding the LED against the side of the breadboard, and then clipping the anode leg. That leg gets clipped just a millimeter shorter than the breadboard itself. Then the cathode in turn gets cut slightly shorter than that.
With enough repetition, I've gotten pretty good at it, but then there's breadboards like this one that are already mounted on something, or have something blocking access to the edge. Other times, when hosting a kids workshop, they always forget which leg they cut first, or often cut straight through both legs of the LED.
To resolve this problem, I turned to 3D printing. I modeled a small cube that was the depth of a typical breadboard, less a couple millimeters. Then I put two cylinder holes of 1mm each in diameter, space exactly 2.5mm apart - the distance between breadboard holes. Finally, I notched out two more millimeters on one side of the cube. The result when printed is an easy to use LED cutting guide.
Simply place the LED legs through the holes. Put the anode (longer leg) on the deeper side. Put the cathode (shorter leg) on the other side, and slide them both through the holder. Break out your clippers, and trim flush with the LED holder on each leg. If you cut too far when cutting the anode, and accidentally trim the cathode too, that's not a problem. You can clearly see which is which, and then just trim the other side from the cathode. Your freshly cut LED will now fit perfectly flush into a breadboard.
LED Cutting Guide
Whether at workshops, or working on a project, I'm always cutting LEDs to fit flush into a breadboard. This usually involves me holding the LED against the side of the breadboard, and then clipping the anode leg. That leg gets clipped just a millimeter shorter than the breadboard itself. Then the cathode in turn gets cut slightly shorter than that.
With enough repetition, I've gotten pretty good at it, but then there's breadboards like this one that are already mounted on something, or have something blocking access to the edge. Other times, when hosting a kids workshop, they always forget which leg they cut first, or often cut straight through both legs of the LED.
To resolve this problem, I turned to 3D printing. I modeled a small cube that was the depth of a typical breadboard, less a couple millimeters. Then I put two cylinder holes of 1mm each in diameter, space exactly 2.5mm apart - the distance between breadboard holes. Finally, I notched out two more millimeters on one side of the cube. The result when printed is an easy to use LED cutting guide.
Simply place the LED legs through the holes. Put the anode (longer leg) on the deeper side. Put the cathode (shorter leg) on the other side, and slide them both through the holder. Break out your clippers, and trim flush with the LED holder on each leg. If you cut too far when cutting the anode, and accidentally trim the cathode too, that's not a problem. You can clearly see which is which, and then just trim the other side from the cathode. Your freshly cut LED will now fit perfectly flush into a breadboard.