The flow of light created by the lamp can be changed: making it softer, simulating uniform illumination. This function is performed by the diffuser. To make a diffuser for LEDs, plexiglass and some other polymer materials are used.

Since the LED emits a fairly pure and narrowly focused light, it is not entirely comfortable to look at. To correct this situation, a diffuser is simply necessary. Besides sanitary standards and the rules require the use of a light diffuser, making an exception only for street lighting fixtures and for illuminating architectural structures.

In more detail, the diffuser should:

• protect the LED from the external environment;
• ensure correct light distribution that is most comfortable for the eyes;
• be durable and resistant to chemical attack;
• be durable;
• have certain aesthetic properties.

As you already understand, you cannot simply replace a fluorescent lamp with an LED. Along with installing a new light source, you need to use a diffuser, then you will get a modernized, economical and eye-friendly lamp.

Features of materials

Modern materials such as polycarbonate, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate, in particular acrylic glass), polystyrene, are an alternative to conventional silicone glass and are successfully used for devices in which the light source is LED. They are presented on the market by many European and Eastern trademarks, giving us a choice.

Polycarbonate withstands very high temperatures and is less fire hazardous than acrylic glass. In addition, it is not afraid of strong impacts and other mechanical damage.

If we talk about PMMA, it has high transparency, in some cases better than glass. The material is resistant to aging, which is important for LED lamps, because the LED is also capable of working for a very long time (about 50 thousand hours).

Typically, so-called opal (matte) diffusers are made from PMMA, and prismatic models are made from polycarbonate. To ensure strength, use monolithic polycarbonate, which is several times stronger than glass, and for indoor lamps - acrylic glass, which allows you to create lamps of an original design.

Model characteristics

In addition to the material of manufacture, a ready-to-use diffuser has other features related to color, shape, and surface structure.

For chandeliers and lamps, the diffuser may differ from other models in its design and is intended for installation:

• on suspended ceilings;
• in an overhead housing;
• be universal.

There is also a light diffuser for LEDs installed in car headlights, spotlights, lanterns and other lighting devices.

The most expensive models have a matte surface. They can transmit a little more than half of the light (about 60%), which makes the lighting very soft. The light becomes warmer and more comfortable for the eyes.

A diffuser with a prismatic structure is capable of transmitting and evenly dispersing maximum light (up to 90%). This is achieved due to the transparency of the material and the corrugated surface. The light produced by the LED is refracted in hundreds of small prisms and thus dispersed throughout space.

There is a 3d diffuser polymer material. It is installed on an Armstrong type lamp and is produced in a variety of patterns and colors.

Attaching the diffusers

To mount an LED or LED strip, aluminum profiles are made. A diffuser is also attached to them, choosing it in accordance with the needs of the customer. The light diffuser can be made in the shape of a ring, in which each LED is located on a strip in a circle. Such profiles are used in car headlights, in some models of lanterns and lamps.

For large ceiling light sources, profiles are made in the shape of rectangles. In principle, nothing limits a manufacturer or a self-taught craftsman from making a lamp of any shape. And all this is due to the fact that the LED has a very small size with a high light output.

It is important that the diffuser, which is installed on street lamps, can withstand large temperature changes and is not afraid of frost, high humidity, had anti-vandal properties. Innovative materials meet all these requirements and make it possible to create reliable and durable lighting devices. Taking care of consumer convenience, today they produce sets of LED lamps, which include necessary elements for editing, for controlling brightness and even color.

LED lighting appeared on domestic market relatively recently, but thanks to its economy, flexibility and high production resource, it is gaining more and more popularity in various industrial sectors, as well as in everyday life. One of the main structural elements Diffusers for LED strips make LED lighting comfortable and the diode itself protected from damage.

Functions performed by the diffuser

Although traditional incandescent light bulbs are rather wasteful to use and short-lived, the light spectrum emitted by them is most optimal for human eyes, since it is largely identical Diode strip Provides bright, but cold and unpleasant lighting for the eyes.

The solution to the problem was diffusers, which are a structural part of many lamps that make the light warmer and more natural. But there are also objects that do not need “refinement” of the light spectrum. An example would be architectural monuments or devices that do not require protection from damage.

The tasks performed by diffusers are not only to obtain inexpensive lighting. Such devices are used for decoration appearance any object: a room, a car or an interior item. We must also not forget about the protective function and anti-vandalism, which is especially relevant in public places Oh.

Materials

Modern technologies have significantly expanded the range of materials used for the manufacture of diffusers. Today, in addition to the usual classic glass, combined compositions are used.

Diffusers for LED strips can be made from the following materials:

• Polymethylacrylate materials are characterized by high transparency, strength, resistance to aging, and plasticity. It is also worth noting the flammability and fragility of the material.
• Transparent polystyrene - thermoplastic polymer It is distinguished by durability, versatility, and low cost.
• Polycarbonate. The products are characterized by increased strength, durability due to resistance to UV radiation, high transparency and lightness. The addition of fire retardants and fire extinguishing elements makes the material ideal for the manufacture of diode lamps. It is more expensive in cost than acrylic.

The choice of material depends on the financial capabilities of the buyer and the requirements for lighting equipment, as well as environmental conditions.

Types of diffusers

In addition to differences in material composition, diffusers for LED strips have differences in the method of light supply and surface structure, thereby expanding the scope of their application. The surface may differ in color and structure.

Lamps made of prismatic glass, due to the effect of refraction of light rays, provide the greatest light dispersion effect (up to 90%). With use, we have a coefficient of no higher than 60%, while providing the room with cozy, dim light.

A separate type of diffusers, distinguished by a variety of patterns and colors, is manufactured using 3D polymer material. Such devices are mounted on large-sized Armstrong-type lamps.

Installation methods

Profile with diffuser for LED strip can be installed:

• Overhead/universal.
• Mortise. Installed in chipboard or cardboard: ceilings, furniture.
• Angular. For lighting rooms and furniture.
• Interior. Easily combined with any room design, used for installing LED strips.
• For mounting on with silicone gaskets.

Convenience and ease of installation allow you to do the work yourself, the main thing is to choose the required type of glass. It is also worth keeping in mind that due to the fragility of acrylic, it is advisable to order delivery from a trusted company, since installing a damaged profile can be hazardous to health. Diffusers based on plastic and polycarbonate are more practical, as they have a structure more resistant to mechanical shock.

Types of fastening

The diode strip has several installation methods, therefore, the diffusers are produced in the form of blanks, allowing for the fastest and most convenient installation.

To install the tape, a flat and smooth surface structure is required; specially designed profiles for LED lighting meet these requirements. This ensures the installation of LEDs in the form of lines, strips, lamps, spotlights, rings, allowing you to decorate car headlights, etc.

A flexible diffuser for LED strip is most often installed on plastic profile to provide illumination of various interior objects in the form of a circle or in an arc on arches, car headlights and circular lamps.

Areas of application

Diffusers for luminaires manufactured using acrylic materials, there are several types: with high level transparency, as well as with a prismatic or matte structure. Disadvantage: fragility. Therefore, such devices are recommended for use in indoors. They are produced with a smooth or corrugated surface.

Due to its ease of processing, the use of plexiglass is very popular for finishing interior spaces apartments, nightclubs and other public buildings.

For transport, public places and premises subject to constant vibrations (subway, train stations, passages), the most the best option there will be diffusers made of monolithic carbonate. Indoor use is impractical due to their relatively high cost.

The plastic diffuser for the LED strip is made of polystyrene, which is distinguished by its low price and ease of installation. It is widely used for outdoor and indoor lighting applications, as well as industrial sector. Types: mirror raster made of aluminum (Armstrong lamps), opal (matte), prismatic, transparent.

Nuances

The purpose of the diffuser is to provide a soft and uniform glow, eliminating the pinpointing inherent in LED strips and lamps. Since the level of illumination for different residential areas and objects is different, the luminaires must have different degrees of dispersion. In this regard, separate sales of components for installation are practiced. The diffuser is selected separately depending on the customer's requirements. Ease of installation allows you to independently replace an unsuitable or damaged profile.

When planning your expenses, you must keep in mind that frosted lamps, most often used to create warm twilight in bedrooms and children's rooms, have a higher cost than transparent ones.

Outdoor lamp diffusers must withstand temperature changes and shock. Such devices must not contain cracks through which moisture can penetrate.

In conclusion

The new century requires new types of lighting. An ordinary fluorescent lamp, due to its low cost, still holds a strong position in the domestic market, but the situation is changing. LEDs in combination with a diffuser, despite their high cost, are all chosen a large number buyers who want not only to illuminate and decorate the room, but also to save energy.

For the reflector-radiator, I wanted to focus the light flux of the LED more toward the center. The conical shape of the reflector suggested itself, since it almost completely corresponds to the shape of a parabolic mirror. After some calculations and experiments we have the following design

To make this beauty you will need:
-aluminum (can be copper or tin) scratch-free plate up to 1mm thick and 40x35mm in size
-single-layer foil textolite plate measuring 20x15 mm
-super-bright LED, soldering iron, two contact wires, one or two paper clips
-a little thermal paste
-pliers (round nose pliers), hacksaw (scissors) for metal, needle files, compass, small drill
-straight hands to obtain correct curved surfaces

The theory is still the same. In order to receive parallel beam light, it is necessary to install the LED crystal exactly at the focus of the parabolic mirror. Here is a picture from a previous article

It was decided to leave the dimensions the same, but now the size of 24mm is the diameter of the circle. It turned out to be easier to obtain the cone shape by bending two half-cones from the workpiece, therefore we have the lengths of the arcs of two half-cones. Also from the figure we have the radii of these arcs. As a result, we get the following development:

It turned out to be even simpler than the previous one, the only difficulty was to give it correct form, since the accuracy of focusing the light beam depends on this.

Here is an example of marking a workpiece on an aluminum sheet:

There is nothing complicated about the markup. There is no need to calculate degrees, arc lengths, etc. First, all straight lines are drawn, and then two arcs with a radius of 28 mm are drawn until they intersect with the straight lines and the marking is ready.

The material for the reflector-radiator can be aluminum, copper, or tin from tin can. Copper and tin are even more preferable because they can be soldered. The thickness of the material must provide sufficient structural strength. For aluminum this is no less than 0.5mm.
Now the workpiece is cut and bent. It is advisable to cut it with a hacksaw, but if you are very lazy, you can also use metal scissors, as shown below. Then the edges will have to be aligned with a file.

The reflector must be bent carefully so as not to scratch the reflective surface with the tool. After all these procedures we get the following:

The workpiece still has “ears” - two rectangular strips. They can be cut off only after the reflector is bent. Or they can be bent under the LED, as shown below:

Next, part No. 2 is cut out - a rectangular contact pad made of single-layer foil PCB. It is exactly the same as in the previous version of the reflector. Its dimensions are 20x15 millimeters, 4 holes with a diameter of 1 mm are drilled into it for fastening and two holes for wires. Excess copper is removed with a knife or a needle file. It would be a good idea to tin the contact pads.

After which the reflector and PCB are glued and twisted together. A paper clip can serve as a twisting wire. The diameter and strength of the material are suitable, you just need to not pinch it when twisting it, otherwise the wire can easily break. In addition, it is easy to tin and solder. This may be useful for making a radiator reflector mount.

Now you can install the LED. At the installation site, thermal paste is applied to the radiator, the LED is placed on it, and the leads are soldered to the contact pads. In this case, it is advisable to press the LED against the radiator. If the “ears” of the radiator were bent, then the LED leads will not reach the contact pads. Then it will help to solder the wire, which is soldered to the contact pad, as shown in the figure.

It is clear that the LED contacts should not touch the radiator housing.

Well, that's all. The final touch is to secure the two halves of the cone together. If the radiator material was copper or tin, the halves are simply soldered together. If, as in in this case, the radiator was made of aluminum, the halves are glued together by applying glue with outside reflector. This seemingly small detail is very important, since the strength of the case will now increase significantly.

Now connect (observing polarity) and enjoy the result. The scope of application of this design is very diverse, from tabletop mini-lamps and backlights to homemade flashlights

Today, many lighting fixtures are equipped with diffusers. With their help, the formation of a luminous flux of the required quality is ensured.

Many lamps sold in lighting stores today are already equipped with such elements. But if desired, anyone can try to make such an element with their own hands. This way you will not only spend time with interest and benefit, but you will also be able to equip any home lamps with this kind of addition. And you won't have to run to the store.

Useless detail

Any lighting devices create a certain level of luminous flux. But it can be changed. For these purposes, the diffuser was invented. With its help, you can simulate the luminous flux and make the lighting softer. Most often, a diffuser is used to modulate the lighting emanating from modern energy-efficient light bulbs (LED, fluorescent, halogen, etc.) screwed into lamps.

LED lamp with diffuser

Particular attention should be paid to LED lighting devices. LED produces highly focused and pure light. Therefore, it will not be very comfortable to look at him. Therefore, this situation must be corrected with the help of diffusers. This must also be done because such recommendations are prescribed in SNiP.

Pay attention! The only exceptions in terms of modulating the luminous flux to the optimal level are street lamps, as well as the lighting of architectural structures.

The diffuser in LED lamps must perform the following functions:

• provide protection for LEDs (or other light source) from environmental influences;
• create a comfortable and correct distribution of the light flux emitted by the light bulb for the eyes;
• increase the durability of the lighting product;
• increase the resistance of the device to various kinds chemical influences.

As you can see, it is impossible to simply replace a fluorescent light bulb with an LED light source. Here it is necessary to additionally install a diffuser. As a result, you will receive with your own hands an economical, modernized and harmless lamp, the light of which is suitable for a comfortable stay in the room during its operation.
For many lamps (for example, brands Armstrong, Opal, etc.) this element is made of plexiglass. It is quite possible to make a diffuser from the same material with your own hands at home.

Material for work

Polycarbonate

Today, there is a wide variety of materials from which you can make an element such as a diffuser with your own hands. As a rule, it must be done for LED lamps of the Armstrong, Opal, etc. brands.
The list of materials suitable for the manufacture of a diffuser includes:

Pay attention! Resistance to aging is very important for LED lamps, since this light source also has one of the longest operating periods (over 50 thousand hours). Such diffusers are especially common on Opal and Armstrong lamps.

Polystyrene

• polystyrene This material also has all necessary properties in order for diffusers to be made from it.

All of the materials listed above are alternatives to standard silicone glass. They are successfully used as a diffuser for all LED-type lamps (Opal, Armstrong and others). With the right approach, you can make a high-quality diffuser with your own hands from any of the materials listed above.

What you need to know

Diffuser installation

If you decide to build an LED diffuser with your own hands lighting fixture(Armstrong, Opal, etc.), you need to choose not only the material for manufacturing, but also decide on other parameters:

• color;
• surface structure;
• form.

A do-it-yourself lamp diffuser will have various options designs, differing in color, shape and structure.

Matte element

These luminaire design elements may vary depending on the type of installation:

• on the overhead lamp housing;
• on suspended ceilings;
• universal.

In addition, a separate group consists of light diffusers intended for installation on headlights of various types. vehicles, as well as non-standard lighting fixtures.
The design of light diffusers can be as follows:

Prismatic structure

• with a matte surface. This is the most expensive model. Their feature is that they transmit a little more than half of the light flux (approximately 60%). As a result, the light becomes softer and warmer, which increases its comfort for the eyes;
• with a prismatic structure. Here almost the entire light flux is transmitted (up to 90%). This is possible thanks to the corrugated surface and transparency of the material. As a result, light is refracted on the corrugated surface, which allows light to be diffused throughout the entire space of the room.

Now that we have clarified all the important aspects of the structure and operation of the light diffuser, we can begin to describe its manufacture.

Do it yourself

To make a light diffuser, you will need the starting material from the list above. In addition, you will need the following tools:

• cutter;
• glass cutter;
• nichrome thread;
• drill with set of drills to work with various types glass;
• construction hairdryer

Pay attention! The choice of material and tools depends on the end result you want to achieve.

You will also need permanent source light to check the finished homemade product.
The manufacturing procedure consists of the following sequential operations:

Now all that remains is to attach the light diffuser to the lamp. For large lamps, such as Armstrong, this element is attached to aluminum profiles. The profile frame can have a round or rectangular shape. The first type is often used for home lamps and car headlights, but the second option is for office premises and corridors.

For street lamps It is important to make a diffuser so that it can withstand the different climatic conditions of the place where it is used.
As you can see, making a light diffuser for LED lighting fixtures is not so difficult. The main thing here is to decide on the type of source material, as well as the final result, what kind of light you need to make - diffused or dim. After this, the matter remains small.

Lighting in the kitchen small apartment Choosing a lamp for a bathroom mirror, placement options

All LED lamps sold in stores are equipped with diffusers. They allow you to evenly illuminate the surface and make the light from the lamp softer.

What to do if there is an LED lamp self-made or have a desire to make additional lighting for a car headlight? You need to make a diffuser for the LED strip with your own hands.

Operating principle of the diffuser

Light from point light sources, in particular from LEDs, has a relatively small divergence angle - up to 120 degrees. At a short distance from the source, you can see a sharp change in illumination beyond this angle. How to diffuse light from an LED? Any light-refracting material can solve the problem.

In the factory, transparent or matte plastic is used for this, on the surface of which a special texture is formed during casting. It is clear that such technologies are not available at home.

The simplest light diffuser for LEDs can be constructed in a few seconds from an ordinary food-grade cellophane bag, only it should not be transparent, but matte. Wrap the diode in one layer of cellophane and see the result. Why is this happening?

U transparent materials crystal lattice is ordered, and photons from light sources, passing through it, do not change their trajectory. In the case of a matte shade, each microlayer has its own structure.

This is how light passes through transparent and matte surfaces

You can make a light diffuser for LEDs with your own hands from the most common materials that can be bought at your nearest hardware store.

When choosing a material there are several things to consider important points. If the power parameters are correctly calculated, an LED lamp can operate for many years, so the reflector material should not lose its properties during this time. We must not forget that the lamp will heat up; we immediately exclude the option with a plastic bag.

Optimal materials for light diffuser:

• silicate glass;
• polycarbonate;
• acrylic glass;
• polystyrene

Light transmittance of materials (transparent)

What percentage of light does each material transmit?

It would be possible to buy ready-made material with a matte tint, but this will not always give an acceptable result. Even factory diffusers have light transmittance in the range of 60-90%. This is caused by the reflection of light. The thicker the diffuser, the higher the likelihood that light will fall “inappropriately”.

Reducing the thickness of the material does not in the best possible way will affect strength and durability. You can make a reliable light diffuser for LEDs with your own hands from transparent materials by creating a matte texture on one of the surfaces.

How to get a matte surface

A matte surface structure is obtained by matting. There are two types of matting:

• Chemical;
• Mechanical.

At chemical method A special paste is applied to the surface. It destroys the crystalline structure of the material, forming a uniform matte layer.

Advantages of the method:

• Minimum time spent;
• Homogeneous surface structure

Disadvantages of the method:

• Relatively high cost of pastes;
• When matting, toxic substances are released.

Mechanical method involves surface treatment abrasive material, usually fine sand.

Advantages of the method:

• Fast, uniform processing.

Disadvantages of the method:

• Sandblaster required;
• Unsuitable for home use.

The simplest and affordable way make a matte surface - treat glass sandpaper. This method is not suitable for silicate glass due to the high strength of the material, but polycarbonate and acrylic glass lend themselves well to such processing. We use only fine sandpaper as an abrasive; coarse grains may cause scratches.

For home luminaires based on low-power elements with low heat generation, it is possible to use ordinary compressed paper glued to the surface as a diffuser. inner surface glass

In most cases, the brightness of a lighting fixture can be increased by applying a reflective coating. Silver has the highest reflectance, followed by aluminum. It is from this that the reflective layer for mirrors is made. These coatings are not particularly inferior to ordinary food foil and white paint.

You can make a reflector for an LED by covering the circuit board for LEDs or the inside of the lamp with these materials yourself. Such easy way will allow without special costs increase light output by 10-15%.