# Optic or reflector for 5mm LEDs



## Cemoi (Nov 25, 2011)

Hi,
Are there any optics and/or reflectors specially designed for 5mm LEDs? I would like to cut the side beam and have this light go to the front instead. I need a very compact device (not much bigger than the LED itself) to fit in a very small light (a modified bike light).


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## Cemoi (Dec 9, 2011)

More than 100 CPFers have read this post, but no answer 

So many people interested in a non-existent product?


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## JohnR66 (Dec 9, 2011)

5mm LEDs come in many configurations for the beam angle. Many low cost flashlights use a convex lens with a narrow beam white LED. I'd guess the focal length of the lens is probably 10 to 20mm.

Wide angle LEDs, such as the straw hat types work better with a reflector.


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## deadrx7conv (Dec 9, 2011)

I thought that the purpose of 3mm/5mm... LEDs is that you get what you get. They have different shapes, flat top, oval, round and different angle outputs...... 

I think that the Maglite 2aa, 2aaa, and Solitaire, along with various other small flashlights, have been converted to LED using 5mm/3mm/10mm type LEDs. So, maybe you should source a reflector off of a small incandescent flashlight and see what happens. 

I would just skip the 5mm LEDs and get something like the XPE/XRE/P4/XPG/XML/Rebel.... which will give you a bunch of options to choose from like Carclo, Fraen, Khatod, PolymerOptics, Ledil, .... I bet that some could be modded to work with your 5mm LED.


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## Kestrel (Dec 9, 2011)

Here are a few pics I did of a 5mm LED mounted in a SF P60 Lamp Assembly module from this thread:


Kestrel said:


>


Comparing the common 5mm LEDs (with their integrated optic) by themselves and in the P60 reflector, there is a little improvement, but it's not significant. I could go either way, except that the reflector makes for a much bulkier package. :shrug:



Kestrel said:


>


The center of the beam in the above pic (easiest to see on the right side of the pic) shows the slight increase in throw that comes from the P60 reflector. The middle cone shows the beam from the 5mm integrated optic / LED package, and the outermost cone shows the spill from the 5mm LED that had not interacted with the P60 reflector.


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## Cemoi (Dec 10, 2011)

deadrx7conv said:


> I would just skip the 5mm LEDs and get something like the XPE/XRE/P4/XPG/XML/Rebel.... which will give you a bunch of options to choose from


Thanks for the suggestion, but I'd rather not upgrade any further this successful upgrade. There is very little space left in my device hence my quest for a tiny optic or reflector.


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## gillestugan (Dec 10, 2011)

I used a reflector from osram for a torch ten years ago. it is 12mm and can still be bought. Here is the datasheet: http://docs-europe.electrocomponents.com/webdocs/08be/0900766b808be9cc.pdf

You can get 10mm optics for XP-E and Rebels, so I see no point in using 5mm diods except for the price.


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## uk_caver (Dec 11, 2011)

I use very small conical reflectors on high power LEDs to make a flood beam more forward-biased, gathering up what would (to me) be 'waste' light and throwing it vaguely forwards.

I did try experimenting with them with 5mm LEDs, but at least for the LEDs I tried them with, there was so little sideways light coming from the LED that they didn't seem to make a meaningful difference.


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