BillFitzmaurice.info

Gauss wrote:I cut strips from ceiling light diffuser lens to replace the stock clear lens. It was tough and I cracked a couple getting them to slide in, but I can stand to look at my colorstrips now, though they are still very bright.

+1

I did the same. And cut myself try to slid them in, wear gloves it you are forcing them a bit

Gauss wrote:If I were running a single color, then it's no problem to turn down the brightness in DMX. I'm using the built-in programs and sequences for motion and color change. Unfortunately, there isn't a channel for brightness on the Chauvet Colorstrips. LED's are typically very narrow in dispersion, so adding a diffusing gel is a good way to take advantage of that extra brightness.

OK, in that case, then my other recommendation would be to skip all the different home-made diffusion methods and just go to a lighting store and spend the $3-5 and buy a legitimate lighting diffusion filter. The Filter sheets are 20" x 24", which should be enough for a whole army of those colorstrips, and they don't fade, they're nice and thin, and you can pick out exactly how much you want the light to be diffused. If you spent $100+ on a light, don't shove wax paper into it, get a diffuser that will stand up to abuse on the road and won't catch fire if it gets a little warm.

jcmbowman wrote:skip all the different home-made diffusion methods and just go to a lighting store and spend the $3-5 and buy a legitimate lighting diffusion filter. If you spent $100+ on a light, don't shove wax paper into it, get a diffuser that will stand up to abuse on the road and won't catch fire if it gets a little warm.

Well, technically it's all home-made otherwise it would have come with a diffusion filter.

Although, I don't expect the wax paper to fall apart as it's pretty much completely protected underneath the plexiglass, nor would it catch fire as the LEDs remain very cool during extended operation. I think it looks fine though; to my eye, it looks like frosted glass and it still has a smooth glass-like surface rather than the bumpy texture the light diffusers have. But that's the beauty of DIY, it's all at your own discretion.

I use parchment paper all the time to diffuse our lights. It withstands high temps (its made for baking) and doesn"t melt like wax-paper does. I also use automotive window tint to lower the brightness of lights without wanting a diffusing effect. DIY all the way!

too bright -> sunglasses