Ring light guides for functional and aesthetic added-value

Multitron now offers the MENTOR Ring Light Guides. The shallow, single LED design is considered unique, providing functional and aesthetic added value that can be easily added to the end product.

Creative lighting is becoming just as important in the instrument and machinery marketplace as in the consumer world. Sophisticated lighting adds that 'extra edge' to differentiate one product from another.

A very wide range of applications are feasible – for example, switches, buttons, knobs, controllers, jacks, or logos can all be illuminated. Homogeneous lighting is created utilising just a single LED.

The compact, space-saving design and flat 4mm deep construction save PCB space and minimise the size of the housing compared with other solutions, such as a ring of multiple LEDs.

Many LED options are offered: monochrome, duo, RGB, or special colours. Two standard sizes are available with internal Light Guide diameters of 12mm or 16mm, featuring a lighting ring up to 2mm thick.

Options include bare wires or wires terminated with a plug. A PCB can be supplied with optional I²C controllers or series resistors.

Along with the range of standard products, the modular product design allows customised solutions to develop from standard products rapidly. In many cases, extra tooling costs are either nonexistent or very low.

Special sizes are also possible as are special geometries e.g., rectangles, ellipses, triangles, crescents or free contour-following forms, such as a door lock shape. Depending on the complexity of the solution, one or more LEDs are utilised to ensure consistently uniform lighting.