[morsel]

Behold, the Nichia NSPW515BS 5mm diffused white LED. All the other white LEDs I have seen are more suitable for flashlights than panel indicators. This LED is beautifully diffuse, with 70° dispersion and a milky translucent package. It is amazingly bright and works well with low current.

I discovered this LED at the LED Museum on their white LED page. Go pay them a visit, everything you ever wanted to know about LEDs can be found there, as well as info on the new purple and ultraviolet LEDs.

Getting back on track, the Nichia NSPW515BS 5mm diffused white LEDs can be ordered direct from Nichia, but the prices suck unless you are buying 100 or more.

Nichia High Brightness LEDs
NSPW515BS specs and order form

For small quantities, I recommend http://www.whitelightled.com/ who sells various white LEDs for $1.75 each plus $1 postage per order. I got 4 LEDs for $8 total using PayPal. It was quick, convenient, and the LEDs are fantastic. Note that the Nichia NSPW515BS 5mm diffused white LEDs are not listed on the website, but he sells them, you just have to ask.

 

[Duncan]

Those LEDs look pretty funky... Shame I don't have a soldering iron, or else everything would be a brighter shade of white

Thanks for the heads up there

Oh, and would I look weird if I confessed to reading the whole of the history of LEDs on that website?

 

[Duncan]

...I went to Maplins today (AFAIK the UK equivilant to Radioshack) and bought a 3mm version... and I must say that even this little baby one is amazingly bright... I might even pluck up the courage to buy a dozen or so and start converting all my LEDs

Thanks again for the heads up

 

[morsel]

Woohoo Duncan, you drink of the fount of geek, and it is good.

I have read most of the LED Museum too, it's a great site. I was thinking about those 3mm LEDs as well, did you get the Nichia NSPW315BS?

 

[Duncan]

To be honest I don't know... the LED was just in a blister pack with 'Anti-Static' written on the back...

The only thing I can tell you is what it says on the receipt which is:

Nichia White LED 3mm 18-16 (link is from Maplins online catalogue)

Sorry I can't be more helpful... but, running from a 3v PSU, its amazingly bright... is great... ran a little hot though, so didn't leave it connected for very long