Adding LED illumination to my ACE250

[Danimal]

Has anyone here added LED lighting to their screen to help with night hunting? I was thinking either a single 5mm LED and it's own lithium button cell (plenty of room in the ACE's case) set off to the side slightly above the LCD screen level, or...
modifying one of those LED Nintendo Gamboy screen lights that mount outside the case and shine downward onto the screen.
Currently I use a 3-5mm LED headlamp, which does light up the screen well, as well as allow the plug and recovery to be done, but sometimes I like to swing with no real lights on, as it helps keep your night vision intact.

Any ideas?

 

[jimmyjiver]

Hi,,I Have Never Added An Led To A Metal Detector But I Have Added Them To Other Projects.. I Recommend That You Go To Radio Shack And Buy A Couple Of Low MA Leds To Keep Battery Drain To A Minimum! Another Reason I Recommend Buying Them There Is Because On The Back Of The Package It Will Tell You The Forward Current & Voltage You Will Need This Info To Figure Out The Exact Resistance Needed To Run The Leds Properly.. I Also Would Suggest You Buy The The Flat Ones Because They Would Fit Better .You Can Add A Battery Or Run The Leds Off The Existing Power Supply ..I Would Also Use A Push Button On And Off. If You Want A Wide Diffuse Glow From The LED Then Roughen Up The Lens A Little,,You Can Use Sandpaper. The Skys The Limit And It Sounds Like A Plan!!!! Thanks

 

[JHM]

Here's something I rigged up.The light only comes on when the button is pressed.

 

[glenny]

Hey danimal, I have about a dozen surface mount led's sitting on my desk just for that purpose. As soon as I get a little free time at work, I plan on installing them around the display. As for the current draw. I think i'll play around with a voltage regulator and up my batteries to nine volts and place a couple in parallel to increase my available amps. Your thoughts???

 

[adam in cal]

I added a light to a sovereign meter,I toyed with the led idea and tossed around a few others as well ....I ended up with an external light a small maglight bulb wired to a 9 volt battery mounted on top with velcro.......it works perfect for night hunting and didnt require any messing with the detectors power source .......It looks real clean too ..............good luck