Make a light panel for metal detector?

[mrbensteele]

I think the title says it well enough but if not I will explain. For those who have machines with no back light on their display or similar lamp built in. I want to design and build or alternatively buy one if already available, a panel that fits over the face panel of any detector, for example Bounty Hunter 2200, one of mine.
Built into this panel would be flat LED's defused by translucent plastic so it doesnt flood the area and blind the user.

Anyone have a similar idea, or made such a thing, if so please upload some pics.


Thanks

 

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[DDancer]

Depends on how handy you are building a simple circuit board, mounting it in a small project box large enough to accommodate the battery(s) you use and the circuit board. Add to that a variable potentiometer mounted in the project box so you can adjust the light output of the led's and shielding the led's so they don't shine in your eyes. Mount the box onto a flat plate long enough to hang over the top edge of the detector screen and mount the led's to that edge. I'd use Velcro to attach the whole thing to the top of the detector box so you can remove it at will.

I can picture it pretty well. If I had my bench set up I'd probably build one for ya to see. Whole thing will probably cost about 30 bucks. As to a prefab you can just mount and go:
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Point being ya don't have to re-invent the wheel Dig around there are a lot of things that can be adapted.

 

[Back-of-the-boat]

I did the velcro strap around the control box with a book light clipped to the strap it works fine but I can imagine a flat screen light over the original screen also.

 

[DDancer]

I can imagine it to however most backlights on lcd displays are mounted to the back of the display and shine thru the display. One way to do it if you don't mind opening up the box and installing the extra bits is to remove the display backing... usually a bit of tape... installing an opaque bit of tape and setting the light source up behind that. One would have to rig an external switch to turn it off and this could also be a switch type potentiometer to control brightness. All depends on how far into it ya wanna go.

 

[mrbensteele]

So far Iv built the housing and light cable, but the panel is a tricky deal, first one was made from a PDA screen panel but was too brittle. I wanted to do an internal back light but my BH Discovery 2200 has a TFT display which has a solid black black on the display. ONce I figure it out Ill upload both my lights, already made another kind for my Whites Eagle 2SL, much different than the one im working on.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

I used a book light held in place with lg rubber bands, but need more light. I now have one of the adjustable LED headlamps on a wide elastic band I wear on the right wrist angled and aimed at my screen, it works ok.
I have been trying for years to figure out a light setup of some kind for my M6 but haven't found the perfect solution yet.