5050/WS2812 LED Light Diffuser for Choker

thingiverse

This project involved creating a fabric-lined LED choker from WS2811 addressable LED strips. To soften the harsh light emitted by each tiny LED, I designed a 3D printed light pipe diffuser cap that could be placed on top of each RGB LED. After testing various styles in OpenSCAD, I found "Style 4" to be the most effective. Style 1 was functional but challenging to remove from the build plate without breakage. Styles 2 and 3 failed due to excessive overhangs. Style 4 refined and improved upon style 1 by reducing overhangs for easier cleanup. I printed the diffuser caps on a Makerbot Replicator 2 using PLA filament, with makerware's 'high' profile and shell count set at > 20 to ensure solid construction without grid-like infilling, resulting in better light distribution.