Maker Helge “MisterHW” Wurst has actually created an useful tool for the photography lover, developed to use enhanced lighting and focus for macro photography without the bulk: the credit card-sized LEDCard, which slots right into your wallet.
“Ideas,” Wurst writes of the very first LEDCard model, established back in 2017: “LED ring light; macro lens; battery-powered; notches to be able to repair it to a gadget with rubber bands. [However] the LED effectiveness [was] too low, CR2032 batteries inadequate, inrush current may result in call destruction of the push-button gradually, [and the] rubber band idea ended up being more of a battle than a function.”
The LEDCard aims to turn any smartphone into a macro-shooting marvel, thanks to on-board LED lighting. (: Helge Wurst)
For many years, Wurst continued to tool around with the idea, switching the paired CR2032 cells of the original style to LIR2430 rechargeable lithium-ion button cells, including USB charging, adjustable brightness, while dropping the band-notches of the preliminary prototype.The core concept, however, stays the same: a macro lens, mounted in a cutout at the board’s center, turns any smartphone electronic camera into a close-up cam– while a rough ring of surface-mount LEDs surround it to provide even lighting from all directions.The initial prototype included notches for attaching bands, which showed more awkward than practical.
(: Helge Wurst )The entire board is designed to be small adequate to move into a wallet, providing portable macro-photography abilities without the bulk. Its exact optical requirements depend on the lens fitted, with the creator having evaluated 3 plano-convex acrylic lenses successfully: One offering +49 mm, one +65 mm, and one +120 mm.Wurst has released the schematics, design files, and Gerbers for the LEDCard on GitHub under an undefined open source license on his GitHub repository. Anybody wanting to make their own, however
, might want to wait for a prepared however not yet released redesign that resolves a flaw in which the battery can be discharged and ruined if the test button gets held down during transportation or storage.