I’ve felt a little like the shoemaker’s shoeless kids: The shiny new recording preamps I make for others have a little window so you can watch the LEDs from out on the floor, 
while the ones I use – slightly older prototypes – don’t give me that feature.
Fixed! After thinking about it for many months, I finally rigged a little mirror so I can see the LEDs from the edge. It’s over the edge of the case (and the case has to be open), but I can see them now!
I epoxied a bit of shiny aluminized mylar packaging to a scrap of fairly heavy (0.016″) clamshell packaging plastic, and bent the plastic at an angle. The LM3914 provided a perfect mounting for it. A little hot melt on the chip, and I was in business.
It worked so well I made another one right away for my other prototype. This is one of those little things that I’ll use repeatedly and will give me a little hit of pride/pleasure every time I see it.