ok i ordered some leds from lsdiodes..they are the blueones that run the best off about 3 volts...now from what i can tell if i wire 4 of them in series i will get 3 volts to everey one correct? The thing i am unsure of is what resistor to use when i wire them in parallel..Do i use the same resistor for all of them? and can i put as many as id like in a row? if someone can tell me what resistor to use that would be the best...here is a link to the ones i got:
http://lsdiodes.com/5mm/
and again i got the blue ones..phil
If you wire 4 in series, that'll give you 12 volt for the 4, and it should work like that without a resistor.
Beat it like it owes you money
umm that doesnt make sence according to the lsdiodes tutorial its
volts over leds..so 12 volts over 4 leds would be:12divided by 4 gives you 3...that is right ??but i want to know if i can do parallel and what resistors do i have to put on the feet of my leds to get it down to about 3v?...phil
If you do parallel you will need resistors. If you do series you will not.
So why not do it in series? Easier, cheaper, more reliable.
-- The The One One --
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Can i put as many strings of four as i want together?? that i can have 12 leds come on with one switch but have 3 strings comming off the same switch?phil
Make all the 4-LED series cucuits you want, then wire those in parellel...
-- The The One One --
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Your theory that "If 1 LED=3v, 4 LEDS=12v" is not entirely true. Experiment some, you may find that you can run strings of 3 LEDs rather then 4. Not exactly sure why, probably something to do with the amount of load on the curcuit, but it isnt a linear relation like that.
So like I said, experiment. You may need strings of 3 so they are nright enough, or maybe even strings of 5 so they dont blow. Coudld go either way. Id say start with 4 and use your judgement to determine if they are too dim. If so, try a string of 3 instead of 4.
Also, I didn't include a switch on my diagram up there ^^^ but you can hopefully figure that out.
-- The The One One --
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You also made the LEDs backward
<img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/brad_sk88/SpringSig.jpg>
oop, nevermind
<img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/brad_sk88/SpringSig.jpg>
My LEDs are jsut fine lol. Loser.
-- The The One One --
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It's funny that LEDs are designed opposite of their schematic symbol
<img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/brad_sk88/SpringSig.jpg>
ok i wired four together and they are pretty bright and id like to make sure the voltage is down so they last a long time..lol..anyways what size of wire shouls i use when i wire them in for good? When i did a test string i used 16 and it was not too easy..would 22 be better? also any time limit on how long these things can be on? thanks for the help guys!..phil
I dont know what gauage... but...
WIRE SIZE
>OR= LED LEAD SIZE
And you're good.
-- The The One One --
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No time limit unless you have overvoltage.
<img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/brad_sk88/SpringSig.jpg>
How many leds do you guys have in each vent..i wa thinking one each but maybe 2???phil
^^ All depens on what you get. Different voltages, amperages... etc etc etc... Just get some and try em out.
-- The The One One --
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I have one each, it works fine, unless your LEDs are dim.
<img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/brad_sk88/SpringSig.jpg>
