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    Light Emitting Diodes

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    hemantsoman
    LEDs emit light when electric current passes through them. They must be connected with the correct polarity and include a resistor to limit the current. LEDs come in different colors depending on the semiconductor material and are used widely in electronics. They require careful handling and connecting to avoid damage from heat or excessive current.

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    Light Emitting Diodes

    Uploaded by

    hemantsoman
    68 views4 pages
    LEDs emit light when electric current passes through them. They must be connected with the correct polarity and include a resistor to limit the current. LEDs come in different colors depending on the semiconductor material and are used widely in electronics. They require careful handling and connecting to avoid damage from heat or excessive current.

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    LEDs emit light when electric current passes through them. They must be connected with the correct polarity and include a resistor to limit the current. LEDs come in different colors depending on the semiconductor material and are used widely in electronics. They require careful handling and connecting to avoid damage from heat or excessive current.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    68 views4 pages

    Light Emitting Diodes

    Uploaded by

    hemantsoman
    LEDs emit light when electric current passes through them. They must be connected with the correct polarity and include a resistor to limit the current. LEDs come in different colors depending on the semiconductor material and are used widely in electronics. They require careful handling and connecting to avoid damage from heat or excessive current.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

    Example: Circuit symbol:

    Function

    LEDs emit light when an electric current passes through


    them.

    Connecting and soldering

    LEDs must be connected the correct way round, the diagram


    may be labelled a or + for anode and k or - for cathode (yes,
    it really is k, not c, for cathode!). The cathode is the short
    lead and there may be a slight flat on the body of round
    LEDs. If you can see inside the LED the cathode is the larger electrode (but this
    is not an official identification method).

    LEDs can be damaged by heat when soldering, but the risk is small unless you
    are very slow. No special precautions are needed for soldering most LEDs.

    Testing an LED

    Never connect an LED directly to a battery or power supply!


    It will be destroyed almost instantly because too much current will pass through
    and burn it out.

    LEDs must have a resistor in series to limit the current to a safe value, for quick
    testing purposes a 1k resistor is suitable for most LEDs if your supply voltage is
    12V or less. Remember to connect the LED the correct way round!

    Colours of LEDs
    LEDs are available in red, orange, amber, yellow, green, blue and white. Blue
    and white LEDs are much more expensive than the other colours.
    The colour of an LED is determined by the semiconductor material, not by the
    colouring of the 'package' (the plastic body). LEDs of all colours are available in
    uncoloured packages which may be diffused (milky) or clear (often described as
    'water clear'). The coloured packages are also available as diffused (the standard
    type) or transparent.

    As well as a variety of colours, sizes and


    shapes, LEDs also vary in their viewing angle.
    This tells you how much the beam of light
    spreads out. Standard LEDs have a viewing
    angle of 60° but others have a narrow beam of
    30° or less.

    Rapid Electronics stock a wide selection of LEDs


    and their catalogue is a good guide to the range available.

    Calculating an LED resistor value

    An LED must have a resistor connected in series to limit the current through the
    LED, otherwise it will burn out almost instantly.

    The resistor value, R is given by:

    R = (VS - VL) / I

    VS = supply voltage
    VL = LED voltage (usually 2V, but 4V for blue and white LEDs)
    I = LED current (e.g. 10mA = 0.01A, or 20mA = 0.02A)
    Make sure the LED current you choose is less than the maximum permitted and
    convert the current to amps (A) so the calculation will give the resistor value in
    ohms ( ).
    To convert mA to A divide the current in mA by 1000 because 1mA = 0.001A.

    If the calculated value is not available choose the nearest standard resistor value
    which is greater, so that the current will be a little less than you chose. In fact
    you may wish to choose a greater resistor value to reduce the current (to
    increase battery life for example) but this will make the LED less bright.
    For example

    If the supply voltage VS = 9V, and you have a red LED (VL = 2V), requiring a
    current I = 20mA = 0.020A,
    R = (9V - 2V) / 0.02A = 350 , so choose 390 (the nearest standard value which
    is greater).

    Connecting LEDs in series

    If you wish to have several LEDs on at the same time it may be possible to
    connect them in series. This prolongs battery life by lighting several LEDs with
    the same current as just one LED.

    All the LEDs connected in series pass the same current so it is best if they are
    all the same type. The power supply must have sufficient voltage to provide
    about 2V for each LED (4V for blue and white) plus at least another 2V for the
    resistor. To work out a value for the resistor you must add up all the LED
    voltages and use this for VL.

    Example calculations:
    A red, a yellow and a green LED in series need a supply voltage of at least
    3 × 2V + 2V = 8V, so a 9V battery would be ideal.
    VL = 2V + 2V + 2V = 6V (the three LED voltages added up).
    If the supply voltage VS is 9V and the current I must be 15mA = 0.015A,
    Resistor R = (VS - VL) / I = (9 - 6) / 0.015 = 3 / 0.015 = 200 ,
    so choose R = 220 (the nearest standard value which is greater).

    Avoid connecting LEDs in parallel!

    Connecting several LEDs in parallel with just one resistor shared between them
    is generally not a good idea.

    If the LEDs require slightly different voltages only the lowest voltage LED will light
    and it may be destroyed by the larger current flowing through it. Although
    identical LEDs can be successfully connected in parallel with one resistor this
    rarely offers any useful benefit because resistors are very cheap and the current
    used is the same as connecting the LEDs individually. If LEDs are in parallel
    each one should have its own resistor.

    Reading a table of technical data for LEDs


    Suppliers' catalogues usually include tables of technical data for components
    such as LEDs. These tables contain a good deal of useful information in a
    compact form but they can be difficult to understand if you are not familiar with
    the abbreviations used.

    The table below shows typical technical data for some 5mm diameter round
    LEDs with diffused packages (plastic bodies). Only three columns are important
    and these are shown in bold. Please see below for explanations of the quantities.

    Flashing LEDs

    Flashing LEDs look like ordinary LEDs but they contain an integrated circuit (IC)
    as well as the LED itself. The IC flashes the LED at a low frequency, typically
    3Hz (3 flashes per second). They are designed to be connected directly to a
    supply, usually 9 - 12V, and no series resistor is required. Their flash frequency
    is fixed so their use is limited and you may prefer to build your own circuit to flash
    an ordinary LED, for example our Flashing LED project which uses a 555 astable
    circuit.

    LED Displays

    LED displays are packages of many LEDs arranged in a pattern, the most
    familiar pattern being the 7-segment displays for showing numbers (digits 0-9).
    The pictures below illustrate some of the popular designs:

    Bargraph 7-segment Starburst Dot matrix

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