LED Wiring Ideas

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are a solid state, semi conductor lighting source. LEDs are energy saving owing to the fact that they are able to function on a minimum amount of power, such as 30 milliamps. LEDs are available in a range of colors including blue, green, violet, red, white, yellow, orange and also in types infrared and ultraviolet.

Calculating Resistance

• LED bulbs operate using any direct current (DC) voltage, provided the appropriate value resistor is used to regulate the amount of current. Prior to wiring the circuit, resistance is calculated via Ohm's Law, using the voltage supply minus the LED voltage. The value obtained is then divided by the amount of current passing through the LED, which is measured in amps. Resister calculators are used for these calculations, which determine the type of resister chosen.

Single Wiring

• The single circuit is the simplest wiring set-up and involves connecting a lone LED to its own individual resistor. The cathode is the positive, long lead of the LED, and is attached to a suitable resister. The negative short lead is the anode, which is attached to the ground conductor.

Multiple LEDs in a Series Circuit

• Due to the high voltage supply, some energy passing through the resister is lost as heat, which could easily be used to power another LED. Adding another LED improves circuit efficiency by reducing energy wastage and by providing additional light. Using more than two LEDs may require recalculating resistance, since the voltage supply and the current passing through the LED would need to increase.

Multiple LEDs in a Parallel Circuit

• This option allows the arrangement of multiple LED circuits in parallel to each other. For simplicity, a single resistor is used, but each parallel circuit could also have its own resistor. The passing current is multiplied in accordance with the amount of circuits connected. The voltage however, remains the same.