Identifying LEDs?
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MikeVDS
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Identifying LEDs?
This talk about LEDs makes me want to make something. I have a small box with random LEDs I've collected but I don;t know their specs. I tried hooking one up to a 1.5v AA with nothing. I really have no idea how I should figure out what I should expect from each of them. Any ideas?
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Zhust
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Re: Identifying LEDs?
I generally use a simple 1K resistor and 9V battery circuit which limits current to 9mA at most. I connect the 1K resistor to the positive battery terminal then touch each LED between the other end of the resistor and negative battery. If it doesn't light, I flip it around and if it doesn't light then, it's burned out and I throw it away.MikeVDS wrote:This talk about LEDs makes me want to make something. I have a small box with random LEDs I've collected but I don;t know their specs. I tried hooking one up to a 1.5v AA with nothing. I really have no idea how I should figure out what I should expect from each of them. Any ideas?
I generally assume it's safe to put 20mA through any LED, but I need to know the voltage drop. To do this, I connect a volt-meter across the LED leads when I touch it to the battery-resistor circuit. Whatever it reads is the voltage drop (typically 2V-4V which is also why your 1.5V battery didn't do anything.)
The more LED's I have the more elaborate the setup. If I had, say, 100 LED's to test, I'd probably use clip leads to connect everything, leaving the ones for the LED open. I'd connect my meter at the other end of the clip leads for the LED and leave it on. With no LED connected, it'll read about 9 volts, but with an LED, it'll read the LED voltage.
May your deeds return to you tenfold,
---Zhust, Curiosityist
---Zhust, Curiosityist