Led's and resistors

[TxDad]

Does anyone know how to wire these to a cheap "circuit board" from Radio shack? I have everything but the resistors and not sure which ones I need. I am trying to make a IR illuminator for my video camera. Anyone??

 

[drew02a]

It isn't hard to assemble. All you need is a circuit diagram, and a little know how.

What voltage is your power supply, and what voltage do you need for the LEDs?

 

[TxDad]

Leds are 1.3-1.6v
Power supply.. was hoping to keep it portable and not plugged into the wall. I dont have a diagram. I dont know circuits at all, let alone the best way to do it right. lol.

 

[TheDan]

You wire the resistor in series. Here's a good article explaining how to calculate what size resistor you need: Driving an LED with or without a resistor

 

[drew02a]

Leds are 1.3-1.6v
Power supply.. was hoping to keep it portable and not plugged into the wall. I dont have a diagram. I dont know circuits at all, let alone the best way to do it right. lol.

AA batteris are 1.5V so you should be able to wire up your LEDs to a single AA battery with no resistors. If you're gonna use a switch, put it between the positive side of the battery and the LEDs. Also, LEDs are a polar component; meaning that current will only travel through them in one direction, so make sure you wire each side of the LED to the correct battery terminal.

You might give this article a read
http://www.instructables.com/id/LEDs-for-Beginners/

 

[TxDad]

Thanks guys for the tips. I'm gonna try this this weekend assuming nothing creeps into the schedule.

 

[ChuckLaszlo]

Hi,

As resistors dissipate electricity and release it off as heat. Now If I am using led strip lighting to light my room which in turn are being powered from a power supply made using resistors to save on energy.led strip lighting outdoor Am I really saving electricity or are the resistors just wasting it in the form of heat?
I purchased LED's off ebay that come with resistors for 12v and 5v.12v led light bars
I wanted to know can I power these bulbs using the 12v resistors on the 12v line on my PSU.. is this possible? or am i missing something.

 

[drew02a]

Am I really saving electricity or are the resistors just wasting it in the form of heat?

If the amount of energy spent as heat were equal to the energy potential, then ALL devices would be drawing MAX power at ALL times. Resisters do expend some energy in the form of heat, they don't use all excessive energy.

You should definitely be able to use your 12v PSA line to power LEDs, but would be better served buying an adapter that converted to the voltage you need instead of trying to in effect convert twice going from AC to 12v DC then to 1.5V DC.