let's make Explore(/tag/typeid/) Publish(/about/create.

jsp)
Login(/account/login/) | SignUp(/account/gopro)

Classes(/classes/)
Featured: share what
(/id/intel/) IntelIoT(/id/intel/)
you make (/tag/typeid/categorytechnology/channelleds/) LEDs(/tag/typeid/categorytechnology/channelleds/)
(/)
(/tag/typeid/categorycostumes/) Costumes(/tag/typeid/categorycostumes/)

AboutThisInstructable

8 125,353 views License:

147 favorites

qs(/member/qs/)
(http://quantsuff.com)

Follow 284
(/member/qs/)

Morebyqs:

(/id/JouleThiefLED

(/file/F46ASUEFJPYF0T8/) circuits/) (/id/ATriple

InUsingACwithLEDs(Part1) ChannelMusicatortheTriM/)
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Using_AC_with_LEDs_Part_1/)welookedata
simplewaytorunLEDswithatransformerconnectedtoACMains.
(/id/MusicatorJrMk
Here,wewilllookatgettingourLEDstoworkwithoutatransformerandbuilda
simplelightthatisintegratedintoanexpansionbar.

2/)
WARNING:Forcountrieswith110vmains,we'dbeworkingwithvoltagesof150
volts!ForEuropeandothercountries,wearetalkingabout300voltsormore!At
theselevels,electricityislethal!Donotcontinueunlessyouarecomfortablewith
workingwithhighvoltagesandareawareoftheprecautionstotake!

ACsuppliesarequotedinrms(rootmeansquare)values.ThePEAKvoltageis
sqrt(2)*Vrms,whichisabout1.4*Vrms

Step1:Somebackground
 (/file/FERS90KFJPYF0T6/)

(/file/FGL7GDAFJPYF0T4/)

Thesimpleandobviouswaytogethundredsofvoltsdowntoaleveltooperate
aLEDat20mAistoputaresistorinserieswiththeLED.Tofindoutwhat
valueswearetalkingabout,we'llusethepeakvalueof110v,whichworksoutto
be150vforourexample(it'llbedoubleforEuropeansandOzzies)

150/20mA=7500ohms(weshouldsubtractthevoltageoftheLEDfrom150v
first,butthedifferenceisminor)

7500ohms?Nottoobad...Butthenlet'sconsiderthepowerratingofthis
resistor,usingthePowerrule:P=(V2)/R,weget:

150*150/7500=3watts,andthat'saprettyheftyresistor.Britswith240v
mainswillneeda17000ohmresistorratedforalmost7watts.Andthesewillbe
runningHOT!
 Fortunately,bysubstitutingacapacitorfortheresistor,wecangetthesame
reductiononvoltagewithoutthe(orasmuch)heat.Capacitorsdelaythephase
angleofACwhichwecanusetoopposeitself,muchlikerecedingwavesonthe
shorecancellingoutsomeoftheforceofincomingones.

Step2:Ourcircuit

(/file/FW48BNUFJPYF0T7/)

Usingtheresistorvaluefrombefore,wecancalculatethevalueofthecapacitor.
Sincewearealreadyusinga1Kresistor,thereactance,X(afancytermfor
resistancewithcapacitors)canbe1000lessthanwhatweneed.

C=1/(2*pi*f*X)wherefisthemainsfrequency

whichis.4uFfor110v60Hz,and.2uFfor240v50Hz.

Insteadofwattslikeresistors,capacitorsareratedbyvolts,wehavetomake
surewegetcapsratedforATLEAST250volts(States)and450voltsfor200
voltcountries.

WARNING:Capacitorswithinsufficientvoltageratingsmayexplode!

Thisverysimpledesignwilldrive216LEDswithoutanychanges.Justputthe
samenumberofLEDsineachbranch,andmakesureyouhookthemupwith
opposingcurrentflow.

Step3:Anonlethalinstallation
 (/file/FZA8QD9FJPYF0WD/)

Actually,youcantestoutthecircuitwithoutriskingyourlife.It'sflexibleenough
toworkasatelephoneringindicator.

Usea.4uF(.33to.5uF)capacitorandattachyourdevicetothe2leadsofyour
telephonejunctionbox(usuallytheredandgreenwires),anditwillflashwhen
yougetacall.

NOTE:thisONLYworksonhomephonecircuitsPBXandCentralphone
systemsaretotallyincompatible.

Step4:Makingthesocketexpansionlight

(/file/FLXHRHLFJPYF0YP/)
 (/file/FBQMA8YFJPYF10X/) (/file/F8T8LA5FJPYF0YO/)

Nowthatwehavethebasicsoutoftheway,thisiswhatyouneedforthe
project.

Parts:

SocketExpansionchecktomakesureithasascrewinback.Igotmine(a
'Noma')atTarget(RadioShackseemtohaveasimilaroneaswell).Obviously
youhavetogetonethatissuitedforthepowersysteminyourcountry.

Capacitor(US,110v60Hz)anyvaluefrom.33uFto.47uF250voltsMINIMUM!
(Others200240v50Hz).15uFto.22uF400voltsMINIMUM!

Resistor1000ohm(1K)1/2W.Ididnothavea1/2Wresistor,soItook3x
3300ohm1/2Wresistorsandwiredtheminparalleltogeta1100ohm3/4W
resistor

LEDs14piecesofhighbrightness,20mA5mm(T3)White

Heatshrinktubing

Step5:PreparingtheLEDs

(/file/FIOV06ZFJPYF0R4/)

Imadethistestrigwith2(charged)NiCdbatteries.Eventhoughitcanonly
supply2.5v,itwillpowertheLEDatalowlevel,whichletsmeseethequalityof
thelight.Ialsoconfirmedthatthe+leadisthelongerone.
 Ranktheminbrightnessandplacethebrighteronesinthemiddle.

Step6:PreparingtheSocket

(/file/FCNJ61OFJPYF0YJ/)

(/file/F8PXJYKFJPYF0YI/) (/file/F6TTN10FJPYF0R5/)

DisassemletheExpansionBar.Notethesmallisolatedareasonthetopand
bottomedgeoftheunitwhichwecaninstallourparts.Decidetheendyouwish
toworkonwhetheryouwantthelighttoshineUPorDOWN.

Markout2rowsof7points,3/8"apartonmaskingtape.Centeritontheend
youdecidedonandstart14holeswitha1/16"bit.Expand,usinga3/64"bit.
SmooththeholesSLIGHTLYitshouldholdtheLEDssnug.

Step7:InstallingtheLEDs
 (/file/F3VQS27FJPYF0R3/)

(/file/F7SF8AVFJPYF0R1/)

Makeamarkononeendofthebottomrow,andanothermarkontheopposite
endofthetoprow.Thiswilltellyouthesidethepositive(longerwire)endofthe
LEDshouldgo.

BendtheLEDsinan"L"shape(shortwireontheappropriateside)andsnug
themintothebottomrow.

Spreadthewiresabout30otocrossit'sneighbor's.Solderlightlytokeepin
place,butDONOTTRIMENDS.

WewillbeassemblingtheLEDsinalatticeseethesecondimage.Exceptfor
theendunits,eachLEDshouldhavealeadtouching3otherLEDs.

IthelpsbypreformingtheLEDsforthetoprowsoitcanclearthe"X"junction.
(Seeimage)

Whenyouarefinished,CAREFULLYrepositiontheleadstomakeroombehind
fortheresitor(s)andcapacitor.Makesurethesolderjointsaresolidandnowire
isshortingout.

Step8:Finishingtouches
 (/file/FMFO8IGFJPYF10W/)

(/file/FA5S2LSFJPYF10T/) (/file/F346W0IFJPYF10S/)

Solderzipwiresfromthepowercarryingplugstothecapacitorandtheresistor.
UsingACwithLEDs(Part2)andmakethishandycounterlight.
ProtectwithheatshrinktubingandattacheachtooneendoftheLEDchain. by
qs(/member/qs/)inleds(/tag/typeid/categorytechnology/channelleds/)

SpaceIStight,soonlyuseasmuchwireasisneeded.
Download h
(/id/UsingACwithLEDsPart2andmakethishandy/) 9Steps .

Thelonggreenbundleunderthecapistheresistorassembly. Collection IMadeit! Favorite Share

ThecapislinkedtotheotherendoftheLEDswiththeredwire.

ThebigarrowistomakesureIdon'tstartoperatingonthewrongendofthe
patient!

Makesureeverythingistightandreassemble.

Step9:TADA!
 (/file/F46ASUEFJPYF0T8/)

(/file/FI2ZV65FJPYF146/) (/file/FFBM0J3FJPYF145/)

...nowmydark,dankworkspacehaslight!

Again,highspeedphotographyshowsthetworowsoflightalternating.

ContinuedinPart3
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Using_AC_with_LEDs_Part_3_The_BIG_light/).

Also,checkoutsomeotherLEDprojectsatmywebsite(http://quantsuff.com)!

Wehaveabenicecommentpolicy.
Pleasebepositiveandconstructive. wIMadeit! AddImages PostComment

X qs(/member/qs)(author) 4monthsago Reply

|
8
 Goodpointifthewiringisexposed,a4.7k1/2wresistoracrossthecapacitor
willreducechancesofelectricalshock,butsincethecircuitwasintendedtobe
hiddenawayinanenclosure,Ididnotincludethat.

FrancoisM26(/member/FrancoisM26) 4monthsago Reply

hi,ibuildthisanditworkson220ac50hz.quiteabitofflickering,butpointisit
works.onecomment,youmightwanttoaddadischargeresistorinparralelto
thecap.elsethatcapwillshockyouwhenyouunplugthedevice

Dethlore(/member/Dethlore) 10monthsago Reply

Iunderstandtheresistorinserieswiththecapacitoristoprotectthecapacitor,
buthowdoyoudeterminethatitneedstobea1/2W?CouldIuseother
resistorsinserieswiththeLEDbranchestochangetheirbrightness,andifso,
wouldtheyneedtobethesameWattratingasthemainresistor?Thanks.

DukeOfMarshall(/member/DukeOfMarshall) ayearago Reply

Forgivemeifthisisanoobquestion,but,whythelatticeconnectionswiththe
LEDs?Whynotjusttwostraightrowconnections?Thanks.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . DukeOfMarshall(/member/DukeOfMarshall) Reply

|
8 ayearago
The"lattice"arrangementissuchthateachpairof(topand
bottom)LEDsprotecteachotherfromovervoltage.

DukeOfMarshall(/member/DukeOfMarshall) . qs(/member/qs) Reply

ayearago
Thanksforthereply.Sorrytokeepbotheringyou,butjustto
clarify:withoutthelatticeconnectionswouldtheredefinitelybeover
voltageorisitjustthereintheslimchancethatthere"could"beover
voltage?

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . DukeOfMarshall(/member/DukeOfMarshall) Reply

|
8 ayearago
Sincewe'llberunningthisthing24/7,theovervoltageisjust
aboutguaranteed.Neverplaygameswithsafety!

DukeOfMarshall(/member/DukeOfMarshall) . qs(/member/qs) Reply

ayearago
Thanksforeducatingmeonthat.BasedonthisInstructableand
someadditionalresearchincreatingarequiredresistorarray,Ihave
developedaschematicforasmallproject.Ifyoudon'tcare,couldyou
lookitovertomakesureeverything'srightandsafe?Thiswillbe
encompassedinthebottomshellofaspentCFLbulbsoastobeableto
screwitintoa120Vlightsocket.Thanks.

(https://cdn.instructables.com/F90/J4NV/IGSBKGNB/F90J4NVIGSBKGNB.LARGE.jpg)

blueovalbullett.(/member/blueovalbullett.)
 OkIhavereadmostallthecomments,andIamnocloserto 2yearsago Reply

myparticularsituation.Pleaseclarifyyourformulajustalittle
forme.Iamnotdealingwith110va/c,Iamusinga36volta/cleganda16volt
a/cleg.SoIshouldbeabletouseasmallerresistor,andhighercapcitor
correct.Iusedeverythingyoudidbutjustuseda1n4007astheseconddiode,
theyarejustbeiengusedaspanellightsonapowersupplyIambuilding.
Thanksforthehelp.Justhelpmewiththeformula.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . blueovalbullett.(/member/blueovalbullett.) Reply

|
8 2yearsago
Forlowvoltages(under50v)usethisformula:

R=(ViVled)/0.2
where:
Ristheresistancetoputinseries,(Youdonotneedthe1Korthe
capacitor!)
Viistheinput(source)voltage(forRECTIFIEDa/c,multiplythisby1.7)
VledisthetotalVoftheledsyouareusing(use2.4foreachRed3.3for
WhiteorBlue)
androundUPtotheneareststandardvalue

Hopethishelps!

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . qs(/member/qs) 2yearsago Reply

|
8 NOTE:Theformulashouldread:

R=(ViVled)/0.02(Thereshouldbeanextrazero)oryoucoulduse:
R=(ViVled)*50.

joel.almaguel(/member/joel.almaguel) 2yearsago Reply

WhatkindoftransformerdoIneedtoinstall36wattsLEDbarathome110v??

(https://cdn.instructables.com/FXQ/AOW7/I88LK5GT/FXQAOW7I88LK5GT.LARGE.jpg)

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . joel.almaguel(/member/joel.almaguel) Reply

|
8 2yearsago
Fora36WLEDbarusing12vat3.6A,theanswerisa12v(DC)
powersupplywithacapacityofatleast3.6Amps.

Aquicksearchonlineyieldedthis:http://www.dx.com/p/12v42airon
casepowersupplyblackac95260v163956whichwouldworkforyou.

Tomakearectified12powersupply,youwillneeda78.5vAC
transformer,again,abletosupplyover3.6amps.Useabridgerectifier
abletohandleover4Amps(sothepopular1N400xrectifierswillnot
work),adda100300uF25vcapacitortogetsomefilteringtoreduce
flickering.

12vLEDdevicesaredesignedforautomobileuse,whichusuallymeans
resistorstodropthevoltageto10vorthereabouts.That'swhyituses
43.2Wattstogenerate36W,foran83.3%efficiency.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . joel.almaguel(/member/joel.almaguel)
| YouwillhavetolookuptheVoltageandCurrentspecs 2yearsago Reply
8
ofthelightbarbeforefiguringouttherest.

joel.almaguel(/member/joel.almaguel) . qs(/member/qs) 2yearsago Reply

3.6amp12v

NarayanNandi(/member/NarayanNandi) 2yearsago Reply

sir,Itisverybeautifuldescription,butpleasetellmehowtocalculate8nosLED
foreachrow.

narayan.nandi@yahoo.com

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . NarayanNandi(/member/NarayanNandi) Reply

|
8 2yearsago
Asmentionedinthearticle,youcanhaveupto8LEDsineach
rowwithoutchangingtheotherparts.
Thiscircuitisbasicallyacurrentlimiterwhichonlyallows20mAtogo
througheachLED,regardlessofwhetheryouhave1or8perrow,orany
numberinbetween.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . qs(/member/qs) 2yearsago Reply

|
8 Pleasereadmyreplyverycareful.

What"anynumberINBETWEEN"meansanynumber,aslongasitis
1,2,3,4,5,6,7or8.Not100or200.

Ifyouhaveproblems,pleaseasknicely,I'mspendingtimetotryandhelp
you,nottogetsnarky(rude)remarksthatshowyouhavenotpaid
attention.

NarayanNandi(/member/NarayanNandi) . qs(/member/qs) 2yearsago Reply

Sir,
Sorry,Ido'ntwanttohardyou.ActuallyIwanttoknow,howcalculatedthe
numberofLEDs,orwhathappenifmorethan8LEDperrowisused.

NarayanNandi(/member/NarayanNandi) . qs(/member/qs) 2yearsago Reply

Sir,

Thanksforyourreply.whatdoyoumeananynumbermeans.Itmaybe
100or200ledsperrow.Thereshouldbealimitaccordingthe
power.Pleaseclearit.

partha_roy(/member/partha_roy) 2yearsago Reply

hellosir,howtoconnectonlyone1wattor5wattledondirect220voltac.plz
helpme

RohanM2(/member/RohanM2) 2yearsago Reply

SpecialThanksforclearingsomanyquerieswithjustafewinstuctables.Very
wellexplained.WhenIwenthuntingforLEDsinthemarketIcameacross5mm
and10mmLEDs.Dotheyusethesamecurrentastheregularones?CauseI
cantreallyfigureouthowtodothecalculationswithoutthevalues
X qs(/member/qs)(author) . RohanM2(/member/RohanM2) 2yearsago Reply
|
8 Thankyou!

TheLEDcurrentshouldbewelladvertisedbythevendor,maybeaquery
ortwowouldclearthingsup.

Attheriskofoversimplifying,whenitcomestodiscrete(2lead)LEDs,
20mAwouldbethenorm.Certainlygowiththatforthe5mmandeven
8mmones.Some10mmfeaturealarger'dome'tofocusthelightintoa
smallerareasotheycanadvertiseahigherluxoutputatthesame
current.
Aperhapssemiusefulguidelinewillbetolookatthediesizeforwhite
LEDs,that'stheyellowishblobunderthe'dome'.Largerdiescouldmean
bettercurrentcapacity.Alsothethicknessoftheleadsmaylikewisegive
someclues.

Again,thankyouforyourmailandIamgladyoufindmy'ibleshelpful.

wpsillas(/member/wpsillas) 2yearsago Reply

Heythanksverymuchfortheoverview.I'mwonderingaboutthesizeofthe
package..IwanttoaddanLEDtopowertoolsthatdon'thavethem.Iwas
hopingforacheapefficientwaythatalsofitinasmallsize.The1kohmresistor
isn'taproblem,andIwasconsideringusingadiodetohalfthevoltage.An
SMDcapacitorof.47uf/200vwouldkeepthepackagesmallpotentiallyfittingin
thetoolbody.Couldathyristorbeusedinsteadofthediodetofurtherdropthe
voltage?Anyinputonthesetweaksgreatlyappreciated!

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . wpsillas(/member/wpsillas) 2yearsago Reply

|
8 Nottoosureabouttheavailabilityofanonpolarised0.47uF/200vcapin
smdformat.Theyarenecessarilyquitelargetopreventarcover.
There'snoneedtousetrickswithdiodesandsuchwhichonlyworkwith
incanlighting,notLEDs,btwjustDECREASEthevalueofthecapacitor
tomaketheLEDsdimmer.Brighter?AddmoreLEDsinserieswithout
changingtheC.

divyesh.dhamecha(/member/divyesh.dhamecha) 4yearsago Reply

iwanttouse1ledof20mAand230voltacsupply.whatisthevalueofresistor
andcapacitorshouldihavetoput.f=50Hz.
thankingyouinadvance.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . divyesh.dhamecha(/member/divyesh.dhamecha)
|
8 4yearsago Reply
TheminimumnumberofLEDsforthiscircuitis2,
althoughyoucansubstitutea1N4001diodeforoneofthem.Thenuse
R=1KandC=0.2uF(or0.22uF)asstatedinStep2.

sousap(/member/sousap) 4yearsago Reply

hi!whataboutconnectingafullLEDstriptomains.
LEDstripsareorganizedinmodules,eachhas3ledinserieswitharesistor,
thenallthemodulesareparalel.intermsosvoltagetheytheledstripis12vDC
canwebuildasimpleCapacitorcircuitotofeedtheallstrip?
Paulo

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . sousap(/member/sousap)
 | 4yearsago Reply
8 Thanksforthecomment.

Asnoted,thedesignhereisnotveryefficientandissuitableforlow
power,multipleLEDapplications.The"LEDstrip"willfurthercutintothis
efficiencyastheyloseanother20%intheresistor.Bettertoinvestina12
voltwallwartfor$5oneBayandusethat.

However,itiscompletelyfeasibletocut15piecesoffthestripand(re)
connecttheminseries.Thentheywillrunoff(arectified)120vacmains.

| nodoubtman(/member/nodoubtman) 4yearsago Reply

don'tforgettoputupadiodetoprotect!
thanks!
marC:)

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . nodoubtman(/member/nodoubtman) Reply

|
8 4yearsago
WhenLEDsareplacedbacktoback,liketheyarehere,each
actsasadiodetoprotectits'twin',sonoextradiodeisneeded!

fcat1(/member/fcat1) 5yearsago Reply

HiQS,

Itestedwith0.22uF630VnonpolarCaps,one1KWresistor,twowhiteled
wiredinparallel,itwork,somyqueryis,ifIwouldliketoaddanother2x7LED
inparallel,doIstillneedanothersetofC&R?Isthereanylimitationnumber
ofparallelrowaddedtothecircuit?Thxinadvance:)

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . fcat1(/member/fcat1) 5yearsago Reply

|
8 Hi,eachRCsetcanhandleupto8pairsofLEDs,inseries.Youcanhave
more,ifyoudonotmindslightlydimmerLEDs.

fcat1(/member/fcat1) . qs(/member/qs) 5yearsago Reply

ThxforyorreplyQS,

Ijustbuilt&replacedoneofmytablelampwith2rowsof7WhiteLED&it
works:)

Myquestionis,ifIwishtoaddanother2rowsof7WhiteLED,doIstill
needanotherRCsetorIjustparallelconnecttotheexistingcircuit?Is
thereanylimitation?

Btw,ifIwanttofilterouttheflickereffect,addoneBridgeRectifiertoit
correct?(400Vrated@1.5A)?

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . fcat1(/member/fcat1) 5yearsago Reply

|
8 Ifyouwishtousethismethodforanother14LEDs,youwouldneed
anotherRCpair.

cknudstrup(/member/cknudstrup) 5yearsago Reply

the3/64bitwouldbesmallerthanthe1/16bitsoitprobablywasa13/64bit
 jexter(/member/jexter) 6yearsago Reply

Greatproject,andwelldescribed!Justonesuggestionasapossibleeditfor
step6:

"DecidetheendyouwishtoworkonwhetheryouwantthelighttoshineUPor
DOWN.Thenplugitinwhereyouplantouseitandmarkthetopand
bottom."

Someelectricians(atleastintheU.S.)alwaysinstallreceptacleswiththe
groundup,otherswiththegrounddown,andmanyliketomixitup.Itwouldbe
ashametogothroughwholeprojectandthenfindoutyourUPlightwas
shiningDOWN!

Onceagain,nicejob,anddefinitelyonmytodolist.

ruashiasim(/member/ruashiasim) 6yearsago Reply

woulditbepossibletoaddaphotoresistorinlinetoturnthisoffatdayandonat
night?thelowestphotoresistordarkratingIcouldfindwouldbe23kohms.
couldIuse1/2watt100mAsuperfluxleds?

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . ruashiasim(/member/ruashiasim) 6yearsago Reply

|
8 Theadditionofaphotoresistorwillnotbeadvisableasitwilldissipate
fartoomuchpowerwhenitisturningonoroff.Theideaisthatthisisa
convenientlightinadarkerareasoitisOKtohaveitonconstantly.

Forhigherpowerlights,thisisnotagoodcircuit,takealookatsomeof
myearlieranswersandcheckoutbothparts1
(http://www.instructables.com/id/Using_AC_with_LEDs_Part_1/)and4
(http://www.instructables.com/id/UsingACwithLEDsPart4TheNew
Technologies/)ofthisseries

OzoneTom(/member/OzoneTom) 6yearsago Reply

Iliketheapproachinthatitseemstobemoreefficientthanusingtransformers
andbridgerectifiers.Whatvaluemodificationswouldberequiredtoadd
additionalstringsofLEDsinparalleltothepairinthisdesign?Thanks.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . OzoneTom(/member/OzoneTom) 6yearsago Reply

|
8 Whatthistypeofcircuithasintermsofsimplicity,itgivesupinefficiency.

Awellmatchedtransformersystemcanbe80%efficientandoffline
(Switched)circuitsevenhigherusingacapacitor(oranyothermethod)to
limitcurrentflowismuchlessefficient,althoughitslowlyincreaseswith
thenumberofLEDs.
AtthepointwherethetotalVfoftheLEDsequaltheequivalentDC
voltage,about52for117vac,wecandirectconnecttheLEDsandthe
efficiencythenbecomes100%.

| Blofish(/member/Blofish) . qs(/member/qs) 6yearsago Reply

8
Sothiswouldbemoreefficientifyouweremakingsomethinglikealed
lightinaflorescenttubetypeofdesignusing52LEDsandnoresistor?

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . Blofish(/member/Blofish)
|
8 Yes,sinceallavailablepowerissentthroughthe 6yearsago Reply

LEDs,theusageefficiencyis100%.

TheimagebelowisalightjustannouncedbyPhillipswhichusesacluster
of96LEDstooperatedirectlyoffrectified230vmains.

(https://cdn.instructables.com/FN0/DQGR/GEW03QX3/FN0DQGRGEW03QX3.LARGE.jpg)

Jeevendra(/member/Jeevendra) 6yearsago Reply

I'manewbietothisstuff,butveryinterested.Canyoutellmemoreaboutthe
calculations?OrbetteryetifyoucanguidemetosomewebpagewhereIcan
findmoredetails.Ifwe'retohavemoreLEDs,letssay20,willchangingthe
capacitorandresistorvaluebesufficient?Ordoesitneedamoreadvanced
circuit?Iuseda1k/1Wresistoranda0.6uF/400Vcapacitor.Isthiswrong?
Yourhelpisgreatlyappreciated,asit'dhelpmetogetstarted.Wehave220V
240VACsupplyhere.Thankyouinadvance...

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . Jeevendra(/member/Jeevendra) 6yearsago Reply

|
8 Jeevendra,

Pleaserereadthevaluesfor220vaccarefully!Thevaluesyousupplied
willseriouslyoverdrivetheLEDsandpermanentlydamagethem.The
capacitorvalueiscalculatedas:(0.02/(2*pi*f*((V*1.4)Vf)),soit's
notalinearrelationshipandcertainlynotdirectlyproportionaltothe
numberofLEDsyouwanttouse!

For220vsupplies,youcanhaveupto15LEDsineachbranchwithout
changingthebasicvalues,soyoucaneasilyhaveyour20byputting10in
series,in2opposingchains.Seemyresponsetolurkingdevilforan
explanationofthis.

lurkingdevil(/member/lurkingdevil) 6yearsago Reply

Howcanyouwireupto18ledsineachbranchwithoutpreviouscalculation?
Eachaddedledwilldropanother~3.3voltsandreducethecurrentgoing
throughthebranchbecausetheimpedenceiskeptconstant.Ialsodon't
understandhowyoucanjusthavearangeofacceptedcapacitanceasthat
woulddirectlyaffectthecurrentgoingthrough.

X qs(/member/qs)(author) . lurkingdevil(/member/lurkingdevil) 6yearsago Reply

|
8 Thecircuitisdesignedtoallownomorethan20mAat150volts(for110v
mains),soanextraLEDrepresentslessthan2.5%ofthetotal,whichis
noteasilydetected.AndthatisalsowhyIplacedalimitof8LEDstotalin
asinglebranchbythenthedropwillbe26volts,or17%,whichwill
becomenoticeable.

zino1234(/member/zino1234) 7yearsago Reply

"Sincewearealreadyusinga1Kresistor,"
erm..
cantellmewhyweneedtoaddthe1kresistor?
thanks
 X qs(/member/qs)(author) . zino1234(/member/zino1234) 7yearsago Reply
|
8 Theresistoristoprotectthecapacitor,whileit,thecapacitor,protectsthe
restofthecomponents.

8 hanelyp(/member/hanelyp) . qs(/member/qs) 7yearsago Reply

DependingontheACphasewhenthecircuitispluggedin,youcouldget
quiteacurrentsurgethroughthecapacitorforabriefmoment.Even
enoughtodamagetheLEDs.Theresistorlimitsthemagnitudeofthis
surgetolowenoughfortheLEDstosurviveuntilthecapacitorchargesup
andcanlimitfurthercurrent.Otherthanduringthisturnonsurgethe
capacitorplaystheprimaryroleinlimitingcurrent.

Ioncetriedthissamecircuitwithouttheresistor.Thecapacitorwasfine,
butastringofLEDsgotburntout.

I MoreComments

FEATURED CHANNELS

Woodworking Paper KitchenHacks Puzzles Space IceCream Homesteading 3DPrinting Sewing

(/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type (/tag/type
id/category id/category id/keyword id/category id/keyword id/keyword id/category id/category id/category
workshop/channel craft/channel kitchen%20hacks/? play/channel astronomy/? ice%20cream/? home/channel technology/channelcraft/channel
woodworking/) paper/) sort=FAVORITES) puzzles/) sort=FAVORITES)sort=FAVORITES)homesteading/) 3DPrinting/) sewing/)
Newsletter
Join2million+toreceiveinstant
DIYinspirationinyourinbox.

enteremail I'min!

Mobile
Downloadourapps!

Android(https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adsk.instructables)
iOS(https://itunes.apple.com/app/instructables/id586765571)
Windows(http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/enus/app/7afc8194c771441a959054250d6a8300)
AboutUs FindUs
WhoWeAre(/about/) Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/instructables)
Advertise(/advertise/) Youtube(http://www.youtube.com/user/instructablestv)
Contact(/about/contact.jsp) Twitter(http://www.twitter.com/instructables)
Jobs(/community/PositionsavailableatInstructables/)
Pinterest(http://www.pinterest.com/instructables)
Help(/id/howtowriteagreatinstructable/)
Google+(https://plus.google.com/+instructables)
Resources
ForTeachers(/teachers/)
ArtistsinResidence(/air)
GiftPremiumAccount(/account/give?sourcea=footer)
Forums(/community/)
Answers(/tag/typequestion/?sort=RECENT)
Sitemap(/sitemap/)

TermsofService(http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=21959721) |
PrivacyStatement(http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=21292079) |
LegalNotices&Trademarks(http://usa.autodesk.com/legalnoticestrademarks/) | MobileSite(http://www.instructables.com)
(http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/index?id=20781545&siteID=123112)
2016Autodesk,Inc.