Hello to my friends,

This article is a preliminary article for an upcoming guide on how to make a cool LED billboard (LED). As I was writing this guide, I realized that I needed to lay bare minimum basics to strengthen the electrical understanding of LED circuits before introducing the project itself. And it is before you.


It is important!

This article (or for that matter any article / guide / other coverage on the "Hands" website) should not be considered a recommendation to carry out this or any other project that is invalid and / or requires a valid permit, including electrical work and electronics. Responsibility for the actual operation.


When I was working on the article and the guide, I didn't even think about the possibility of using a switched-mode power supply (see "Efficiency" in the comments below). After a short research on the matter, I decided in the near future to try this approach too, and tell you what came out. thanks for sharing.

 

What is LED

A light-emitting diode (LED) is an electrical component that allows the flow of electrons in an electric circuit in only one direction, and the semiconductor material composition of which the light-emitting diode (hereinafter, LED) allows the emission of light as the current passes through it (for further reading) .


LED Today, the LED can be found on almost any self-respecting electronic device (at least as an indicator light indicating the working condition of the device), especially on screens (from huge televisions to wristwatches), traffic lights, streetlights and cars, headlights, and many other products .

As an electronic component that can be purchased in a single unit, we can find LEDs in dozens and perhaps hundreds of different types. The simplest consists of a material that looks plastic in the form of a rounded cylinder at one end (the light itself), and has "two legs" (the thin). By default, the longer leg is the positive leg.


Why LED?

Red_led_x5 The question "Why LED" has many answers. Some of them I detailed in the article "LED it be". Here in the article, only one sentence is said - LEDs are cheap, last for a long time (50,000 ~ hours), physically resistant (no breakable glass), emit less heat (high efficiency A), and give more light per watt (high efficiency B) ). While not all details are accurate in this table, it does give some idea.


Why not just buy?

The ready-made LED lights and stripes are simply expensive.

With little learning and work we can make LED lighting fixtures ourselves. Unlike incandescent or CFL lamps, precisely in LED, we can actually make LEDs ourselves (with purchased components of course). Another way of saying this is that commercial LEDs are simply a box that aesthetically and hermetically closed components that we have access to - power sources, resistors, LEDs, and if we really want to be fancy cases, even heat sinks and even a small fan. The bulbs we make, if we invest enough, will not be significantly different from the LED bulbs we buy in the store.

Electricity on one leg

We will not now go over all the theory of electricity in a direct current (or at all, in any current), because while we are here for the theory, we are ultimately project oriented. Does not go into theoretical depth (just a little, which is impossible without it). Anyone who doesn't get along and lacks a background is worth completing. A brief flutter can be used in the Joshua Goma electronics course to establish some basic concepts.


Direct current electric circuit

On one leg (as we promised), a direct current electric circuit is a closed circuit that is connected to some source of energy (some kind of battery or solar panel, for example) and various consumers (light bulb, buzzer, resistor, motor, etc.). In each such circle, for our purposes, there are four relevant sizes:


Voltage (V, Volt) - The difference in electrical potential between two points in space. In the context of a direct current electrical circuit, the "voltage source" is the energy source, the battery. In analogy to water flow (as you can see in the animation below) the voltage is equal to the difference in heights between the upper and lower tank. Note that animation with low and high "tension" can be played.


Current (A, Amps) - Motion of charged particles between the two points at which the potential difference is measured. In order to generate a current there is a "close circuit" and for this we need "pipes" or electrical wires in which the current will flow. In the analogy, the current is the rate of the water increasing as we at once raise the pump operation (voltage source) from low to high.


Resistance (Ω, ohm) - Without diving into theory, it is possible to say that electrical resistance is the electrical voltage between two points in the body divided by the electrical current between them. Or in the formula, V / I = R (voltage divided by current equal to resistance).


[Electric] Power (W, Watts) - The electrical power of an electrical circuit is the amount of electrical energy per unit of time that goes into it and is converted into other forms of energy. So, when we say that the bulb has a power of 60w, we mean the amount of energy that the bulb emits in the form of light and heat together, two forms of incandescent light that "generates" or converts electrical energy into them. The ideal formula for calculating power is I * V = W ( Double Current Voltage Equal Power).

Hello to my friends,

This article is a preliminary article for an upcoming guide on how to make a cool LED billboard (LED). As I was writing this guide, I realized that I needed to lay bare minimum basics to strengthen the electrical understanding of LED circuits before introducing the project itself. And it is before you.


It is important!

This article (or for that matter any article / guide / other coverage on the "Hands" website) should not be considered a recommendation to carry out this or any other project that is invalid and / or requires a valid permit, including electrical work and electronics. Responsibility for the actual operation.


When I was working on the article and the guide, I didn't even think about the possibility of using a switched-mode power supply (see "Efficiency" in the comments below). After a short research on the matter, I decided in the near future to try this approach too, and tell you what came out. thanks for sharing.

 

What is LED

A light-emitting diode (LED) is an electrical component that allows the flow of electrons in an electric circuit in only one direction, and the semiconductor material composition of which the light-emitting diode (hereinafter, LED) allows the emission of light as the current passes through it (for further reading) .


LED Today, the LED can be found on almost any self-respecting electronic device (at least as an indicator light indicating the working condition of the device), especially on screens (from huge televisions to wristwatches), traffic lights, streetlights and cars, headlights, and many other products .

As an electronic component that can be purchased in a single unit, we can find LEDs in dozens and perhaps hundreds of different types. The simplest consists of a material that looks plastic in the form of a rounded cylinder at one end (the light itself), and has "two legs" (the thin). By default, the longer leg is the positive leg.


Why LED?

Red_led_x5 The question "Why LED" has many answers. Some of them I detailed in the article "LED it be". Here in the article, only one sentence is said - LEDs are cheap, last for a long time (50,000 ~ hours), physically resistant (no breakable glass), emit less heat (high efficiency A), and give more light per watt (high efficiency B) ). While not all details are accurate in this table, it does give some idea.


Why not just buy?

The ready-made LED lights and stripes are simply expensive.

With little learning and work we can make LED lighting fixtures ourselves. Unlike incandescent or CFL lamps, precisely in LED, we can actually make LEDs ourselves (with purchased components of course). Another way of saying this is that commercial LEDs are simply a box that aesthetically and hermetically closed components that we have access to - power sources, resistors, LEDs, and if we really want to be fancy cases, even heat sinks and even a small fan. The bulbs we make, if we invest enough, will not be significantly different from the LED bulbs we buy in the store.

Electricity on one leg

We will not now go over all the theory of electricity in a direct current (or at all, in any current), because while we are here for the theory, we are ultimately project oriented. Does not go into theoretical depth (just a little, which is impossible without it). Anyone who doesn't get along and lacks a background is worth completing. A brief flutter can be used in the Joshua Goma electronics course to establish some basic concepts.


Direct current electric circuit

On one leg (as we promised), a direct current electric circuit is a closed circuit that is connected to some source of energy (some kind of battery or solar panel, for example) and various consumers (light bulb, buzzer, resistor, motor, etc.). In each such circle, for our purposes, there are four relevant sizes:


Voltage (V, Volt) - The difference in electrical potential between two points in space. In the context of a direct current electrical circuit, the "voltage source" is the energy source, the battery. In analogy to water flow (as you can see in the animation below) the voltage is equal to the difference in heights between the upper and lower tank. Note that animation with low and high "tension" can be played.


Current (A, Amps) - Motion of charged particles between the two points at which the potential difference is measured. In order to generate a current there is a "close circuit" and for this we need "pipes" or electrical wires in which the current will flow. In the analogy, the current is the rate of the water increasing as we at once raise the pump operation (voltage source) from low to high.


Resistance (Ω, ohm) - Without diving into theory, it is possible to say that electrical resistance is the electrical voltage between two points in the body divided by the electrical current between them. Or in the formula, V / I = R (voltage divided by current equal to resistance).


[Electric] Power (W, Watts) - The electrical power of an electrical circuit is the amount of electrical energy per unit of time that goes into it and is converted into other forms of energy. So, when we say that the bulb has a power of 60w, we mean the amount of energy that the bulb emits in the form of light and heat together, two forms of incandescent light that "generates" or converts electrical energy into them. The ideal formula for calculating power is I * V = W ( Double Current Voltage Equal Power).