Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Colours | Sizes and shapes | Resistor value | LEDs in series | LED data |

Flashing | Displays

Example:        Circuit symbol:   

Function

LEDs emit light when an electric current passes through them.

Connecting and soldering

LEDs must be connected the correct way round, the diagram may be
labelled a or + for anode and k or - for cathode (yes, it really is k, not c,
for cathode!). The cathode is the short lead and there may be a slight
flat on the body of round LEDs. If you can see inside the LED the
cathode is the larger electrode (but this is not an official identification
method).

LEDs can be damaged by heat when soldering, but the risk is small unless you are very
slow. No special precautions are needed for soldering most LEDs.

Testing an LED

Never connect an LED directly to a battery or power supply!

It will be destroyed almost instantly because too much current will
pass through and burn it out.

LEDs must have a resistor in series to limit the current to a safe

value, for quick testing purposes a 1k resistor is suitable for
most LEDs if your supply voltage is 12V or less. Remember to
connect the LED the correct way round!

For an accurate value please see Calculating an LED resistor value below.
Colours of LEDs

LEDs are available in red, orange, amber,

yellow, green, blue and white. Blue and
white LEDs are much more expensive than
the other colours.

The colour of an LED is determined by the

semiconductor material, not by the colouring
of the 'package' (the plastic body). LEDs of
all colours are available in uncoloured
packages which may be diffused (milky) or clear (often described as 'water clear'). The
coloured packages are also available as diffused (the standard type) or transparent.

Tri-colour LEDs

The most popular type of tri-colour LED has a red and a green LED
combined in one package with three leads. They are called tri-colour
because mixed red and green light appears to be yellow and this is
produced when both the red and green LEDs are on.

The diagram shows the construction of a tri-colour LED. Note the different
lengths of the three leads. The centre lead (k) is the common cathode for
both LEDs, the outer leads (a1 and a2) are the anodes to the LEDs
allowing each one to be lit separately, or both together to give the third
colour.

Bi-colour LEDs

A bi-colour LED has two LEDs wired in 'inverse parallel' (one forwards, one backwards)
combined in one package with two leads. Only one of the LEDs can be lit at one time
and they are less useful than the tri-colour LEDs described above.

Sizes, Shapes and Viewing angles of LEDs

LEDs are available in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

The 'standard' LED has a round cross-section of 5mm
diameter and this is probably the best type for general use,
but 3mm round LEDs are also popular. LED Clip

Photograph © Rapid Electronics

Round cross-section LEDs are frequently used and they
are very easy to install on boxes by drilling a hole of the
LED diameter, adding a spot of glue will help to hold the LED if necessary. LED clips
are also available to secure LEDs in holes. Other cross-section shapes include square,
rectangular and triangular.

As well as a variety of colours, sizes and shapes, LEDs also vary in their viewing angle.
This tells you how much the beam of light spreads out. Standard LEDs have a viewing
angle of 60° but others have a narrow beam of 30° or less.

Rapid Electronics stock a wide selection of LEDs and their catalogue is a good guide to
the range available.

Calculating an LED resistor value

An LED must have a resistor connected in series to limit

the current through the LED, otherwise it will burn out
almost instantly.

The resistor value, R is given by:

 R = (VS - VL) / I 

VS = supply voltage
VL = LED voltage (usually 2V, but 4V for blue and white
LEDs)
I = LED current (e.g. 10mA = 0.01A, or 20mA = 0.02A)
Make sure the LED current you choose is less than the maximum permitted and
convert the current to amps (A) so the calculation will give the resistor value in ohms (
).
To convert mA to A divide the current in mA by 1000 because 1mA = 0.001A.

If the calculated value is not available choose the nearest standard resistor value which
is greater, so that the current will be a little less than you chose. In fact you may wish to
choose a greater resistor value to reduce the current (to increase battery life for
example) but this will make the LED less bright.

For example

If the supply voltage VS = 9V, and you have a red LED (VL = 2V), requiring a current I =
20mA = 0.020A,
R = (9V - 2V) / 0.02A = 350 , so choose 390 (the nearest standard value which is
greater).

Working out the LED resistor formula using Ohm's law

Ohm's law says that the resistance of the resistor, R = V/I, where:
  V = voltage across the resistor (= VS - VL in this case)
  I = the current through the resistor

So   R = (VS - VL) / I

For more information on the calculations please see the Ohm's Law page.

Connecting LEDs in series

If you wish to have several LEDs on at the same time it

may be possible to connect them in series. This prolongs
battery life by lighting several LEDs with the same
current as just one LED.

All the LEDs connected in series pass the same current

so it is best if they are all the same type. The power
supply must have sufficient voltage to provide about 2V
for each LED (4V for blue and white) plus at least
another 2V for the resistor. To work out a value for the
resistor you must add up all the LED voltages and use
this for VL.

Example calculations:
A red, a yellow and a green LED in series need a supply voltage of at least
3 × 2V + 2V = 8V, so a 9V battery would be ideal.
VL = 2V + 2V + 2V = 6V (the three LED voltages added up).
If the supply voltage VS is 9V and the current I must be 15mA = 0.015A,
Resistor R = (VS - VL) / I = (9 - 6) / 0.015 = 3 / 0.015 = 200 ,
so choose R = 220 (the nearest standard value which is greater).

Avoid connecting LEDs in parallel!

Connecting several LEDs in parallel with just one resistor shared

between them is generally not a good idea.

If the LEDs require slightly different voltages only the lowest voltage
LED will light and it may be destroyed by the larger current flowing
through it. Although identical LEDs can be successfully connected
in parallel with one resistor this rarely offers any useful benefit
because resistors are very cheap and the current used is the same as connecting the
LEDs individually. If LEDs are in parallel each one should have its own resistor.

Reading a table of technical data for LEDs

Suppliers' catalogues usually include tables of technical data for components such as
LEDs. These tables contain a good deal of useful information in a compact form but
they can be difficult to understand if you are not familiar with the abbreviations used.

The table below shows typical technical data for some 5mm diameter round LEDs with
diffused packages (plastic bodies). Only three columns are important and these are
shown in bold. Please see below for explanations of the quantities.

IF VF VF VR Luminous Viewing
Type Colour Wavelength
max. typ. max. max. intensity angle
Standard Red 30mA 1.7V 2.1V 5V 5mcd @ 10mA 60° 660nm
Bright 80mcd @
Standard 30mA 2.0V 2.5V 5V 60° 625nm
red 10mA
32mcd @
Standard Yellow 30mA 2.1V 2.5V 5V 60° 590nm
10mA
32mcd @
Standard Green 25mA 2.2V 2.5V 5V 60° 565nm
10mA
High 60mcd @
Blue 30mA 4.5V 5.5V 5V 50° 430nm
intensity 20mA
500mcd @
Super bright Red 30mA 1.85V 2.5V 5V 60° 660nm
20mA
Low current Red 30mA 1.7V 2.0V 5V 5mcd @ 2mA 60° 625nm
IF max. Maximum forward current, forward just means with the LED
connected correctly.
VF typ. Typical forward voltage, VL in the LED resistor calculation.
This is about 2V, except for blue and white LEDs for which it is about
4V.
VF max. Maximum forward voltage.
VR max. Maximum reverse voltage
You can ignore this for LEDs connected the correct way round.
Luminous Brightness of the LED at the given current, mcd = millicandela.
intensity
Viewing angle Standard LEDs have a viewing angle of 60°, others emit a narrower
beam of about 30°.
Wavelength The peak wavelength of the light emitted, this determines the colour
of the LED.
 nm = nanometre.

Flashing LEDs

Flashing LEDs look like ordinary LEDs but they contain an integrated circuit (IC) as well
as the LED itself. The IC flashes the LED at a low frequency, typically 3Hz (3 flashes
per second). They are designed to be connected directly to a supply, usually 9 - 12V,
and no series resistor is required. Their flash frequency is fixed so their use is limited
and you may prefer to build your own circuit to flash an ordinary LED, for example our
Flashing LED project which uses a 555 astable circuit.

LED Displays

LED displays are packages of many LEDs arranged in a pattern, the most familiar
pattern being the 7-segment displays for showing numbers (digits 0-9). The pictures
below illustrate some of the popular designs:

Bargraph 7-segment Starburst Dot matrix

Photographs © Rapid Electronics

Pin connections of LED displays

There are many types of LED display and a supplier's catalogue should be consulted for
the pin connections. The diagram on the right shows an example from the Rapid
Electronics catalogue. Like many 7-segment
Pin connections diagram
displays, this example is available in two versions: © Rapid Electronics
Common Anode (SA) with all the LED anodes
connected together and Common Cathode (SC) with
all the cathodes connected together. Letters a-g refer to the 7 segments, A/C is the
common anode or cathode as appropriate (on 2 pins). Note that some pins are not
present (NP) but their position is still numbered.

Also see: Display Drivers.