Over the past decade, LEDs have taken over the consumer market by storm and for good reason. They’re also widely known as rectifiers due to the fact that they change AC current into pulsating DC current. In addition, they restrict any current flowing in the opposite direction. As a result of this current, light is emitted.ĭiodes are simply a term for a component (semiconductor) that allows the flow or current in one direction. We like to think of them as a tiny light bulb containing multiple diodes with a consistently flowing electrical current. In general, this is a term used for lighting that’s only possible with a current flowing through it. LEDs are known as a semiconductor light source. Often times, you’ll see them being used for light bulbs, string lights, televisions, laptops, monitors and virtually every other electronic device under the sun. In fact, LEDs are typically seen as the “gold standard” in terms of lighting choices. Although this kind of technology has existed since the early 1960’s, LEDs are now widely used in our daily lives. cathodes is actually less complicated than it seems. Although the vocabulary may seem a bit foreign, understanding anodes vs.
These terms directly relate to LED polarity and how the technology actually works. If you’ve made the commitment to learn a bit more about LED lights and how they work or you’re simply familiarizing yourself with their characteristics, you may have heard about LED anodes vs. R = (3.3 volts - 2.0 volts) / 0.Whether you’re an experienced tech-enthusiast or an average layman, figuring out LED terminology can be a bit overwhelming. To calculate the resistance needed for a 20 milliamp current for a red LED with Vf of 2.0 v:
Resistor Voltage = Supply Voltage - LED Turn On Voltage (Vf) This current is the same amount that flows to the LED but the voltage across the resistor is different because the LED has a turn on voltage which you subtract from the supply voltage: The way to decide how much resistance you need, you need to use Ohm’s law for the current through the resistor. A red LED uses the least amount of voltage to turn on, about 1.8 v while some blue LEDs need more than 3.0 v.
To choose the right amount of resistance for the LED, you also need to know what its turn on voltage (Vf) is.
This is usually about 20 milliamps for most single color LEDs. The amount of resistance needed depends on how much current the LED will use to be bright enough to see but not so much that it burns itself out. To make sure that the LED isn’t damaged by too much current, the connection between it and the voltage supply needs a resistor. If the supply voltage you’re using is more than then turn on voltage, you need a resistor between one of the LED leads and the connection to either GND or the supply voltage. The negative side is called the cathode.īecause diodes are made of semiconductor material, they have a very specific voltage where they will turn on. The voltage supply side of the diode is the positive (+) side, this is called the anode. For an LED to work it needs to be connected to a voltage source with the correct side. This means that LEDs (and other diodes) have positive (+) and negative (-) sides to them. LEDs are diodes which are elecronic devices that only allow current to go through them in one direction.
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