Working out resistors

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Blueprint

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Hi, i'm pretty new to circutry... anyway, im using a simple breadboard system, simply making an LED light up.

I'm using 3xAA batteries (4.5v), i have a LED, but just need to know what strength resistor to use.

Can anyone help?

Thanks.
 
It depends on what kind of LED.We need to know the LEDs voltage and curent.

This is caculated this way:
(Vb-Vfw) / I = R

Vb = batery voltage
Vfw = LEDs voltage
I = curent
R = resistor you nead.

Easy as pie.
 
Ok thanks guys... It's a bog standard 2mm LED, think its a 2v LED. how do i work out the current? (i'm not controlling it from a MCU yet...)
 
Blueprint said:
Ok thanks guys... It's a bog standard 2mm LED, think its a 2v LED. how do i work out the current? (i'm not controlling it from a MCU yet...)
OK, say you power it with 5V, then resistor needed (for LED U=2V, I=0.02A) is (5-2)/0.02=R, Therefore R= 150Ohms

Usually LEDs require 20mA (0.02A) current to function

It's that simple :lol:
 
(4,5 - 2) / 0,01 = 250 so that wod be an 220 Ohm resistor(it wod let 10mA in the LED)

This is Ohoms law whith a litle tweak to caculate this (Ohoms law wod be V / I = R).
 
Yeah true, but I found it pretty hard to work out the current of a 2mm LED from Maplin. Most of their stuff is German for a start, so it takes me a little longer to read their kinda 2-lined instruction leaflets that comes with the shizzle.

Anyway thanks for your help, you're all Ledges.
 
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