Hello, first time user of the forums here seeking a bit of guidance as I have only minimal experience with even small scale projects. This is my first project involving lighting, so here goes.
The physical connection of the LEDs and the batteries is pretty flexible, you could even get away with some basic alligator clips. The important thing to remember is that LEDs are greedy and will burn themself out by drawing too much current if you don’t include current-limiting resistors in your circuit.
Michael has written an excellent video guide that shows you the full process on how to choose sensible current limiting resistors for any LED.
Once you’ve got your current limiting resistors sorted out so the LEDs are receiving the correct voltage and current (3.2-3.8V Forward Voltage, at 20mA current from the spec sheet)
Then simply connect to the battery holder with pigtail alligator clips.
Then connect the resistor and LEDs with regular alligator clips.
If you wanted something a bit smaller and more robust you could also build the circuit using a breadboard and prototyping wires.
As I’m a novice to pretty much all of this, whilst I can understand the pigtail connections (I presume they’d just plug into the attached wire from the battery setup?) I’m a bit unsure regarding if I could then do so for a second light with what was provided or if I’d need to do more work of some kind.
If I’m reading your reply right, I’d also need to connect the resistors? You’ve listed two packs of leads and whilst (I think) I understand the Alligator Clip with Pigtail would work for one light, I’d need two leads?
Sorry, the terminology is still a little bit confusing to me and I need to go over stuff like this a few times before it sinks in properly.
As you are just starting out in Electronics, may I suggest a kit designed to help understand how electronics stuff works. Similar to the one listed below. The kit would give you a better understanding of what you need to get your project working. There many similar kits and cheaper ones, visit a local Electronics Hobbyist shop and they may be able to help.
That’s correct, if you connect the LED directly to the battery it will immediately destroy itself, that’s why current limiting resistors are typically used in series with the LED.
There was an excellent guide linked at the bottom of the LED page which is targetted at beginner users, I’d recommend giving that a quick read through, then let us know if any part of it needed more explaination.
The kit @James46717 suggested has also been a very popular starting point for electronics for many years, so you can’t go wrong their either.
Okay, so I read the section on resistors Adam how basically LEDs work, but what isn’t explained and pertinent to my question is if the alligator clip and pigtail leads had those prepared for a simple circuit completion. Visually they seem to and I couldn’t find anything to suggest they’d do anything other than that.
I wanted to start any exploration into this field with this, something I thought would be as base level as possible. ‘Connect this to this and circuit complete’ before going further.
Am I correct with these presumptions? There is no guide to talk me through connecting the coin battery setup and I’m simply extrapolating from what’s been said.
I recommended alligator clips because they are the most beginner friendly to join components together and make an electrical connection for your circuit.
The reason I also linked the pigtail version is that one end of those has a male prototyping wire fitting, which can fit into the end of the battery holder plug as shown in the photos below.
If you wanted to you could just cut the plug off the battery holder and strip the wires back so can just use regular alligator clips for all the connections, both are fine options for your first circuit.
Forgive my uncertainty about this, the talk of resistors and such had me thinking I had to make extra steps other than the connector shown to do this with.
I think I’ll order these things and give it a go, am a bit excited to try it, as simple as it seems. After that, I’ll probably get that electronics kit you mentioned.
The current-limiting resistors are necessary, as mentioned earlier LEDs are greedy devices and will blow themselves up if the current they receive isn’t limited by a resistor, but the connection is still very straightforward. It’s as simple as putting a resistor between the battery and the longer leg of the LED so that all the current that gets to the LED must flow through the resistor.
Let us know how you go with your experiment
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