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[Alan52]

Hi All

Just received a set of navigation lights for my Tug. Having never fitted led,s before. Could I just ask for some advice. I was supplied with a 6volt switched battery box and a set of micro led,s with resisters already fitted. My question is, how can I connect all the Led,s together bearing in mind that each one has a resister fitted? Do I connect each one to the plus and minus terminals on the battery box or can I attach them in parallel ending up with just two wires connected to the battery box.

I know nothing about electrics, so any help appreciated. Have no clue what the value of the resisters are as they have all been covered in heat shrink.
Sorry if this has been covered before, perhaps you could point me to the post if this is the case.


Thanks

Alan

[Phil22]

Hi Alan,


I received a lot of welcome support on this thread covering the subject:
https://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,63538.0.html

[Fred Ellis]

Hi


Sorry to come in on this, but on some of the LED calculator's sites it shows the resistor on the neg side of the LED should it not be on the pos side.


again sorry for going off topic.


Fred

[Alan52]

Hi Phil


Thanks very much for the information. It is appreciated.


Best wishes


Alan

[malcolmfrary]

Hi


Sorry to come in on this, but on some of the LED calculator's sites it shows the resistor on the neg side of the LED should it not be on the pos side.


again sorry for going off topic.


Fred

The current doesn't care what order it goes through things, it just needs to go the right way through all of them in turn.  The "D" in "LED" stands for "Diode", which means that it onnly works one way round.  It doesn't matter if you go positive, switch, resistor, diode, negative or any other combination.  The only important thing is that the diode is the right way round, any combination of order is fine.  It's just that some orders are more convenient than others.

[Fred Ellis]

Thank's for that info malcolmfrary, one other thing what if you used a voltage stepdown? would that hep.
Again sorry for cutting in.


Fred

[Alan52]

Hi Malcolm


Been given two resisters with two led,s that are not pre-wired. How do I know if I have the resisters round the right way. Have know idea on this subject.


Thanks again for the information.


Best wishes


Alan

[JimG]

A resistor can be fitted either way as current will flow through regardless of which way round it is connected. It is there to restrict current flow, a simple way of understanding it is it is like a single lane in motorway roadworks, traffic has to slow down to get through it. A diode has to be connected the right way round, it is like a one way door, you can go through it in one direction but it stops you going the other way.The resistor can be fitted in series to either of the LED leads as it slows down the current from either side.
Jim

[Alan52]

Hi Jim
Thanks for that. I think I read somewhere that the led has different lengths of wire coming off and that the shorter one is the plus? Thanks again for the information Jim.
Best wishes
Alan

[malcolmfrary]

A big, but very useful free download.  https://archive.org/details/PracticalElectronicsHandbook
Although it is a technical textbook, it is written in English rather than teccchie.  Full of simple explanations of pretty much everything we need to know.  I do believe that if you need something more up to date, later editions are on sale.
Tells you what you need to know, and usually stops there.

[Alan52]

Thanks Malcolm


I will download it. A bit of a learning curve but appreciate all the help you guys are giving.

Thanks very much

Alan

[skierdive]

Have a search through the pages of this forum, and look on Youtube for "Basic Electricity Tutorials" or "Electronics Tutorials",  there are plenty of instructional videos on there. Also BBC Bitesize is a great resource.


Try to familiarise yourself with the fundamental electrical terms such as Volts Amps Ohms Watts Parallel Series and how they relate to each other ie: Ohms Law

Then search for LED tutorials. You'll find that different coloured Leds require a different voltage to make them light up. You could also buy a few leds and resistors off Ebay and have a play. They are quite cheap so it dosen't really matter if they go up in smoke, it's all part of learning. Have fun. And how about sharing your experiences with us on this forum?
[/size]Good luck,
[/size]Ian. (I have no idea why the font changed to big and bold )[/size]     

[Alan52]

Hi Skierdrive

Thanks for the advice. The post from Phil22 Gives a link to a previous post that he followed when he was asking for information. It gives brilliant advice and also a pictorial description. The advice I have been given is great and I have learned a lot.

Thanks to everyone who has given advice. It is appreciated.

Best wishes
Alan