Uses of the Light Emitting Diodes

On every place that you go there is always the presence of light that are generated naturally by the sun or an electronic device. The presence of the sun is only during the day but when the night comes, we tend to use electricity. Bulbs or fluorescent are the devices that generate us light during the night. They require a wattage rating that ranges from 10 to 100. The 100 wattage bulb provides a brighter emission of light but it consumes a lot of electrical energy. If you are using a bulb or fluorescent light that has this amount of wattage then you have to expect paying a huge amount of your monthly electric bill. So if you want to reduce the cost of your electric bill then you have to choose light bulbs that have low wattage consumption.

Bulbs and fluorescent are actually two different devices even though that they both generate light. One of the main difference is that, bulbs emit a bright yellow color of light while the fluorescent generate a color of white-light. Another major difference that is important for you to know is that, fluorescent consumes or utilize way lesser amount of energy as compared to the traditional light bulbs. It is for this both reason why fluorescent is what's preferred and now being widely used today.

Light Emitting Diodes or LED

But aside from light bulbs and fluorescent, there is actually a miniature version of them which is mainly used in most electronic products. This component is called,"Light Emitting Diode" or "LED". Most people find them fancy due to their wide range of available colors to choose from. Light colors that are unique can be a bit more expensive than the standard color which are the red, green and yellow.

Power Rating of an LED

Unlike the light bulb and fluorescent which can only be powered an AC (Alternating Current), LEDs can only operate if powered by a DC (Direct Current). The standard voltage required for these electronic components in order to work is only 1 volt. There are a few of them requiring higher voltage ratings so its always best to confirm from the seller before buying.

Polarity

When it comes to utilizing DC current, it is always important to be aware about the polarity of the current which is the "positive" and "negative" (some call it "ground"). LED is a component consisting of polarity. This can be easily recognized by the length of their legs. The longer leg denotes the positive while the shorter one is the negative. Another method of checking polarity is by using a Voltage Current Meter tool or VOM. Set the dial setting to the highest ohm rating then randomly stick the test probes on the LED's leg. If it happens that you stick the test probes correctly on the right legs of the LED then it should light-up. Otherwise, it wont. But if it wont light-up even after switching the test probes, it probably mean that the LED is damaged or defective.

Soldering an LED

If you are an electronic enthusiast working on a certain project where you need to solder an LED to a PCB board, it is important for you to observe and apply just the right amount of heat temperature when soldering. You have to know that LED components can easily get damage if too much heat temperature is applied by the soldering iron. So if you are a complete amateur then you may want to ask some assistance to someone with experience doing it.

Schematic Symbol

The below image is the schematic symbol of an LED.

Common Usage

LEDs are commonly used as an indicator. If you are at home, try checking out the power button of every equipment or appliances that you have. You will notice that if you turn them ON or OFF, there is a small visible light indicating that the machine is ON or OFF. If you are using a desktop computer or a laptop for browsing the internet then you will notice several LEDs embedded on it. Each of them aren't actually just placed there for display purposes but each indicates something that provides information with regards to the operation of your machine.

And finally, if you are going to buy LEDs from a local store, it is always best to pronounce the letters L, E and D. Never mention the whole word LED because the seller might give you a different item which is mostly like a "lead". This actually happened to me ones and the seller got mad at me just for that simple mistake. You may just also mention the entire complete name of the item which is a light emitting diode.