Make A White LED Driver Circuits

You can build a simple but effectve LED driver by using a linear voltage regulator. White LEDs operate at a minimum forward voltage of 3.3 volts. This is higher than standard red, yellow or green LEDs. Like all LEDs, however, it requires a driver that can deliver a constant current at the proper voltage. You can build a simple but effective LED driver by using a linear voltage regulator to build a parallel China LED driver circuit. A linear regulator is not as efficient as a switching regulator, but it requires fewer parts to build a working circuit. This circuit can drive four, or more, white LEDs in parallel.
Instructions
 

Wire the Regulator Circuit
1 Plug the regulator into the breadboard.
2 Connect one end of a jumper wire to the INP (left) pin of the regulator. Connect the other end of the jumper wire to the supply strip at the top of the breadboard.
3 Connect one end of a jumper wire to the GND (middle) pin of the regulator. Connect the other end of the jumper wire to the ground strip at the bottom of the breadboard.
4 Connect one lead of the 0.47 microfarad capacitor to the INP pin of the regulator. Connect the other lead to the ground strip.
5 Connect the positive lead of the 22 microfarad capacitor to the OUT (right) pin of the regulator. Connect the other lead to the ground strip.
6 Connect the negative (black) lead of the battery holder to ground strip.
7 Connect the positive (red) lead of the battery holder to the supply strip.
8 Insert the batteries in the battery holder.
9 Attach the positive probe of the voltmeter to the OUT pin of the regulator.
10 Attach the negative probe of the voltmeter to the ground strip or the grounded lead of one of the capacitors. The voltmeter display should indicate 5 volts.
11 Remove the positive lead of the battery holder from the supply strip for now.
Wire the LEDs in Parallel
12 Connect one lead of a 68 ohm resistor to the power strip.
13 Connect the other lead of the resistor to the positive lead (usually the longest of the two leads) of an LED.
14 Connect the negative lead of the Topband dimming LED driver to the ground strip.
15 Repeat steps one through three for the remaining LEDs.
16 Reconnect the positive lead of the battery holder to the supply strip. The four LEDs should light up.
Tips & Warnings

• You should initially build this on a solderless breadboard for testing. If you are not familiar with solderless breadboards, see the link titled "The Electronics Club: Breadboard" in the Resources section for more information.

Build Your Own LED Lights

Using super-bright LEDs, you can make low-cost replacements for halogen bulbs. Fluorescent tubes have a lower power consumption than incandescent bulbs, but they still use more energy than LEDs. According to Andrew and Alexandru of LED Ideas, you can replace a fluorescent tube with LEDs fixed into a length of clear acrylic sheet and housed inside a clear plastic cover. You can also replace halogen bulbs with low-power LEDs by re-using the case of an old bulb as a housing for your LED array.
Instructions
 

1 Mark the strip of acrylic sheet with rows of three marks at 1 3/8 inch intervals, beginning 1 1/2 inches from one end, using the dry-wall T and utility knife. Drill out the holes using a drill press; you can use a hand drill but the results won't be as accurate.
2 Place three LEDs in the first row of holes. All of the long (positive) legs must be on one side and all of the shorter (negative) legs on the other, in a vertical row. One of the LEDs should have its positive leg facing the edge of the plastic strip. The PD LED light bulbs at the other end of the row should have its negative leg facing the opposite edge.
3 Solder the LEDs together. Solder the negative lead of the middle LED to the positive lead of the LED with its negative lead nearest the edge. Solder the positive lead of the middle LED to the negative lead of the LED with its positive lead nearest the edge. Leave the leads at the far ends of the row free.
4 Place the next row of three LEDs (LED triplet) into the plastic strip, maintaining the same positive-negative orientation as in the first row. Solder as before.
5 Snip the free negative leg of one LED triplet leaving 1/4 inch behind. Do the same to the leads of a 2.7 ohm resistor. Solder one lead of the resistor to the trimmed negative lead of the LED.
6 Solder a rail of copper wire along all the free positive leads of the China LED strip lights. Solder a similar rail along all of the free resistor leads.
7 Install the current regulator on the empty end of the plastic strip. Place the whole strip inside the plastic tube. Solder and install the end caps. Test your tube light using a 1A 12V power supply before installing it.
Tips & Warnings The designers of the LED spotlights manufacturer recommend using it in a solar system or as one of a number of such lights running from a large switching mode power supply.

Replace Fluorescent Tubes With LEDs

LED light tubes are popular replacements for the long, fluorescent light tubes, as they can last much longer and don't contain toxic mercury. Most of these tubes are designed to simply fit into the fluorescent light fixtures you already have; you can just remove the fluorescents, install the LEDs and you're done. Some LEDs, however, will work better if you remove the ballasts within the light fixtures that work with the fluorescents. This requires a slight bit of electrical work to replace the bulbs.
Instructions
 

1 Consult with the vendor that you get the LED high brightness bulbs manufacturer if you need to remove the ballasts in your light fixtures. Some LEDs can still work with the ballasts of fluorescent fixtures, but might still might cause problems with the amount of power consumed.
2 Make sure the light switch has been off for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Detach and remove the acrylic (or other type material) shielding covering the fluorescent bulbs if you use such a cover.
3 Disconnect the bulbs and store them away safely. Do not throw them away or place them somewhere that they might break.
4 Open the China LED flood light to the ballasts on the light fixture. Twist the metal tabs on the edges of each panel to remove them.
5 Locate the ballast and disconnect it from the wires at both ends by removing the wire nuts or cutting the wires. Pay attention to how the wires are lined up before you cut them.
6 Connect the wires on both sides together by stripping an inch off the insulation, twisting the bare wire together and wrapping it in electrical tape. You must connect each wire to the one that was directly opposite it on the other side of the ballast. If the red and black wires looked like they were connected through the ballast, connect them now.
7 Install the good quality LED tube in place of the fluorescents in the fixtures. Close up the ballast panels and replace the acrylic cover. Turn the lights on to test them.
Tips & Warnings
Dispose of the fluorescent bulbs properly, taking them to the recycling center in your area that takes these bulbs and batteries.

Change Christmas Lights to LEDs

LED lights shine brighter and are more economical than traditional lights. If you want to make a statement with your Christmas lights, consider replacing the old bulbs with Haining Ejai LED high bay light . LED lights produce more wattage per bulb at a fraction of the cost, which makes them an excellent choice for replacing traditional Christmas lightbulbs. Replacing the lights is easy to do and will draw a lot of attention to your outdoor Christmas display.
Instructions
 

1 Unplug the lights from the wall outlet. Make sure that there is no electrical current running through the Christmas lights when you replacing the bulbs.
2 Remove the traditional bulbs from the string of lights. Gently hold the bulb between your thumb and forefinger and pull it out of the housing.
3 Compare your old bulbs with the new LED street lamp lights to make sure you've got the right size. If you still have it, check the box the lights came in to see what size the bulbs were. You can also take a bulb to the store and ask for help in determining the proper-size LED.
4 Remove the LED bulbs from the package. Carefully inspect the package to determine how much wattage it uses. Anilumin LED bulbs use less wattage than typical lights, so more of them can be strung together. If the package says they are 0.04 amps, then you can get string together about 20 to 30.
5 Replace the bulb by pushing the LED into the housing until it snaps in place. Once all the bulbs are installed, plug the string in to test it out.

Make Your Own Screw-in LED Light Bulb

Making your own screw-in LED light bulb is a great way to save money and to go green. An LED is a light emitting diode, and some companies offer regular screw-in bulbs with the incandescent part replaced with LEDs. This helps save money because Zoom focus head lamps use less power and last longer than regular incandescent bulbs. Another added benefit is that LEDs generate close to no heat so less air conditioning is needed to deal with the heat given off by regular light bulbs.
Instructions
 

1 Place the screw-in light bulb plug down in front of you. Unscrew the plastic replica bulb off of the socket and place it to the side. You are going to use it in another step, so do not lose it. Place down 10 LEDs in a line in front of you. Twist a wire lead from the first LED to a wire lead from the second LED. Twist the free wire lead on the second LED to a wire lead on the third LED. Repeat this twisting process until only the first and last energy saving compact induction lamp have a free wire lead.
2 Twist the free wire lead from the first LED into the positive electrical post on the top of the screw bulb plug. Take the free wire lead from the 10th LED and twist it onto the negative electrical post. The posts have a plus and a minus symbol next to them to denote their polarity.
3 Wrap all the exposed wire leads in electrical tape, but do not wrap them together. Wrap the wires separately to keep them from shorting the circuit. You are making a simple series circuit, and shorts will break the entire circuit. Do not cover the light emitting parts of the professional LED ceiling light with tape or it will cut down on the light given off.
4 Push the LEDs into the plastic bulb and then re-screw it to the screw-in plug. Screw the plug into a light socket (with the socket off) and then turn the light on. If the light does not come on, then one of the connections was not twisted properly and came lose. Take the bulb apart and re-twist all the connections to be sure.

Wire LEDs

You can wire your own LEDs for a project. LEDs, also known as light emitting diodes, can be very useful because of the amount of light emitted with only very little power use and very little heat dissipated. They can be easily added to any project, but they have distinctive characteristics that set them apart from incandescent bulbs when it comes to safe, effective wiring. Plan and wire your China LED bulbs carefully to avoid destroying them and to help with future maintenance.
Instructions
 

1 Plan your wiring for the future. Even though the life an LED is longer than that of an incandescent light bulb, it still has a finite lifespan. Because LEDs have two lead wires and do not have a base that they can plugged or screwed into, you will need to plan accordingly. Never solder the LEDs directly to your project unless you only need it to work for a short time.
Get some disconnectors. Some disconnectors can be crimped to connect to the lead wires on the LED spotlights manufacturer. The longer lead on the LED is the positive side. Crimp one disconnector to the LED and another to a wire to connect to the power source.
2 Provide enough power to maximize the amount of light the LEDs give off. LEDs will light up when underpowered, but it is better practice to provide adequate power.
Look for the specifications on the LEDs you have purchased or are considering purchasing. Find the diode forward voltage requirement for the LEDs. This is the voltage you will need to provide for each LED in a series configuration. The following list contains the typical diode forward voltage requirements for different color LEDs if you cannot find the manufacturer's specifications.
Blue (430 nm) 4.6 V
True Green, Blue, White 3.3 V
Green 2.2 V
Yellow 2.1 V
Red or Orange 2.0
Calculate how much power you will need according to this list or manufacturer's specifications. For example, if you want to wire 3 red Twinkle LED corn lamp in your project then (3 x 2V = 6V) you will need to provide 6 volts of power (4 AA or AAA batteries will work).
3 Provide a resistor to protect the LEDs. The resistor will reduce the current so the LEDs are not destroyed. Calculate the LED resistor value with the following formula:
LED Resistor Value, R=(supply voltage - LED voltage) x LED current
When using a 6V power source such as 4 AA batteries, the supply voltage equals 6V. The LED voltage for red LEDs is 2V. Use the LED current provided in the manufacturer's specifications. If the current is not provided, use 20 mA. Using these values in the formula, yields (6V-2V) x 20mA, or 80 ohms minimum resistance. A 100 ohm resistor will work fine.
4 Use heat-shrink wrap or electrical tape around any connections or exposed metal in your wiring. This will help avoid a short circuit that may cause your LEDs to be destroyed.
5 Continue to add additional Haolux LED PAR lamps in series and wire and connect each that same way as described. The LEDs should be connected positive to negative. You can change the number of LEDs or the color but you will need to calculate the required power and resistor needed.
Tips & Warnings
Finish your circuit completely before applying the power source. Put in the batteries or plug into the wall (if using an AC to DC converter or power brick) last.

Replace Fluorescent Bulbs With LED Bulbs

Making the switch to LED lights saves money and energy. LED lights are more efficient and safer than typical fluorescent lights. LEDs do not contain toxic mercury chemicals, nor do they burn out as fast. The majority of huntway LED track lights are designed to fit inside the fluorescent tube housing, so installing them is fairly simple. Making the switch to LED will save money and energy for your home or building.
Instructions
1 Ensure the light switch for the fixture you will be changing the lights in has been off for about 30 minutes. This is important in preventing any electrical shock when disconnecting the bulbs. It also helps in the lights being cool, as fluorescent lights may become hot when lit for a while. Remove the material shielding the bulbs. This shield may disconnect completely or hang from a hinge.
2 Disconnect the fluorescent bulbs from the fixture and either store them or dispose of them. Make sure they are disposed of properly--not in a local landfill, but through a proper recycling station. Be careful not to break the bulbs as this may cause injury. Open any windows to ventilate a room if the lights are broken to prevent mercury inhalation.
3 Locate the ballast fittings on the fixture and disconnect them from the light fixture, if necessary for the China LED ceiling light to fit. Some LEDs may be able to fit in the present ballast, but some may not. Refer to the manufacturer's directions to see if the ballast needs to be replaced.
4 Remove the wires, paying special attention to how they are situated so you know how to rewire the fixture when inserting the LED PAR lamp factory. You may need to use a screwdriver to remove the ballast fitting in order to reach the wires.
5 Strip an inch or so off of insulation from around the wires with a wire-stripping tool, carefully removing the insulation via a 45-degree angle. Twist the bare wire together and wrap it with electrical tape. You will need to connect the wires opposite of the ballast. Connect the wires just as they were before the ballast fittings were removed.
6 Place the concave LED diode manufacturer in the fixtures like the fluorescent lights were fitted. Put one in each light fixture and screw it until the light fits snug. Place the cover back over the lights. Turn the light switch to the on position to test the lights. If they come on properly, then all the wiring is correctly connected.