Why don't you remove the Graetz bridge diodes if you already have the correct polarity? I removed those 4 doides in my one and it saves a lot of wasted energy (voltage drops on the diodes and heat). I also could use those Shottky diodes for other circuits etc.
I have a similar setup Julian, I notice that most of the small 12v fans are quite noisy at 12v, so it's better to run them at about 9v or so. They still keep it cool enough and the noise is lower, they probably will last longer as well. I use a slightly bigger heatsink than your one though, I use a traditional looking one that is square and is 40mmx40mmx15mm and I just mounted a 40mmx40mm black ebay fan on the back. Mine runs from 240v, so I have a switch in the extension cord (in line switch) and then a double adaptor which has the 240v-12v led driver to run my LED and then on the other part of the double adaptor I have like a small phone type charger thing which puts out 9v and that runs the fan, so they both turn on when I turn on the in line switch. I find that it's a pretty good setup. Your setup uses 12v power supply though, which can be more fun of course. I would probably use a DC-DC step down converter and have that running the fan and then have the 12v driver running the LED. That's how I would do it with the 12v power supply. LED's have become so cheap and it's quite cool how easily you can light up spaces now with low amounts of power.
I just received some of these and I thought they would have a current limiter circuit built in. When I saw that they didn't the first thing I thought was 'Julian Ilett'. Thank you for your ideas.
Thank god for a tutorial in yt without an American accent! If I hear the word 'sodder' one more time...! But oh no, have you just ruined all my plans by telling me I can't run an led directly off a 12v battery and now need a driver on each one? I've just made four 12v strip lights using those self adhesive strips of multiple led's and two floods using cobs, all direct to a thumping great big 12v heavy duty battery, everything works, I've even left one of my home made strip lights (mounted on a 6ft x 2inch metal corrugation cut off a roofing sheet with aluminium (note correct spelling!) tape reflectors on for an afternoon just to check it works and it did, the floodlights too, wires soldered to the cob (rated 12v to 36v) with croc clips on the ends, it all works! What have I done wrong or in the 5 years since you made this vid has led technology changed so that drivers aren't needed? Please say yes!
You can raise efficency of that assembly by simply shorting input diodes as you power it from DC. That should yield 1.5W (or 0.8W) decrease of power consumption by getting rid of voltage drop on silicone (or shottky) diodes.
Hi Julian this is a great tutorial, my led's have arrived also my fan, just waiting for my led driver. This has helped me so much I never new you could not connect them direct to 12v, I am new to all this. Thank you very much.. John .. :)
Extremely useful information here ! Great video And by the way the led can take 5 amps if properly cooled at 5.4-5.6amps it will finally blow!! I have mine thermally glued to the heatsink
Hi Julian, my first comment on one of your videos. I find these very well made, you give all the info. I really appreciate the fact you gives prices and sources to the items you talk about, a great format. I was just wondering though, are you by chance a policeman?
Julian,you did it again. Great video and a knowledgeable teacher, handsome project as well. I finished a similar project. It works great. Using 9volts not 12v deacreases heat generated, brightness is almost the same.. Always use a fan (in heat sink) to keep your circuit healthy. To know if heat sink is required;just turn it on for a couple of seconds and touch the back side of LED and judge the necessity of the heat sink. Good luck guys.
Yes do NOT use Math or Science to determine the heat-sink. Instead see if your fingers get burned. 1st degree burn - bigger HS, 2nd degree-much better HS 3rd degree - HS with fan so many idiots in the world..............................
Just got in some 10W led's yesterday and played around with them for a few hours. From what I can tell you dont get much of an increase in brightness once you exceed 10.15V or so. So they end up being pretty bright at just 4W, other then a rapid increase in current usage they did not get considerably brighter above that.
Let's say I want to attach 5, 1 watt led chips to a heat sink, and then connect each led chip to the driver in parallel. Will the driver give each led 10 volts equally? Or do I need a driver for each led chip?
Could a bunch of these be mounted to a 10mm thick aluminium bar to use as under cupboard lights in the kitchen? If so what kind of power source would be needed?
I have some old 12v DC supplies around. Do I need them to be any particular amperage? Could I also use the same driver to add a few of these in parallel (One power supply, one driver, 3 LEDs)? I would use a longer heat sink of course. Thanks.
A cheep 2A PWM controller to vary the input voltage and a 12v battery may be a good and simple straight forward solution to power and dim those LEDs . Those 10w 12v COBs seem to have protection built in. I just have bought 3pcs for $0.3 each. I have connected 2 of them in parallel and drove them from a 15v 2A power brick using a $1 PWM controller module. Once the output exceeds 13v @ 2200 mA the COBs automatically shut down and start working again when lowering the input voltage.
Excuse me for a dumb question, would it also be possible to just have a 12v regulator and a resistor that matches the amps needed by the LED to work? I would understand if it requires dimming, but since it's just a simple light, if it were me I would just use a resistor.
If you were to be using these in an automotive application, and had them at the front of the car to light the dark mountain roads, would the airflow be enough to keep them cool? Or would you still recommend a fan?
Hello could you explain me please how a Gu10 led bulb that you must plug on 230 volt works ? What does it contains in it exactly ? Can't find the description nowhere on the web ? Thank you so much.
Hi Julian, I didnt know about the current curve in LEDs and I would appreciate a lot if you can clarify my doubt. I am planning to make a 900 LED strip light panel (to be used as a video light) powered by a modified 650watt PC ATX power supply and/or a 12v 7Ah sealed lead battery. My question is Can I power the led strips directly from these power sources or should I need some sort of driver or current regulator? Thanks.
Hi Julian, Just out of interest - how do you strip wires? 10:34 you didn't seem to have much room for manouvre. I use cigarette lighter, burnt fingers and swearing, chiefly because whenever I've tried cutting insulation, I always damage the core. Have you got a proper mechanical stripper?
Does the regulator step up as well as down? I have a few I used with the 9volt and regulator for the most amount of light. Never tried 12volts. If it is current limiting then. Itd only take what it needs because the voltage drop inhearent to the leds power requirement?
Hello, great video, I would like to know if I had 2 sets same as this one (2x10w led, 2x drivers, 2 heat sink with fan) what kind of power supply do I need to make them run at the same time and how do I make the conections? Im trying to make a reeflamp but not sure how to make it happen
When watching this, i was wondering if you could find a 5v LED driver, to "build" a arduino into a car, and simply use a driver to control the current at 5V for the arduino unit?
According to the seller's specification, connecting it to 12V directly would be likely to work given the led stays cool. That it stays cool is quite much a forget it, and the current will increase and it will get even hotter etc. Thus short pulses only. Constant voltage is doable, but constant current self-regulate and is way safer for the led.
Can I get away with a simple metal plate as a heat sink if I intend to use it as a brake light for my car? Also, if I want to use a few of these toghether, do I need a driver for each LED or can I get a bigger driver for all?
is the fan essential? i thought of using one of these for a desk lamp but it seems a bit ott to have a fan cooled desk lamp! incandescent bulbs get pretty hot too, are these even hotter? if i make sure the led isn't next to anything that will melt will that be ok or will it self destruct? thanks for any possible replies.
I didn't knew it would instantly blow, so I connected mine to one of my 12.6V lipo for RC. They didnt blew and worked well, I'm wondering now if I really need a led driver. . . or not ?
0.6 V over the limit is still fine. The lifespan of the LED might be shorter or not affected at all as tolerances are always taken into account in manufacturing
Any thoughts? I have 4 10w leds forward voltage of 9-11 watts and 900-1000 mA , a power supply ac to dc 12V 5A 60W and a Voltage Regulator DC 4-40V to 1.25-36V 8A Buck Converter, 36V. Should I run these in series or parallel ? using heat sinks also. the buck also has a potentiometer on it to raise or lower or even shut off
I've ordered 5 of these 10w led for an aquarium lamp along with 5 fans/heatsink.. does that mean i need 5 Drivers like the one in your video or do i just need the one hooked into my power supply?
Hi, I have a question I hope you can answer for me. I have converted my car's tail lights from regular bulbs to LEDs. Up until two days ago, I was using SMDs with no problems at all. However, after I installed COBs, a couple of days ago, I noticed that the COBs flicker and do not light up evenly across the board. I am using resistors, in order to dim the lights a bit when using them for running lights, and when I hit the brakes, all the voltage gets fed to the lights. It seems as if the problem arises only when I have the COBs on the lower voltage setting (through the resistor) and not on the full brightness setting (bypassing the resistor)... I saw that the COBs came with a black piece that the wiring goes through, while the SMDs did not have that. Is that black piece essential for the operation of the COBs? Can I remove it or that would render the COBs useless? How come the SMDs do not come with that additional piece in the wiring? What could be causing this issue? Thanks beforehand!
i have just got a couple of these units to replace the pcb in my cree spots for the bike when i wired them up the led comes on but is only been supplied 2.5 volt and at 10ma when i tested with the stock pcb i got 3.6 volt across the lead and alot higher current any idea why these units are not supplying full power
So,I'm thinking that since if you regulate the brightness from the cool,sort of blueish led and a warm,nearly yellow led,you can get most of all of the whites in the world.With knowing that, which size and amount do you think you could bear looking at,but is bright enough to light a big (3 or more square meters at least) scene and wouldn't make blotches of different colors of white everywhere and overexpose a camera? Thanks! (By the way)I normally have trouble filming indoors or outdoors because where I am,during winter,it doesn't get bright enough for filming,and indoor lights are very dim compared to the lights i need for filming.
hello im curious about using a GU5.3 or MR16 LED / Cree as Vehicle headlights do i have to use the Driver??? just a curious experiment an cheaper way then the HID Ballast setup alot of people are buying now days.....
HI how many 10w LED COB Fire Rated Downlights would I need for a 1900mm x 2001mm bathroom ceiling which has upvc cladding, any quick professional answers would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks for this vid. I keep losing model aeroplanes in cloud, and am going to try fitting this led and driver cct into a model to find out if it is visible at 2,500 ft. Will switch it on near cloud base or if vis gets difficult.
Hi, I have a nice 24v power supply and a housing from a previous sewing lamp. Id like to install some leds into the housing and use the psu to power it. Id like it nice and bright but not too warm as its a plastic housing. Would you maybe have some suggestions to how I could build my own? Id also be happy using mains and a converter if its small enough. If you could help me out I could send you pics and more info. Thanks Simon
Thanks very much for this! I need a non-flickering mains powered light source for high speed photography - will any 12V mains supply be OK for this to power 3x10W LEDs?
Julian, I have one of these 32-34V 10W LEDs you mention cannot be run in this way - however I have a healthy fear of higher voltages! Is it possibly to run it off 12VDC if using a boost converter? Sorry for the silly question, I'm a bit new to this and don't want to die.
+Parasar Bhattacharya it shouldnt be either. But it really depends on the led. These leds are probably being overvolted at 12 volts therefore the current needs to be limited. Just my guess thou.
***** yes i found it out by performing few test, thank you though sir, and i am using a 3 amp transformer but the leds are mounted on big processor heat sink but without the cooling fan, now i aM trying to mount 5 of these leds in one heat sink and will run by computer smps which can provide upto 5 amps.. but this time i will connect the cooling fan also... thank you very much for confirming what i got from test results. thank you again...
well.. the idea with constant current is that when LED get hotter it let more current through and that shorten it's life, so basically if you keep your led cool, there is no problem at all and you don't need any driver, it's just safer option to have that led driver :) you can then be sure it gets what it need and nothing more
Parasar Bhattacharya First This Led is Driven By Current Not Voltage.... If You Giving A 12V 1 amp It Will be Fine ... also depends on heatshrink but Technichally In the long time use we advice to use a LEd Driver (Current Driver )
i have a flood light with the same led chip as yours with a died led driver ( lable says 25-34V) ??? i have chacked the led with an 12v supply it whass still works and i replaced the driver with the same but now my led chip is also died.
I want to build simple 1-5 Watt lamps for a development project in Africa powered by 12V battery. Is the LED Driver that you use suitable for low wattage LEDs?
Hi Julian ..i bought this set up on "satisled" website .... i read that the driver has an input DC 12-24 v .... i dlike to know if i could use an old PC battery charger that i have .... the output is DC 19V 4.79 A... will it fry the driver or not ??? thanks Seb
Hi Julian, Recently I've ordered 10W LED lights to create my own LED grow light to start grow vegetables indoors. I'm do understand the basics to create something like this. Do you like gardening or growing vegetables? It would be nice if you would look into this matter. Perhaps you can make a video about it. It would be very helpful! Cheers,
Fiy i have been running an led on 12v for the past year in my room. Consumes 22w and has not failed yet although it is nearing the end of its life. Theyre certainly 12v compatible. At 13 and up they keep burning.
Nicely done. Two questions please: Q1: can i use the same setup but with 100w instead of 10w. If not what do you recommend? Q2: can i attach 4 led's instead of one? thank you
how do i power a 100w cob without apebding 80s on a mean well driver?. I have 3 3k and 1 M full spectrum 100w led to power. i keep seeing you using DC to dc booster but connecting then to a car battery. how do I give all 5 cobs thats a have a dc of 32-34 and 2800-3500ma ea. If done at a low enough price i will want to do 5 cob bars x6 if possible. thanks!
very nice tutorial, but what about putting this in a car with working alternator on 14.4 volts?... cause i build headlights with high power leds, but i want to optimise..
Cool video What happens if I use as power supply only 2 cells of LiIo Battery? (14500) I want to use the same driver as you (but the 3W Version) but I don't have a 12V supply, only these 2x3.7V, so 7.4V from my batteries.
So, I'm very ignorant when it comes to wiring. Having said that, if I wire several of these, do I need more than one transformer- e.g. one transformer per light?
Hi Julian, Just watched your tutorial. I am newbie to LEDs and I would just like a bit of info. Sorry if I appear ignorant but as I said I am a newbie. Can I not connect it directly to a eg; a 12 volt 6A MW power supply/driver? If for instance I wanted to make a light box with 10 x 10 watt Leds would I have to use 10 current regulated drivers? My last question is could I just use heat sinks and a couple of fans? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi there. Is that driver unit a constant-current and constant-voltage converter? I ask because you've given me an idea for a car hood light, but a car's electrical system can run as high as 14-16 volts when the engine is running. Thanks!
Hi Julian and thanks for the video. I am looking to flicker a 10w led just like the in this video, I want to use a pic clicker to trigger the flicker rate which uses 3.3v. Could I use FETS for this and if so what would you recommend. Best wishes Charlie
Can you use a 100w power supply to power a 10w LED (assuming the voltages match)? Or will the power supply try to push too much current through the LED? As I understand you can have the extra wattage capacity, as the load(led) only pulls and the power supply does not push. Is this correct?
I pressume the driver supplies optimal voltage (and current) for this particular led. But you've said led should not be connected directly to 12V. Most of them don't have such rating by far. My question is, however, would it be possible to use a resistor or a potentiometer instead of the driver in your scenario?
This is probably a stupid question, but can anybody explain how the LED is rated at 9V - 12V but still be destroyed at 12V? Surely if it's rated 9V - 12V it should be able to take that many volts, no? Thanks
+Richard Jesudasan It means the LED will draw the correct amount of current at only one specific voltage somewhere between 9 and 12 volts. But you still have to get the exact voltage if you want the specified current. Which is why its easier to just supply the correct current (with a constant current driver) and let the voltage be whatever it has to.
12v batteries output more than 12v. Usually around 12.6-12.8v. That small different can make your LED burn out just after a few hours, it's because it gets incredibly hot if just overvolted to a small degree. The description on the ebay page he showed you had two contradicting things also, it said 9-11 at the top and then 9-12 in the description. Usually there are 3 in series in the LED, usually 3.5v is what they like. So 10.5v should be the max, but around 10v is a better area to settle on.
You can, but when the diode begins to warm up, the resistance in the diode will decrease, which then increases the current and temperature even more, which again reduces the resistance and the diode will burn out, given that the 12V power supply will supply currents that exceeds the diode's capacity to handle, such as a small 12V battery. That's why you need a resistor in series so that it can take care of limiting the current. There is even more to this, but this should give you a sense of this topic. Even 1V could burn the diode if the current is sufficient. However, going over or below 9-12V will reduce the life span of the diode depending how much so, and the diode.
It's all too easy to get into trouble with the ubiquitous 12 volt supply. Unique to that voltage is a loose definition. There are two voltage readings which is often thought of as generic. 12 volts in the lab and industrial fields is 12 volts + or - any given accuracy tolerance often stated as 5%, but can be tighter. The other 12 volt environment is automotive which can vary significantly. A lead acid battery reads around 12.6 volts at rest. The internal combustion engine needs an electric motor to start running on it's own. That electric motor can be around 0.50 up to about 1.0 horsepower which results in a short term load of dozens of amps which will cause a battery terminal voltage to drop several volts below 12.6 volts. Let's say that voltage is around 9 to 10 volts but could be even lower. When the engine starts it immediately recharges the battery for it's next use. This can rise to as much as 14.4 volts but falls back to approximately 13.8 volts nominally and varying slightly depending on the actual conditions. So in conclusion you can see where "12 volts" can actually mean anywhere between 9 volts to over 14 volts all within a short period of time and settling to something over 12 volts for the duration of the engine run. Please don't make the mistake of assuming a fixed nominal voltage in a motor vehicle.
Why don't you remove the Graetz bridge diodes if you already have the correct polarity?
I removed those 4 doides in my one and it saves a lot of wasted energy (voltage drops on the diodes and heat).
I also could use those Shottky diodes for other circuits etc.
Brilliant. Thank you for explaining that voltage/current curve. Helped my understanding of LEDs no end.
I have a similar setup Julian, I notice that most of the small 12v fans are quite noisy at 12v, so it's better to run them at about 9v or so. They still keep it cool enough and the noise is lower, they probably will last longer as well. I use a slightly bigger heatsink than your one though, I use a traditional looking one that is square and is 40mmx40mmx15mm and I just mounted a 40mmx40mm black ebay fan on the back.
Mine runs from 240v, so I have a switch in the extension cord (in line switch) and then a double adaptor which has the 240v-12v led driver to run my LED and then on the other part of the double adaptor I have like a small phone type charger thing which puts out 9v and that runs the fan, so they both turn on when I turn on the in line switch. I find that it's a pretty good setup.
Your setup uses 12v power supply though, which can be more fun of course. I would probably use a DC-DC step down converter and have that running the fan and then have the 12v driver running the LED. That's how I would do it with the 12v power supply.
LED's have become so cheap and it's quite cool how easily you can light up spaces now with low amounts of power.
I just received some of these and I thought they would have a current limiter circuit built in. When I saw that they didn't the first thing I thought was 'Julian Ilett'.
Thank you for your ideas.
Thank god for a tutorial in yt without an American accent! If I hear the word 'sodder' one more time...!
But oh no, have you just ruined all my plans by telling me I can't run an led directly off a 12v battery and now need a driver on each one? I've just made four 12v strip lights using those self adhesive strips of multiple led's and two floods using cobs, all direct to a thumping great big 12v heavy duty battery, everything works, I've even left one of my home made strip lights (mounted on a 6ft x 2inch metal corrugation cut off a roofing sheet with aluminium (note correct spelling!) tape reflectors on for an afternoon just to check it works and it did, the floodlights too, wires soldered to the cob (rated 12v to 36v) with croc clips on the ends, it all works! What have I done wrong or in the 5 years since you made this vid has led technology changed so that drivers aren't needed? Please say yes!
Thank you so much for putting the time and effort to make this presentation informative!
You can raise efficency of that assembly by simply shorting input diodes as you power it from DC. That should yield 1.5W (or 0.8W) decrease of power consumption by getting rid of voltage drop on silicone (or shottky) diodes.
+mibars Of cource you can, but the rectifier bridge has nice advantage: it protect the circuit and the led from inverse polarity.
Great tutorial. Very helpful. I would love to see even more of these "simple and cheap" LED tutorials. You are a great teacher. Best wishes.
kccustomuph Thank you. Most kind.
Thankyou, clear and excellent. In order to keep my project quiet Re the fan heatsink, could I use just a piece of flat bar, say 3mm?
Hi Julian this is a great tutorial, my led's have arrived also my fan, just waiting for my led driver. This has helped me so much I never new you could not connect them direct to 12v, I am new to all this. Thank you very much.. John .. :)
A very good, clearly explained and educational video Julian.
Extremely useful information here !
Great video
And by the way the led can take 5 amps if properly cooled at 5.4-5.6amps it will finally blow!! I have mine thermally glued to the heatsink
FIVE Amps? that is about 45 Watts
Hi Julian, my first comment on one of your videos. I find these very well made, you give all the info. I really appreciate the fact you gives prices and sources to the items you talk about, a great format. I was just wondering though, are you by chance a policeman?
Morlanius Thank you kindly. Policeman? No.
9V batteries also have quite high ISR, which will limit the current, to an extent. You've given me a few ideas in this vid though! :)
cool video, thanks. I was wondering what the voltage reads at the led, and how many amps the whole unit is drawing?
Though the layout is not good, the tutorial is excellent covering in detail about the steps and requirements.
*****
Hi David,
I am new to LEDS and need some advice. Would you be able to assist?
laura taylor I am afraid I can't help. I am into software and programming.
Julian,you did it again. Great video and a knowledgeable teacher, handsome project as well. I finished a similar project. It works great. Using 9volts not 12v deacreases heat generated, brightness is almost the same.. Always use a fan (in heat sink) to keep your circuit healthy. To know if heat sink is required;just turn it on for a couple of seconds and touch the back side of LED and judge the necessity of the heat sink. Good luck guys.
Yes do NOT use Math or Science to determine the heat-sink. Instead see if your fingers get burned. 1st degree burn - bigger HS, 2nd degree-much better HS 3rd degree - HS with fan
so many idiots in the world..............................
Just got in some 10W led's yesterday and played around with them for a few hours. From what I can tell you dont get much of an increase in brightness once you exceed 10.15V or so. So they end up being pretty bright at just 4W, other then a rapid increase in current usage they did not get considerably brighter above that.
Once I get my heatsinks in I will do a side by side comparison of both the Warm White and Cold White led's at 4W and 9/10W.
What a nice solution to all the project dear mate! Excellent explanation of all the project and components. Regards,
Thank you ..someone who I can understand,others just don't seem to show what I need to know,also you speak clear..Cheers..
Well explained and clarified some issues for me. - Not so shy about them now! Christmas is coming , dark nights still here - farz ma bitz!
Led 10w Maximum 12v or 11v
Julian great work your tutorials and reviews are inspirational
Fantastic Video Julian. Keep up the great work. Nick.
pls give procedure to glow 20 leds 10 watt. for my aquarium what driver and input required ?
I added 12v 10w led directly to 12v and it worked.
Let's say I want to attach 5, 1 watt led chips to a heat sink, and then connect each led chip to the driver in parallel. Will the driver give each led 10 volts equally? Or do I need a driver for each led chip?
Could a bunch of these be mounted to a 10mm thick aluminium bar to use as under cupboard lights in the kitchen?
If so what kind of power source would be needed?
I love the 101-level vids! Thanks brother
I have some old 12v DC supplies around. Do I need them to be any particular amperage?
Could I also use the same driver to add a few of these in parallel (One power supply, one driver, 3 LEDs)? I would use a longer heat sink of course.
Thanks.
A cheep 2A PWM controller to vary the input voltage and a 12v battery may be a good and simple straight forward solution to power and dim those LEDs .
Those 10w 12v COBs seem to have protection built in. I just have bought 3pcs for $0.3 each.
I have connected 2 of them in parallel and drove them from a 15v 2A power brick using a $1 PWM controller module. Once the output exceeds 13v @ 2200 mA the COBs automatically shut down and start working again when lowering the input voltage.
Quick question. Im going to run 4 3-3.6v cree leds. can i use a 12v driver ore do i need a driver for 3v then? Thanks
Excuse me for a dumb question, would it also be possible to just have a 12v regulator and a resistor that matches the amps needed by the LED to work? I would understand if it requires dimming, but since it's just a simple light, if it were me I would just use a resistor.
If you were to be using these in an automotive application, and had them at the front of the car to light the dark mountain roads, would the airflow be enough to keep them cool? Or would you still recommend a fan?
Hello could you explain me please how a Gu10 led bulb that you must plug on 230 volt works ?
What does it contains in it exactly ? Can't find the description nowhere on the web ?
Thank you so much.
Hi Julian, I didnt know about the current curve in LEDs and I would appreciate a lot if you can clarify my doubt. I am planning to make a 900 LED strip light panel (to be used as a video light) powered by a modified 650watt PC ATX power supply and/or a 12v 7Ah sealed lead battery. My question is Can I power the led strips directly from these power sources or should I need some sort of driver or current regulator? Thanks.
Led strips normally are designed with resisters Have a close look, so you can run 12v constant voltage.
My consulting fee is 20 USD per hour
Hi Julian, Just out of interest - how do you strip wires? 10:34 you didn't seem to have much room for manouvre. I use cigarette lighter, burnt fingers and swearing, chiefly because whenever I've tried cutting insulation, I always damage the core. Have you got a proper mechanical stripper?
reggiebacci The main one I use is a Weicon wire stripper No. 5
Julian Ilett
Cool, thanks - I'll keep an eye out on eBay.
Does the regulator step up as well as down? I have a few I used with the 9volt and regulator for the most amount of light. Never tried 12volts. If it is current limiting then. Itd only take what it needs because the voltage drop inhearent to the leds power requirement?
Hello, great video, I would like to know if I had 2 sets same as this one (2x10w led, 2x drivers, 2 heat sink with fan) what kind of power supply do I need to make them run at the same time and how do I make the conections? Im trying to make a reeflamp but not sure how to make it happen
When watching this, i was wondering if you could find a 5v LED driver, to "build" a arduino into a car, and simply use a driver to control the current at 5V for the arduino unit?
Very nice video. What will happen if i use a 12V, 6A power supply? will the LED controller produce too much heat?
According to the seller's specification, connecting it to 12V directly would be likely to work given the led stays cool.
That it stays cool is quite much a forget it, and the current will increase and it will get even hotter etc. Thus short pulses only.
Constant voltage is doable, but constant current self-regulate and is way safer for the led.
Can I get away with a simple metal plate as a heat sink if I intend to use it as a brake light for my car? Also, if I want to use a few of these toghether, do I need a driver for each LED or can I get a bigger driver for all?
is the fan essential? i thought of using one of these for a desk lamp but it seems a bit ott to have a fan cooled desk lamp! incandescent bulbs get pretty hot too, are these even hotter? if i make sure the led isn't next to anything that will melt will that be ok or will it self destruct? thanks for any possible replies.
I didn't knew it would instantly blow, so I connected mine to one of my 12.6V lipo for RC.
They didnt blew and worked well, I'm wondering now if I really need a led driver. . . or not ?
0.6 V over the limit is still fine. The lifespan of the LED might be shorter or not affected at all as tolerances are always taken into account in manufacturing
You could do a RC light bar
It is possible the voltage of the lipo goes down due to the load
Can you double up the power regulator boards in parallel to drive a 20watt COB led?
Any thoughts? I have 4 10w leds forward voltage of 9-11 watts and 900-1000 mA , a power supply ac to dc 12V 5A 60W and a Voltage Regulator DC 4-40V to 1.25-36V 8A Buck Converter, 36V. Should I run these in series or parallel ? using heat sinks also. the buck also has a potentiometer on it to raise or lower or even shut off
I've ordered 5 of these 10w led for an aquarium lamp along with 5 fans/heatsink.. does that mean i need 5 Drivers like the one in your video or do i just need the one hooked into my power supply?
Hi, I have a question I hope you can answer for me. I have converted my car's tail lights from regular bulbs to LEDs. Up until two days ago, I was using SMDs with no problems at all. However, after I installed COBs, a couple of days ago, I noticed that the COBs flicker and do not light up evenly across the board. I am using resistors, in order to dim the lights a bit when using them for running lights, and when I hit the brakes, all the voltage gets fed to the lights. It seems as if the problem arises only when I have the COBs on the lower voltage setting (through the resistor) and not on the full brightness setting (bypassing the resistor)... I saw that the COBs came with a black piece that the wiring goes through, while the SMDs did not have that. Is that black piece essential for the operation of the COBs? Can I remove it or that would render the COBs useless? How come the SMDs do not come with that additional piece in the wiring? What could be causing this issue? Thanks beforehand!
What can you put on a 20mm star heatsink? Is it possible to put a 5W LED without any airflow?
i have just got a couple of these units to replace the pcb in my cree spots for the bike when i wired them up the led comes on but is only been supplied 2.5 volt and at 10ma when i tested with the stock pcb i got 3.6 volt across the lead and alot higher current any idea why these units are not supplying full power
ok so if i will like to put multiple leds on 12v each of them needs seperate driver? or one is enough for let's say 4 3W LED's?
if i have 10 3w led chips in series with 700ma current each and 3.5volt working voltage.
Do i need 3.5volt and 7amp power supply?
Julian, thank you for the links to the components. Very helpful!
So,I'm thinking that since if you regulate the brightness from the cool,sort of blueish led and a warm,nearly yellow led,you can get most of all of the whites in the world.With knowing that, which size and amount do you think you could bear looking at,but is bright enough to light a big (3 or more square meters at least) scene and wouldn't make blotches of different colors of white everywhere and overexpose a camera?
Thanks!
(By the way)I normally have trouble filming indoors or outdoors because where I am,during winter,it doesn't get bright enough for filming,and indoor lights are very dim compared to the lights i need for filming.
This is really clever. I want to make my own led stick kind of light for working on cars. This is giving me some ideas.
hello im curious about using a GU5.3 or MR16 LED / Cree as Vehicle headlights do i have to use the Driver??? just a curious experiment an cheaper way then the HID Ballast setup alot of people are buying now days.....
HI how many 10w LED COB Fire Rated Downlights would I need for a 1900mm x 2001mm bathroom ceiling which has upvc cladding, any quick professional answers would be greatly appreciated.
I assuem I can use dc - dc regulated converter? they are also efficient. like xl4015.
Many thanks for this vid. I keep losing model aeroplanes in cloud, and am going to try fitting this led and driver cct into a model to find out if it is visible at 2,500 ft. Will switch it on near cloud base or if vis gets difficult.
Thanks for the video Julian that's cleared up a ton of stuff for me.
what is the amp input? If you put 30 amps on the driver as long as it is 12 volts will it work?
Hon. Can we use resisters for each led chip,like other led of 5 mm and similar to that?
Could you use heatsink plaster or that Arctic silver epoxy to attach the led instead of the screws?
Hi, I have a nice 24v power supply and a housing from a previous sewing lamp. Id like to install some leds into the housing and use the psu to power it. Id like it nice and bright but not too warm as its a plastic housing. Would you maybe have some suggestions to how I could build my own? Id also be happy using mains and a converter if its small enough. If you could help me out I could send you pics and more info. Thanks Simon
I made a 100W LED torch. It's super bright but pretty impractical because its so large. It works well though, I might make a video.
Can you make video like this for changing temperature and zooming? I like to have light Lowel gl1.. thank you
does it gives enough light 2 use as an emergency light in the place of a 5 watt AC fluroscence bulb????
Thanks very much for this!
I need a non-flickering mains powered light source for high speed photography - will any 12V mains supply be OK for this to power 3x10W LEDs?
Is LED flashing at high frequencies? Sorry for my bad English, I live in Finland.
Julian, I have one of these 32-34V 10W LEDs you mention cannot be run in this way - however I have a healthy fear of higher voltages! Is it possibly to run it off 12VDC if using a boost converter? Sorry for the silly question, I'm a bit new to this and don't want to die.
i am using leds withought a driver in direct 12 volts for nearly 3 to 4 years,
it isnt giving any problems.
+Parasar Bhattacharya it shouldnt be either. But it really depends on the led. These leds are probably being overvolted at 12 volts therefore the current needs to be limited. Just my guess thou.
Marcus Christensen
yes if you are giving more voltage then the current shuld be limited. while i use perfect voltage so i need no drivers..
*****
yes i found it out by performing few test, thank you though sir, and i am using a 3 amp transformer but the leds are mounted on big processor heat sink but without the cooling fan, now i aM trying to mount 5 of these leds in one heat sink and will run by computer smps which can provide upto 5 amps.. but this time i will connect the cooling fan also... thank you very much for confirming what i got from test results. thank you again...
well.. the idea with constant current is that when LED get hotter it let more current through and that shorten it's life, so basically if you keep your led cool, there is no problem at all and you don't need any driver, it's just safer option to have that led driver :) you can then be sure it gets what it need and nothing more
Parasar Bhattacharya First This Led is Driven By Current Not Voltage.... If You Giving A 12V 1 amp It Will be Fine ... also depends on heatshrink but Technichally In the long time use we advice to use a LEd Driver (Current Driver )
i have a flood light with the same led chip as yours with a died led driver ( lable says 25-34V) ??? i have chacked the led with an 12v supply it whass still works and i replaced the driver with the same but now my led chip is also died.
I want to build simple 1-5 Watt lamps for a development project in Africa powered by 12V battery. Is the LED Driver that you use suitable for low wattage LEDs?
Great video. So I can't connect it directly to my 12 v battery. What if I have a 6 leds in series. What do I need to add then.
Link of circuit this drive please?
Excellent Video very well done and a great beginners guide to Leds.
Beautiful work, can't thank you enough for the good work ..... on the 1W LED do you need a fan if connecting 6 of them?
Hi Julian ..i bought this set up on "satisled" website .... i read that the driver has an input DC 12-24 v .... i dlike to know if i could use an old PC battery charger that i have .... the output is DC 19V 4.79 A... will it fry the driver or not ??? thanks Seb
Have you ever made a measure of whole system's power consumption? I'd like to know the efficiency.
Hi I am looking for a led driver for my 12v 50w led chip for a motorcycle headlight project any recommendations please.?
Hi Julian,
Recently I've ordered 10W LED lights to create my own LED grow light to start grow vegetables indoors. I'm do understand the basics to create something like this. Do you like gardening or growing vegetables? It would be nice if you would look into this matter. Perhaps you can make a video about it. It would be very helpful!
Cheers,
If you ran this at 9 volts you would not need the driver or the heat sink?
Cool video! I have to troubleshoot a led light bulb, so it is good to know the circuitry, also your 9V test is nice 8-)
Fiy i have been running an led on 12v for the past year in my room. Consumes 22w and has not failed yet although it is nearing the end of its life. Theyre certainly 12v compatible. At 13 and up they keep burning.
Nicely done. Two questions please: Q1: can i use the same setup but with 100w instead of 10w. If not what do you recommend?
Q2: can i attach 4 led's instead of one?
thank you
how do i power a 100w cob without apebding 80s on a mean well driver?. I have 3 3k and 1 M full spectrum 100w led to power. i keep seeing you using DC to dc booster but connecting then to a car battery. how do I give all 5 cobs thats a have a dc of 32-34 and 2800-3500ma ea. If done at a low enough price i will want to do 5 cob bars x6 if possible. thanks!
nice video, JUlian, Can I use multiple ( 2 or 3) 10W LED into 1 power driver or do i need to use 1 power driver per 10W LED? Thanks
very nice tutorial,
but what about putting this in a car with working alternator on 14.4 volts?...
cause i build headlights with high power leds, but i want to optimise..
Is there any housing for this LED with reflector?
It will be a killer flashlight!
Cool video
What happens if I use as power supply only 2 cells of LiIo Battery? (14500)
I want to use the same driver as you (but the 3W Version) but I don't have a 12V supply, only these 2x3.7V, so 7.4V from my batteries.
So, I'm very ignorant when it comes to wiring. Having said that, if I wire several of these, do I need more than one transformer- e.g. one transformer per light?
very good video hello, excuse me if I wanted to connect one led to a 12 or 14v car. that you recommend transistor or will it better resistance ??
Hi Julian,
Just watched your tutorial. I am newbie to LEDs and I would just like a bit of info. Sorry if I appear ignorant but as I said I am a newbie. Can I not connect it directly to a eg; a 12 volt 6A MW power supply/driver? If for instance I wanted to make a light box with 10 x 10 watt Leds would I have to use 10 current regulated drivers? My last question is could I just use heat sinks and a couple of fans?
Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Whered you get those pillars?
Hi there. Is that driver unit a constant-current and constant-voltage converter? I ask because you've given me an idea for a car hood light, but a car's electrical system can run as high as 14-16 volts when the engine is running. Thanks!
You can find leds with the constant current circuit built in to make them suitable for easy automotive use.
Hi Julian and thanks for the video. I am looking to flicker a 10w led just like the in this video, I want to use a pic clicker to trigger the flicker rate which uses 3.3v. Could I use FETS for this and if so what would you recommend.
Best wishes
Charlie
Can you use a 100w power supply to power a 10w LED (assuming the voltages match)? Or will the power supply try to push too much current through the LED? As I understand you can have the extra wattage capacity, as the load(led) only pulls and the power supply does not push. Is this correct?
Tcamp yes but LEDs need to be current limited because they pull more then they need.
I pressume the driver supplies optimal voltage (and current) for this particular led. But you've said led should not be connected directly to 12V. Most of them don't have such rating by far. My question is, however, would it be possible to use a resistor or a potentiometer instead of the driver in your scenario?
Yes as in 12v led strip lighting. Off course problem is your wasting power as the voltage drop turns into heat.
This is probably a stupid question, but can anybody explain how the LED is rated at 9V - 12V but still be destroyed at 12V? Surely if it's rated 9V - 12V it should be able to take that many volts, no? Thanks
+Richard Jesudasan it make no sense infact. This is due to the fact that sellers dont know electronics. Much better a value like If=xxxxmA, Vf=xxxxV
+Richard Jesudasan It means the LED will draw the correct amount of current at only one specific voltage somewhere between 9 and 12 volts. But you still have to get the exact voltage if you want the specified current. Which is why its easier to just supply the correct current (with a constant current driver) and let the voltage be whatever it has to.
12v batteries output more than 12v. Usually around 12.6-12.8v. That small different can make your LED burn out just after a few hours, it's because it gets incredibly hot if just overvolted to a small degree.
The description on the ebay page he showed you had two contradicting things also, it said 9-11 at the top and then 9-12 in the description.
Usually there are 3 in series in the LED, usually 3.5v is what they like. So 10.5v should be the max, but around 10v is a better area to settle on.
You can, but when the diode begins to warm up, the resistance in the diode will decrease, which then increases the current and temperature even more, which again reduces the resistance and the diode will burn out, given that the 12V power supply will supply currents that exceeds the diode's capacity to handle, such as a small 12V battery. That's why you need a resistor in series so that it can take care of limiting the current. There is even more to this, but this should give you a sense of this topic. Even 1V could burn the diode if the current is sufficient. However, going over or below 9-12V will reduce the life span of the diode depending how much so, and the diode.
It's all too easy to get into trouble with the ubiquitous 12 volt supply. Unique to that voltage is a loose definition. There are two voltage readings which is often thought of as generic. 12 volts in the lab and industrial fields is 12 volts + or - any given accuracy tolerance often stated as 5%, but can be tighter. The other 12 volt environment is automotive which can vary significantly. A lead acid battery reads around 12.6 volts at rest. The internal combustion engine needs an electric motor to start running on it's own. That electric motor can be around 0.50 up to about 1.0 horsepower which results in a short term load of dozens of amps which will cause a battery terminal voltage to drop several volts below 12.6 volts. Let's say that voltage is around 9 to 10 volts but could be even lower. When the engine starts it immediately recharges the battery for it's next use. This can rise to as much as 14.4 volts but falls back to approximately 13.8 volts nominally and varying slightly depending on the actual conditions. So in conclusion you can see where "12 volts" can actually mean anywhere between 9 volts to over 14 volts all within a short period of time and settling to something over 12 volts for the duration of the engine run.
Please don't make the mistake of assuming a fixed nominal voltage in a motor vehicle.