Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

 Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

Figure 1: A Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

A Light Emitting Diode – or LED for short – is a small component that lights up when current flows through it.


Sometimes you use it for simple tasks like indicating that your circuit has power, that the circuit is working or that the circuit has failed.


But you can also combine several LEDs to create simple 7-segment displays that can display numbers or use them to make cool light decorations. If you combine enough LEDs in a square, you can even use them to show images.


The LED exist in many different colors ; Red, green, blue and many more.


There is also a special type of LED called RGB. This is an LED where a red, green and blue LED has been combined into one package. The colors mix, so by controlling the intensity of each of the three colors you can create a wide spectrum of different colors.


Figure 2: The symbol used in circuit diagrams for a Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

Example
To use an LED, you need to connect it in a circuit with a resistor, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: A simple LED circuit

The reason you need the resistor is to make sure the LED does not burn up. A common LED can only handle a very low current. If you don’t use a resistor to control the current, your LED will quickly die and become unusable.


But what is a resistor? 


That’s next. Jump on over to the next page to learn what a resistor is.


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