Convince yourself to just use a 12V-to-AC-line inverter for LED light strings instead of rewiring them for 12V.

My plan was simple. I wanted to cut up a wall-powered LED light string into pieces then rewire it to run off 12 volts. The alternative was to use a power inverter, but we all know they are terribly inefficient, right? Right? Or are they?

Step 1: Figure out the voltages of each LED color

I was all set so I set to figuring out how to split up the string. I ran a 9V battery through a 470 ohm resistor to clip leads (limiting current to no more than 20mA or so). I clipped a volt meter between the 9V negative and the resistor. Without anything inline, it naturally read 9 volts. Then I popped out one of the LED's and put it in parallel to the voltmeter. I flipped it around so it would light up, and then read the meter. The first one was blue and it read 3.0 volts -- that's the voltage drop of the LED. The others are as follows:

Blue: 3.0V
Green: 3.2V
Orange: 2.0V
Red: 5.2V *
Yellow: 2.0V

• Note that the red surprised me at 5 volts ... I was expecting more like 2 volts.

Comments

[ToniRose]

Very informative and easy to understand, thanks for this. It demonstrates the old adage, we learn more from our failures than our mistakes!

I've often wondered if it would be possible to have one DC power source, say a solar array with battery backups, and run all household lighting (using LEDs) from that.

[martholly]

do you have any idea what i would need to run 40 led lights from AC power

[jolshefsky]

Not off hand. It also depends on how you want to hook them up. If they are all the same voltage, I would divide them into lengths for a standard transformer from the wall (i.e. if 8 LED's make 12 volts, then get a 12V DC transformer), and make strings of that length with a low-value current limit resistor (like 10 ohms in case it's a rock-steady 12.1V that would blow the LED's). Wire all the strings in parallel, hook them to the transformer and presto.

If the LED's are different voltages, divide them up into strings that total to the same voltage and do the same thing. Like if you have blue, green, red and the voltages are 3.1, 3.0, and 2.0 volts, then wire them up blue-green-red-blue-green-red and get a (3.1+3+2)*2=16.2 V transformer. Something like that anyway.

[martholly]

thankyou this is my first shot at making circutry and i am not very keen on circutry in general however i know i need to learn to make the artwork i want to create. so I am looking at wireing 10 decently bright white led lights together. what would help me out is to know what type of led lights to buy and also what resistors and tranformer to get. i think that this basic of a project will help me to understand circutry. i have also already ordered a circut that someone else has already put together i guess what i will do is take it apart and put it back together in my own form. i am also playing with some led throwies

[jolshefsky]

I'm sure there are Instructables on wiring up LED's somewhere, but it's a bit too much to try and explain here (and -- no offense -- more effort than I want to put in to your project). Start experimenting a bit with batteries to get a feel for how to wire up LED's then once you get the hang of that, the transformer solution might be easier to figure out.

[martholly]

thank you for your help I think i will be able to understand your first comment soon It seems to be all about adding up the leds until the curent drop equals the amount given in the transformer if 8 LED's make 12 volts, then get a 12V DC transformer in this statement would i need any resistors

[martholly]

do you know of some Instructables that would be good starting points also I misspelled circuitry

[jarv34]

good instructable, i think you are worrying a little too much about being exact. Your 60 lights are assuming about 2v per led with a 120v AC voltage source. I would hook up the LEDs without the inline stand resisters first and then add a current limiting resister if you really need it at the source.