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Step 8About LEDs
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are like tiny light bulbs that emit light when electricity passes through them. The figure below shows yellow, red, and green LEDs.
Because LEDs require very little electricity, and last for thousands of hours, they are becoming increasingly common in electronic devices and other applications. Your computer keyboard probably has a few LEDs to indicate when the Caps Lock or Num Lock keys have been pressed. Grouped together, LEDs can produce enough light to be used as a source of household illumination, as in the lamp shown in figure below.
Every LED has a specific polarity, meaning one of its two pins must connect to the power side of the circuit and the other pin must connect to the ground side. A tiny flat segment on the round rim of the LED's circular base marks the ground pin. The power pin is typically longer than the ground pin, but this is an unreliable indicator, since the pins may be trimmed during installation. Figure below shows these distinguishing features.
Because LEDs require very little electricity, and last for thousands of hours, they are becoming increasingly common in electronic devices and other applications. Your computer keyboard probably has a few LEDs to indicate when the Caps Lock or Num Lock keys have been pressed. Grouped together, LEDs can produce enough light to be used as a source of household illumination, as in the lamp shown in figure below.
Every LED has a specific polarity, meaning one of its two pins must connect to the power side of the circuit and the other pin must connect to the ground side. A tiny flat segment on the round rim of the LED's circular base marks the ground pin. The power pin is typically longer than the ground pin, but this is an unreliable indicator, since the pins may be trimmed during installation. Figure below shows these distinguishing features.
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