Some LEDs, so called diffused LEDs, don't have any beam at all, they evenly scatter the light in all directions. To make it suitable for spotlights a clear dome is placed right above the chip to act as a lens. Optics The LED chip itself produces a wide beam of light (about 120°). They are meant to be mounted with either screws or a thermal adhesive. Some LEDs, especially power LEDs are mounted on an aluminum or ceramic substrate to improve the cooling. On the flipside they are more difficult to solder. With this method they can be made much smaller than THT parts and are perfect for tiny projects, such as wearables. SMD parts are soldered directly to the surface of a PCB. THT components might be what you are most familiar with: Their pins go through holes in a PCB and are soldered on the other side. Mounting Types There are three common way in which LEDs can be mounted: We'll take a look at the most common features: The circuit you will build must be tailored to the LED it is supposed to drive, so it is wise to pick first which LED is best suited for your project. The good news: The circuit required is not that complicated either. This means you can not treat an LED like an ordinary lightbulb and connect it straight to a power supply! The term "LED" is short for "Light Emitting Diode" and as all semiconductor based components they show highly non-linear characteristics. Powered correctly, they can last for decades without replacing.Īll those benefits come at the cost of increased complexity of the circuit. Instead of fading on and off like lightbulbs they can be switched instantly, making them suitable for displays and precise brightness control. They are available in all sizes, whether it be a tiny package suitable for mobile devices or in large clusters to illuminate rooms. Compared to traditional light sources they are highly efficient, resulting in less power consumption and less heat for the same brightness. LEDs are everywhere, and not without reason.
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