Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Contributors:
Nick Poole,
bboyho
Resources and Going Further
You've made it! You know, like, almost everything... about LEDs. Now go forth and put LEDs on whatever you please! And now... a dramatic reenactment of an LED without a current limiting resistor being over powered and burning itself out:
Yeah... it's not spectacular.
If you'd like to learn more about some LED related topics, visit these other tutorials:
Light
Light is a useful tool for the electrical engineer. Understanding how light relates to electronics is a fundamental skill for many projects.
IR Communication
This tutorial explains how common infrared (IR) communication works, as well as shows you how to set up a simple IR transmitter and receiver with an Arduino.
Das Blinken Top Hat
A top hat decked out with LED strips makes for a heck of a wedding gift.
How LEDs are Made
We take a tour of a LED manufacturer and learn how PTH 5mm LEDs are made for SparkFun.
LED Butterfly Pop Up Card
Craft an illuminated butterfly pop up card with copper tape, two LEDs, and a battery.
Interactive LED Music Visualizer
Use an Arduino and the SparkFun Sound Detector to create visualizations on Addressable RGB LED strips.
LED PomPom Headbands
Follow this tutorial to make your own light up PomPom headband! Try the beginner version if you are new to electronics or the advanced version if you have some more experience!
SparkFun gator:bit v2 Hookup Guide
The gator:bit v2 is a breakout board for the BBC micro:bit. The gator:bit exposes almost every pin on the micro:bit to clippable pad with circuit protection. It also has as built-in addressable LEDs and a built-in buzzer.
Interested in learning more about LEDs?
See our LED page for everything you need to know to start using these components in your project.
Or check out some of these related blog posts:
