making led lamp?

Question

I'm trying to make an led lamp to light up a glass bottle. Where do I get led lights? How do I give them power/electricity?

I'm trying to make an led lamp to light up a glass bottle. Where do I get led lights? How do I give them power/electricity?

thanks, but for the voltage recommendation does that mean just for one specific led or do I have to increase the voltage/battery for each led I add on

Answer 1

A standard 9 volt battery is a good start. Next, go to your local electronics store (radio shack or Fry's), and buy some LEDs. There are many colors to chose from, and a small package of 10 or so won't cost you but a few dollars.
Next thing to know is the polarity of the LED. This means the anode (negative) and the cathode (positive). The anode is the longer lead on a new LED.
So you won't burn out the LED, you should put a resistor in the circuit. Look to find a 430 ohm resistor, and you will probably be happy with your result.

Answer 2

You can get LED lamps from an electronic supply store such as Radio Shack, Fry's, etc. (Look in the phone book for electronic part stores.) There are several on-line stores as well. You need a battery and a resistor to light an LED. The LED should give a specification for typical forward current (usually about 10 - 20 mA). The spec should also include the forward voltage drop; a red LED should have a forward drop of about 2 V. If the battery is V volts, and I is the desired current, the resistor value is (V - 2)/I. You won't find a resistor of the exact value, so pick one close.

The connection is as follows:

The + pole of the battery, to the resistor. Other side of resistor to the long lead of the LED, short lead of the LED to the - pole of the battery.

Example 9v battery, 20 mA current, fwd volt = 2 v:

r = 7/0.02 = 350 ohms. You can find 330 ohms, so use that.

See this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LED_circuit

(Note: the resistor can go on either side of the LED)

Answer 3

I would order the LEDs from www.digikey.com they are far less expensive and offer a wide range t chose from. Also use superbrights if you want real bright lamp.

Make sure to use a 330Ohm to 1Kohm depending on the brightness. 12V - 9V battery would work as well.