Where is a good place to get LEDs and resistors ?

Thanks....:dude:

I usually shop www.eLED.com and www.allelectronics.com www.radioshack.com is good too (but shop around, their prices tend to be high). All electronics usually gets my money (be sure to check their kits too!)

I got excellent service from these two. Prices can't be beat.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/cece718__W0QQ_armrsZ1
and
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/bestshop2008hk__W0QQ_armrsZ1

I avoid RadioShack because they are 10X the cost of anywhere else.

http://www.unique-leds.com is great for hard to find stuff (especially 1.8mm LEDS)

But honestly Ebay or any of the online retailers
http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp
http://www.allelectronics.com/
http://www.futurlec.com/ (only problem is slow shipping, But worth it)

Those sites are excellent !! :thumbsup: Thanks, Model Man, Steve244 & aric
I blew my whole lunch hour looking at all the goodies besides LEDs. :freak:

Next question is, where do you get your resistors Model Man ? :confused:

Your videos on the Cylon build are very good & easy to follow.

Thanks, :wave:

The first ebay seller he listed also sells resistors, but not a lot of selection and you have to buy 500 at a time (but for $9.50 a bag who cares!).

All electronics allows you to buy specific resistors at quantities of 10 or more for the same or less money (depending on quantity). link (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/530200/Resistors/1/4-Watt-Resistors/1.html)

Figure out what you're likely to need and just buy that kind. The "assorted resistor" packs from rat shack have about 20 out of 100 you might actually use.

www.oznium.com

for all kinds of LED goodies. some prewired and set for 12v. and of course bulk

Next question is, where do you get your resistors Model Man ? :confused:

Your videos on the Cylon build are very good & easy to follow.

Thanks for the nod. I wanted to make that cylon video as easy as possible and am glad it is of some use as a generic how-to.


I think I got all my resistors from one of those two links. I also think that 500 pk Steve244 mentioned, I split up to 5 diff ratings of 100 qty each. Figure for $10 shipped, you can't go wrong.

(Pretty sure both the sellers listed have near 100% feedback. As with all neg feedback you gotta read and see if the person was just grumpy or had genuine complaint. I won't personally vouch for either seller (or most any for that matter), but my experience was excellent in all regards. Just do your research carefully and weigh the balance.)

Search the bay for "100 pc (pack) led(s)" and you will find dozens of sellers (mostly in china) that offer free resistors with the leds and free shipping. In that case, you tell them the voltage of the power source (9v, 12v, etc) and they give you one resistor per led ordered.

3yrs ago when i stated looking around for leds, it was tough to find them. When I did, it was a place like RShack and the cost was $6 for a single 3mm blue led. Well, for $4 more on ebay, I found 100 times that with free resistors, so I've stuck with that since. Don't remember that seller in particular, but they were also from china. I figured for $10, if I get burned on the sale, I get burned. But I didn't and have gone thru ebay exclusively since. The last purchase was a full restock of all colors for about $100 between those two sellers I listed above.

Now that I've seen what kinds of colors and resistors I'm going thru lately, I gotta stock up again before xmas.

Also: Get warm white leds! I can't rec. them enough. They stay white in person and on camera. No blue tinge whatsoever. They cost about .20 cents each and are therefore about 2x more expensive than std. white leds, but well worth it!

So if you see my recent star destroyer video, the engines are std. white leds that go blue on video and the warm whites are inside for the windows and stay white in person or on camera. Use this difference to your advantage! Great stuff!

Good luck with wherever you buy them from!

Wasn't there a link in this thread to a ten L.E.D. chaser circuit?
Was it in a different thread?

Wasn't there a link in this thread to a ten L.E.D. chaser circuit?
Was it in a different thread?

I think this is it. (http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/AEC/LED-CHASER-KIT/-/1.html)

Ok, now I know where to get supplies. Thanks !:thumbsup:

Now I need a little more detail. :confused:

On resistors, like 1W 1/2W 1/4W and what ohm, 150/220/330/470 ?:freak:
Same for LEDs, I think I want 2mm or 3mm (red / green / yellow)

Now just picture this, the first time I have ever been in this electronics store.
I find the led & resistor aisle, the wall appears to be 100 feet long an 50 feet high.
With so many choices it makes my head spin.:freak:

After 5 minutes, I just give up:beatdeadhorse: and go get some lunch. :p

I have no idea what I am looking for ! :confused:

I am just wanting to start out putting lights in a model truck.
I will be using fiber optics to do headlights(white)/taillights(red) & dashboard (yellow).
I am going to put all the electronics in the bed with a cap over it.

Thanks:wave:

The trick to getting started is planning.

First decide what kind of power supply and what voltage you plan on using, battery or stepped down wall power such as from a wall-wart (for reasons I won’t go into here I use 9V supplies on models). Once you’ve chosen a power source next decide what type of LED you want to use where, and take into consideration your level of expertise in electronics. If you’re a novice avoid surface mount LEDs/components until your knowledge/skills improve. Once you’ve selected a power supply and LEDs you can select the appropriate resistors from Ohm’s law. An LED will have a forward voltage drop that’s a function of its internal makeup. Put simply, different colors have different voltage drops. That value needs to be subtracted from your power supply value to determine the final voltage that will appear across the resistor. For example, if you have a 9V power supply and a white LED that has a forward voltage drop of 3V, then 9V – 3V = 6V across the resistor. Using Ohm’s law we can calculate the resistor value needed to limit the LED current to 10 mA:

6V/.01A = 600 ohms

The nearest standard values to 600 ohms are 560 ohms and 620 ohms. I’d use 560 in this case.

Most LEDs can be safely operated from well under 1 mA to 20 mA. Above 20 mA and sometimes the lifespan can be shortened, especially if in an enclosed space that builds up heat. The current level (in mA) will determine the relative brightness of the LED. It’s best to try different brightness’s for the LEDs to determine what looks best in a given application on a model, so a working stock of resistors of various values is handy to have.


Edit: What gives with the Font size changing??

Yes!
Thanks, Steve244!

I was planning to use one of those in the Jupiter 2 kit
from the "Lost in Space" movie.

And, if I can make it work, (being an electronics novice),
I have other ideas for chaser circuits...

Thanks.

I guess I'll just buy some supplies & experiment.

I'll use the online calculator to help figure it out.


:wave:

just in case you don't already have one, consider getting a breadboard to experiment with. That and a set of jumper wires. Much better than twisting wires or gluing wires or soldering wires to experiment with...

Here's a breadboard. (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2734155)

Here are the jumper wires. (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103801)

And a tutorial. (http://eecs.vanderbilt.edu/courses/ee213/Breadboard.htm)

If you are looking for alot of LEDs and fiber optics - on December 26th your local stores will have them on sale. I stock up with a lot of white and blue LEDs after Christmas at all of the local box stores because they will be 50% off or more.

All the ones I bought were 3 volts when I tested them.