Education:Project 1 - Lighting an LED
From Stuy Techtonics Wiki
Contents |
Materials
- (1x) Any visible specturm LED (1x)
- (1x) AA Battery
- (1x) 100-150 ohm resistor. Watt rating doesn't really matter.
- Some wire... Preferably insulated (has plastic sheathing.)
Overview
In this project: You will learn what a circuit is, how to construct one, the importance of resistors, and how to use an LED to detect current flowing through your circuit. LEDs are one of the most widely used light emitting devices in the electronic world. LEDs come in a wide variety of types, some emitting visible light, some emitting IR light.
Lesson and Resources
- How Stuff Works (Basic Circuits). The physics behind circuits.
- How Stuff Works (LED). A comprehensive (if not confusing) overview of the LED.
- LED Tutorial. A very basic and easy tutorial on this project. Defines things like Anode and Cathode, tells you how to identify each on an LED.
Procedure
- Note which leg of the LED is the annode, and which is the cathode.
- Connect the resistor, battery, and LED in series. Be mindful to connect the LED in the correct direction. (anode to negative, cathode to positive)
- Observe how the LED emits light. Disconnect any wire in the circuit. What happens?
