LED circuit
electrical circuit used to power a light-emitting diode
In electronics, an LED circuit or LED driver is an electrical circuit used to power a light-emitting diode (LED). The circuit must provide sufficient current to light the LED at the required brightness, but must limit the current to prevent damaging the LED. The voltage drop across a lit LED is approximately constant over a wide range of operating current; therefore, a small increase in applied voltage greatly increases the current. Datasheets may specify this drop as a "forward voltage" (
V
f
{\displaystyle V_{f}}
) at a particular operating current. Very simple circuits are used for low-power indicator LEDs. More complex, current source circuits are required when driving high-power LEDs for illumination to achieve correct current regulation.
Basic circuit
The simplest circuit to drive an LED is through a series resistor. It is commonly used for indicators and digital displays in many consumer appliances. However, this circuit is not energy-efficient, because energy is dissipated in the resistor as heat.
The LED's
V
f
{\displaystyle V_{f}}
depends on its material. Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's circuit laws are used to calculate the appropriate resistor value, by subtracting the LED's
V
f
{\displaystyle V_{f}}
from the supply voltage and dividing by the desired operating current.
The public source identifies “LED circuit” as electrical circuit used to power a light-emitting diode. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around circuit, electrical and used.
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