LED lite question
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From: maui.HI
LED lite question
I'm looking for an LED light that changes color from green to red but still contained in the same bulb. I've seen this on some home appliances but need one for a 12v system. If there is such a thing, what is the proper name so I can do a search. I'm wanting to use it for a nitrous system. I wanted it to display green when I flip the toggle switch to arm it and red when the micro switch kicks on the solenoids. Thanks in advance.
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From: St Louis
"Bi-color LED".
There are two different styles:
2-pin - Requires that you reverse polarity of the drive voltage to change color
3-pin - Has two separate inputs and one common pin. Drive voltage is applied alternately to the inputs to change the color.
Steve
There are two different styles:
2-pin - Requires that you reverse polarity of the drive voltage to change color
3-pin - Has two separate inputs and one common pin. Drive voltage is applied alternately to the inputs to change the color.
Steve
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From: sunny fla sometimes windy
http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/index...S&Category=248
Get some tri color and you'll be able to see right where the switch is at night!!
Get some tri color and you'll be able to see right where the switch is at night!!
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From: maui.HI
Ok, I'm quite lost. Since my 2 drive voltages will come on at one point (when armed and I press the throttle to WOT) I won't be able to use the bi-color, right? On the tri-color what is the difference between anode and cathode? How would I wire it to display one color when I flip the toggle switch to arm and then change color when the nitrous solenoids kick on at WOT? Thanks
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From: sunny fla sometimes windy
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/ic.htm
555 timers rock!! Go to radio shack ask for their real catalog, they don't like to hand them out I guess they don't want to order stuff. It has a lot of IC chips in it, the web site doesn't have squat compared to the real catalog. You could use regular relays to do the same thing. But get a breadboard and the IC and wire it up on the BB and then you could either just use a blank board and solder jumpers or you could get the PCB kit from radio shack, It is easier than you think to make a circuit board. Trace out your circuit paths with a sharpie, dunk in the etchant, drill holes for circuits, make sure to drill an extra hole where the wire attaches run the wire thru the hole tie a knot in it and then solder to take the strain off the joint. I use empty AA and D battery packages as project boxes if you can't see the thing, or you could go the pretty project box route!!
555 timers rock!! Go to radio shack ask for their real catalog, they don't like to hand them out I guess they don't want to order stuff. It has a lot of IC chips in it, the web site doesn't have squat compared to the real catalog. You could use regular relays to do the same thing. But get a breadboard and the IC and wire it up on the BB and then you could either just use a blank board and solder jumpers or you could get the PCB kit from radio shack, It is easier than you think to make a circuit board. Trace out your circuit paths with a sharpie, dunk in the etchant, drill holes for circuits, make sure to drill an extra hole where the wire attaches run the wire thru the hole tie a knot in it and then solder to take the strain off the joint. I use empty AA and D battery packages as project boxes if you can't see the thing, or you could go the pretty project box route!!
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The most simple solution I can see (if your WOT switch has a normally open "NO" side and a normally closed "NC" side) would be to hook the green side of the LED to the NC terminal and the red side to the NO terminal. Then hook the LED common to ground through a suitable resistor.
When your "arm" switch goes hot, the NC side of the activation switch will be hot, lighting the green LED. When you hit WOT and the activation switch goes from NC to the NO terminal, the green LED goes out and red comes on. If your activation switch only has one terminal, then use it to drive a relay with a NC and NO terminal and run the LED the same way off the relay.
Sounds a bit complicated to say, I can post a simple schematic later, but cant get a picture through the firewall at work.
When your "arm" switch goes hot, the NC side of the activation switch will be hot, lighting the green LED. When you hit WOT and the activation switch goes from NC to the NO terminal, the green LED goes out and red comes on. If your activation switch only has one terminal, then use it to drive a relay with a NC and NO terminal and run the LED the same way off the relay.
Sounds a bit complicated to say, I can post a simple schematic later, but cant get a picture through the firewall at work.
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This is a little more like it - free surfing at last.
OK if you want to add the red / green LED and your "activate" microswitch has a normally open and normally closed terminals: (crappy freehand sketch, but you get the idea)
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...doublepole.jpg
If your microswitch only has one pole, add a simple relay:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...singlepole.jpg
A couple of PS's:
If your LED has a standard ~2.2V forward voltage and 20mA current, you would need about a 600 ohm resistor to make it compatible with the trucks 14V electrical system.
Also, you want the "common cathode" variety of LED for this set-up as you will be using two + inputs and a common - ground.
OK if you want to add the red / green LED and your "activate" microswitch has a normally open and normally closed terminals: (crappy freehand sketch, but you get the idea)
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...doublepole.jpg
If your microswitch only has one pole, add a simple relay:
http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w...singlepole.jpg
A couple of PS's:
If your LED has a standard ~2.2V forward voltage and 20mA current, you would need about a 600 ohm resistor to make it compatible with the trucks 14V electrical system.
Also, you want the "common cathode" variety of LED for this set-up as you will be using two + inputs and a common - ground.
Last edited by Corey872; Oct 9, 2007 at 06:31 PM.
