How To: Adding lights to your Crisis Suits

[Asmusei]

Messyart

I don't know how much time you put into finding good LEDs, but Maplin.co.uk has a fair load.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/components/optoelectronics

Just tried it, but they don't have the 1mm LEDs I need. I may have found a seller on eBay, but I have to buy 200 items at a time. I think I could find uses for the leftovers...  

[DarkElf27]

Asmusei

Messyart

I don't know how much time you put into finding good LEDs, but Maplin.co.uk has a fair load.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/components/optoelectronics

Just tried it, but they don't have the 1mm LEDs I need. I may have found a seller on eBay, but I have to buy 200 items at a time. I think I could find uses for the leftovers...

200 beats 1000.  

[Asmusei]

DarkElf27

Asmusei

Messyart

I don't know how much time you put into finding good LEDs, but Maplin.co.uk has a fair load.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/components/optoelectronics

Just tried it, but they don't have the 1mm LEDs I need. I may have found a seller on eBay, but I have to buy 200 items at a time. I think I could find uses for the leftovers...

200 beats 1000.

Very true.
I'm going to have an update posted soon on the wiring, I'm probably going to add it as a new post, seeing as how the first one is getting to be quite stretched out. It isn't a whole lot, but it should give plenty of ideas to anyone wanting to do lights.  

[Asmusei]

Quick Notice:
I finally found the LEDs at the right size, colors and volume that I need and have bought them, I should have them in about a week and my brother is going to let me borrow his soldering pen, so I should be able to wrap this up within a day, once they arrive.
I also have extras, but not a whole lot! If anyone wants some 1.6mm LEDs (red, blue, green and white) I can send you a couple feet of wire as well, I'll only be asking for 5 USD to help pay for the cost and shipping. I won't jip you on lights, but that means only two or three people will be able to get in on this. PM me if you're interested, we will figure things out once I get them.  

[Asmusei]

Another Notice:
Finally got the lights in and thought it would be quick and easy, but I couldn't have been more wrong; I blew out three of them in a flash from too many amps, though the voltage is just fine and that the glue I'm using works as paint remover for base-paint.
Never had that problem before.
Anyways, been taking pictures along the way and have learned that some of the steps before need adjustment, so I should be able to adjust it and add the last to the tutorial soon.  

[Caleidah]

You might want to get that battlesuit on some antibiotics.

Because it looks sick as hell.  

[Asmusei]

Caleidah

You might want to get that battlesuit on some antibiotics.

Because it looks sick as hell.

rolleyes Nice.
Well, I blew out three of the lights last night while figuring things out. Turns out that the Amperage is different for the Red and Green than the Blue and White. Turned a third of the bulb into Plasma in a split second.
Still, got it done and am now working on the tutorial. Hope you enjoy!  

[notmuch_23]

Kirchhoff's circuit laws are your friends, as well as Ohm's law. If you don't know about something, I'm an electrical engineering student: ask me. If I don't know, I'll take the problem to my instructors who are electrical engineers and/or map it out on multisim. Perhaps I should have asked about the circuit earlier, but still.

I'm glad you at least figured things out to keep from blowing your diodes (of the light emitting variety).  

[Asmusei]

notmuch_23

Kirchhoff's circuit laws are your friends, as well as Ohm's law. If you don't know about something, I'm an electrical engineering student: ask me. If I don't know, I'll take the problem to my instructors who are electrical engineers and/or map it out on multisim. Perhaps I should have asked about the circuit earlier, but still.

I'm glad you at least figured things out to keep from blowing your diodes (of the light emitting variety).

Hey, thanks!
The idiot I bought them from said that all of them are 20ma on 2mm lights, when I asked him about the 1.6 I bought! I explained the situation to him when I asked the question, so he's obviously not going to be any help. The second circuit doesn't emit as much as the first does, so obviously they need more amps to be bright, but that won't be a problem as the lights are pretty much direct and not obstructed to the ends of the barrels as the picture of the Fusion Blaster being tested shows. I really don't have the best set of info as the guy only stuck stickers on of business name, type of LED and count. Otherwise, they're supposed to be rated 2.5v. Mind helping find a proper resistor?  

[notmuch_23]

Alright, there's a few things I need to know:

What is your power source?

How are your LEDs wired?

Do you have any model numbers or a manufacturer name? I need to track down the voltage drop across the diodes as well as their rated current consumption (versus what the .02 A that the vendor gave you).
.
As soon as I know those details I can work out how large of a resistor you will need quite easily.

For now though, at 2.5 volts and .02 amps of current, the diode itself offers 125 ohms of resistance, which isn't that much at all. Of course, once a diode of any type is supplied with enough voltage potential, it looks almost like a short in the circuit.  

[Asmusei]

notmuch_23

Alright, there's a few things I need to know:

What is your power source?

How are your LEDs wired?

Do you have any model numbers or a manufacturer name? I need to track down the voltage drop across the diodes as well as their rated current consumption (versus what the .02 A that the vendor gave you).
.
As soon as I know those details I can work out how large of a resistor you will need quite easily.

For now though, at 2.5 volts and .02 amps of current, the diode itself offers 125 ohms of resistance, which isn't that much at all. Of course, once a diode of any type is supplied with enough voltage potential, it looks almost like a short in the circuit.

Everything is parallel and there are no shorts, I made sure to avoid that.
I'm using button-batteries, pulled from small batteries that are supposed to be 12v but only because of how many cells where in them. The supplied 3v to one light by itself caused the light to feel like it was heating up slowly, so the circuits might be just fine with all the lights taking on 3v together.
I have a box for hooking the whole thing up with that outputs at a switch variable, 4.2v at 500mA, a bit too high!  

[notmuch_23]

I think a 470 ohm resistor between the battery and the diodes will be enough to protect them then.  

[Asmusei]

notmuch_23

I think a 470 ohm resistor between the battery and the diodes will be enough to protect them then.

That'll be perfect for one circuit, but is there one that allows a bit more amperage to pass through?  

[notmuch_23]

Asmusei

notmuch_23

I think a 470 ohm resistor between the battery and the diodes will be enough to protect them then.

That'll be perfect for one circuit, but is there one that allows a bit more amperage to pass through?

Maybe a 100 ohm if you can find them, or a 470 before each of the diodes in the branch.

I've done the calculations, and I didn't believe it myself how little resistance the circuit needs.