Led and battery advice please

[Stephanie D.]

Hi there, I am looking for some advice for a little project Im doing. I am making a table top Halloween statue and I would like to add a lantern to it for a bit of light. The piece is about 8 inches high and I would like to make my lantern about an inch high. I as going to use a tealight somehow but its not bright enough snd I don't like the orange led. I've been looking up LED for miniatures etc and am thinking a 3 or 5 mm yellow or warm white. I found some 3v coin battery cases and was wondering if this would work ok together and any other advice you think pertinent is appreciated.
Her is a pic of my piece for reference. Thank you

 

[Harald Kapp]

Got a question about driving LEDs?

A 3 V coin cell (CR2032 or similar) can (and is) often be used with an LED without series resistor due to the limited current such a cell can provide. A coin cell (wit or without resistor) will be discharged rather quickly. I recommend 2 × AAA cells in series. Use rechargeables if you want to use the project for a longer time, use alkalines if the project is used only for that one evening.

 

[Stephanie D.]

Ok, thank you.

Got a question about driving LEDs?

A 3 V coin cell (CR2032 or similar) can (and is) often be used with an LED without series resistor due to the limited current such a cell can provide. A coin cell (wit or without resistor) will be discharged rather quickly. I recommend 2 × AAA cells in series. Use rechargeables if you want to use the project for a longer time, use alkalines if the project is used only for that one evening.

I did see some AAA cases with switch and wires on Amazon. I also found some wired 3 or 5mm LED. So its just a matter of red to red abd black to black with a shrink tube over them right?

Got a question about driving LEDs?

A 3 V coin cell (CR2032 or similar) can (and is) often be used with an LED without series resistor due to the limited current such a cell can provide. A coin cell (wit or without resistor) will be discharged rather quickly. I recommend 2 × AAA cells in series. Use rechargeables if you want to use the project for a longer time, use alkalines if the project is used only for that one evening.

 

[Harald Kapp]

So its just a matter of red to red abd black to black with a shrink tube over them right?

Not as simple. Follow the link (blue text) in my post and read the resource.
With AAA batteries the maximum current is to much for the LED and it will burn. You'll need a series resistor. You can buy LEDs with built-in resistor, but these are usually for 5 V or 12 V, not for 3 V from 2 × AAA cells. You can use these 5 V LEDs with 3 × AAA cells.
As for "red to red and black to black": I am not aware of bare LEDs with color coded wires. Usually the polarity of a wired LED is indicated by the length of the pin.

 

[Martaine2005]

Martin

 

[bertus]

Hello,

You can look through most leds.
You will see an arm and a cup, as in the picture @Martaine2005 showed.
Here is an other picture that will show you the inner works if a basic led:


Keep in mind that the different colors of leds do have different voltage drops:


Bertus