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LED help

rpcosgrave

Jul 17, 2012
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Hi everyone this is my first time on the forum. Hope I'm submitting this to the right place.
I have a question about LED lighting.

Bit of background on my project:

I started a little project a while back and build a portable PA system for camping.

It runs off a 2 x 12v 4ah batteries and has a 50watt amp and speaker. I've also installed an ipod charger and 2 usb ports that run from the second battery. I hooked these up using some old cigarette adapters I had at home.

I'm now looking to install some lighting. I've bought 6x1watt LED light. Its a portable working light. Its runs off the mains and I want to convert it to work from 5V usb port if possible (that may seem like a stupid but I have no idea). I have read you can run LED string lights for christmas trees off a usb port.

Is this possible and if not is it possible to run it off the 12v battery directly?

If you need anymore info on anything I'll try find out. But as I said this is my first time on the forum and don't have much electrical experience.

Thanks in advance
 

Harald Kapp

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Nov 17, 2011
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Look here https://www.electronicspoint.com/got-question-driving-leds-another-work-progress-t228474.html for a bunch of information on LEDs.
If your LEDs run off mains, there is internal circuitry to reduce the power to a level that allows the LED to survive. You will have to discard that circuitry and build your own 12 V LED driver. This can be as simple as a series resistor or as advances as a temperature compensated switch mode constant current source :).

Here is a discussion on the same topic: http://forums.makezine.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2589
Also here with some pretty intensive discussion: http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=52820


Harald
 
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