LED Tutorial: Light a 10W LED from 12V - Simple & Cheap

[@SuperBoobaloo]

Brilliant. Thank you for explaining that voltage/current curve. Helped my understanding of LEDs no end.

[@fotoamgamgfoto3695]

Why don't you remove the Graetz bridge diodes if you already have the correct polarity? I removed those 4 doides in my one and it saves a lot of wasted energy (voltage drops on the diodes and heat). I also could use those Shottky diodes for other circuits etc.

[@lordofthebeltsthereturnoft1127]

I have a similar setup Julian, I notice that most of the small 12v fans are quite noisy at 12v, so it's better to run them at about 9v or so. They still keep it cool enough and the noise is lower, they probably will last longer as well. I use a slightly bigger heatsink than your one though, I use a traditional looking one that is square and is 40mmx40mmx15mm and I just mounted a 40mmx40mm black ebay fan on the back. Mine runs from 240v, so I have a switch in the extension cord (in line switch) and then a double adaptor which has the 240v-12v led driver to run my LED and then on the other part of the double adaptor I have like a small phone type charger thing which puts out 9v and that runs the fan, so they both turn on when I turn on the in line switch. I find that it's a pretty good setup. Your setup uses 12v power supply though, which can be more fun of course. I would probably use a DC-DC step down converter and have that running the fan and then have the 12v driver running the LED. That's how I would do it with the 12v power supply. LED's have become so cheap and it's quite cool how easily you can light up spaces now with low amounts of power.

[@kccustomuph]

Great tutorial. Very helpful. I would love to see even more of these "simple and cheap" LED tutorials. You are a great teacher. Best wishes.

[@JulianIlett]

kccustomuph Thank you. Most kind.

[@SVSunnyJim]

Thankyou, clear and excellent. In order to keep my project quiet Re the fan heatsink, could I use just a piece of flat bar, say 3mm?

[@claudioabado6246]

Thank you so much for putting the time and effort to make this presentation informative!

[@mibars]

You can raise efficency of that assembly by simply shorting input diodes as you power it from DC. That should yield 1.5W (or 0.8W) decrease of power consumption by getting rid of voltage drop on silicone (or shottky) diodes.

[@Mortern]

+mibars Of cource you can, but the rectifier bridge has nice advantage: it protect the circuit and the led from inverse polarity.

[@jonathansimmonds5784]

Thank god for a tutorial in yt without an American accent! If I hear the word 'sodder' one more time...! But oh no, have you just ruined all my plans by telling me I can't run an led directly off a 12v battery and now need a driver on each one? I've just made four 12v strip lights using those self adhesive strips of multiple led's and two floods using cobs, all direct to a thumping great big 12v heavy duty battery, everything works, I've even left one of my home made strip lights (mounted on a 6ft x 2inch metal corrugation cut off a roofing sheet with aluminium (note correct spelling!) tape reflectors on for an afternoon just to check it works and it did, the floodlights too, wires soldered to the cob (rated 12v to 36v) with croc clips on the ends, it all works! What have I done wrong or in the 5 years since you made this vid has led technology changed so that drivers aren't needed? Please say yes!

[@scivids1999]

9V batteries also have quite high ISR, which will limit the current, to an extent. You've given me a few ideas in this vid though! :)

[@MagruderSpoots]

I just received some of these and I thought they would have a current limiter circuit built in. When I saw that they didn't the first thing I thought was 'Julian Ilett'. Thank you for your ideas.

[@JahanZeb1976]

What a nice solution to all the project dear mate! Excellent explanation of all the project and components. Regards,

[@stephenbeeson1521]

Just got in some 10W led's yesterday and played around with them for a few hours. From what I can tell you dont get much of an increase in brightness once you exceed 10.15V or so. So they end up being pretty bright at just 4W, other then a rapid increase in current usage they did not get considerably brighter above that.

[@stephenbeeson1521]

Once I get my heatsinks in I will do a side by side comparison of both the Warm White and Cold White led's at 4W and 9/10W.

[@extendedp1]

cool video, thanks. I was wondering what the voltage reads at the led, and how many amps the whole unit is drawing?

[@THEDRAGONBOOSTER8]

Thank you ..someone who I can understand,others just don't seem to show what I need to know,also you speak clear..Cheers..

[@nidhindavid634]

Though the layout is not good, the tutorial is excellent covering in detail about the steps and requirements.

[@laurataylor1853]

***** Hi David, I am new to LEDS and need some advice. Would you be able to assist?

[@nidhindavid634]

laura taylor I am afraid I can't help. I am into software and programming.

[@dina2624]

A cheep 2A PWM controller to vary the input voltage and a 12v battery may be a good and simple straight forward solution to power and dim those LEDs . Those 10w 12v COBs seem to have protection built in. I just have bought 3pcs for $0.3 each. I have connected 2 of them in parallel and drove them from a 15v 2A power brick using a $1 PWM controller module. Once the output exceeds 13v @ 2200 mA the COBs automatically shut down and start working again when lowering the input voltage.

[@Designandrew]

I made a 100W LED torch. It's super bright but pretty impractical because its so large. It works well though, I might make a video.

[@karenberry9498]

Hi Julian this is a great tutorial, my led's have arrived also my fan, just waiting for my led driver. This has helped me so much I never new you could not connect them direct to 12v, I am new to all this. Thank you very much.. John .. :)

[@erlendse]

According to the seller's specification, connecting it to 12V directly would be likely to work given the led stays cool. That it stays cool is quite much a forget it, and the current will increase and it will get even hotter etc. Thus short pulses only. Constant voltage is doable, but constant current self-regulate and is way safer for the led.

[@Jursaw]

This is really clever. I want to make my own led stick kind of light for working on cars. This is giving me some ideas.

[@malcolmwicca]

Many thanks for this vid. I keep losing model aeroplanes in cloud, and am going to try fitting this led and driver cct into a model to find out if it is visible at 2,500 ft. Will switch it on near cloud base or if vis gets difficult.

[@Ecobion]

A very good, clearly explained and educational video Julian.

[@MrIMacro]

Nicely done. Two questions please: Q1: can i use the same setup but with 100w instead of 10w. If not what do you recommend? Q2: can i attach 4 led's instead of one? thank you

[@culmalachie]

Well explained and clarified some issues for me. - Not so shy about them now! Christmas is coming , dark nights still here - farz ma bitz!

[@VaupellGaming]

When watching this, i was wondering if you could find a 5v LED driver, to "build" a arduino into a car, and simply use a driver to control the current at 5V for the arduino unit?

[@rockysprague726]

Extremely useful information here ! Great video And by the way the led can take 5 amps if properly cooled at 5.4-5.6amps it will finally blow!! I have mine thermally glued to the heatsink

[@kennmossman8701]

FIVE Amps? that is about 45 Watts

[@6toeNL]

Hi Julian, Recently I've ordered 10W LED lights to create my own LED grow light to start grow vegetables indoors. I'm do understand the basics to create something like this. Do you like gardening or growing vegetables? It would be nice if you would look into this matter. Perhaps you can make a video about it. It would be very helpful! Cheers,

[@carlosbarba4753]

Hello, great video, I would like to know if I had 2 sets same as this one (2x10w led, 2x drivers, 2 heat sink with fan) what kind of power supply do I need to make them run at the same time and how do I make the conections? Im trying to make a reeflamp but not sure how to make it happen

[@NoahNobody]

I have some old 12v DC supplies around. Do I need them to be any particular amperage? Could I also use the same driver to add a few of these in parallel (One power supply, one driver, 3 LEDs)? I would use a longer heat sink of course. Thanks.

[@AddictedtoProjects]

Awesome video. Thank you Sir! Just chuckled when I saw you drill what I initially thought was a COPPER heatsink, only to turn out to be Aluminium with a copper electro coating. Are these Chinese people cheeky little buggers!

[@kchappelle]

mictho100 Never seen a copper heatsink. Aluminium is industry standard. The anodizing is a nice touch.

[@TheKingOfHalo]

Let's say I want to attach 5, 1 watt led chips to a heat sink, and then connect each led chip to the driver in parallel. Will the driver give each led 10 volts equally? Or do I need a driver for each led chip?

[@0foxgiven]

Fiy i have been running an led on 12v for the past year in my room. Consumes 22w and has not failed yet although it is nearing the end of its life. Theyre certainly 12v compatible. At 13 and up they keep burning.

[@zeekzone]

If you were to be using these in an automotive application, and had them at the front of the car to light the dark mountain roads, would the airflow be enough to keep them cool? Or would you still recommend a fan?

[@aldrichallenbarcenas6740]

Excuse me for a dumb question, would it also be possible to just have a 12v regulator and a resistor that matches the amps needed by the LED to work? I would understand if it requires dimming, but since it's just a simple light, if it were me I would just use a resistor.

[@fabiocericola3893]

Very nice video. What will happen if i use a 12V, 6A power supply? will the LED controller produce too much heat?

[@ro63rto]

Could a bunch of these be mounted to a 10mm thick aluminium bar to use as under cupboard lights in the kitchen? If so what kind of power source would be needed?

[@morlanius]

Hi Julian, my first comment on one of your videos. I find these very well made, you give all the info. I really appreciate the fact you gives prices and sources to the items you talk about, a great format. I was just wondering though, are you by chance a policeman?

[@JulianIlett]

Morlanius Thank you kindly. Policeman? No.

[@TheKetsa]

I didn't knew it would instantly blow, so I connected mine to one of my 12.6V lipo for RC. They didnt blew and worked well, I'm wondering now if I really need a led driver. . . or not ?

[@jameslow5738]

0.6 V over the limit is still fine. The lifespan of the LED might be shorter or not affected at all as tolerances are always taken into account in manufacturing

[@karzygijose]

You could do a RC light bar

[@TheBlackadder-Edmund]

It is possible the voltage of the lipo goes down due to the load

[@electro3976]

Julian great work your tutorials and reviews are inspirational

[@homerola2]

Can I get away with a simple metal plate as a heat sink if I intend to use it as a brake light for my car? Also, if I want to use a few of these toghether, do I need a driver for each LED or can I get a bigger driver for all?

[@itube612]

I pressume the driver supplies optimal voltage (and current) for this particular led. But you've said led should not be connected directly to 12V. Most of them don't have such rating by far. My question is, however, would it be possible to use a resistor or a potentiometer instead of the driver in your scenario?

[@larkhill2119]

Yes as in 12v led strip lighting. Off course problem is your wasting power as the voltage drop turns into heat.

[@sgnsibande4606]

Beautiful work, can't thank you enough for the good work ..... on the 1W LED do you need a fan if connecting 6 of them?

[@vvsantiagoe]

Have you ever made a measure of whole system's power consumption? I'd like to know the efficiency.

[@dannygrogan353]

is the fan essential? i thought of using one of these for a desk lamp but it seems a bit ott to have a fan cooled desk lamp! incandescent bulbs get pretty hot too, are these even hotter? if i make sure the led isn't next to anything that will melt will that be ok or will it self destruct? thanks for any possible replies.

[@k1mgy]

Julian, thank you for the links to the components. Very helpful!

[@roughshaf7321]

I added 12v 10w led directly to 12v and it worked.

[@undefined326]

Is LED flashing at high frequencies? Sorry for my bad English, I live in Finland.

[@IlianNachev]

Hi, I have a question I hope you can answer for me. I have converted my car's tail lights from regular bulbs to LEDs. Up until two days ago, I was using SMDs with no problems at all. However, after I installed COBs, a couple of days ago, I noticed that the COBs flicker and do not light up evenly across the board. I am using resistors, in order to dim the lights a bit when using them for running lights, and when I hit the brakes, all the voltage gets fed to the lights. It seems as if the problem arises only when I have the COBs on the lower voltage setting (through the resistor) and not on the full brightness setting (bypassing the resistor)... I saw that the COBs came with a black piece that the wiring goes through, while the SMDs did not have that. Is that black piece essential for the operation of the COBs? Can I remove it or that would render the COBs useless? How come the SMDs do not come with that additional piece in the wiring? What could be causing this issue? Thanks beforehand!

[@fiqabumm1]

Great video. So I can't connect it directly to my 12 v battery. What if I have a 6 leds in series. What do I need to add then.

[@laurataylor1853]

Hi Julian, Just watched your tutorial. I am newbie to LEDs and I would just like a bit of info. Sorry if I appear ignorant but as I said I am a newbie. Can I not connect it directly to a eg; a 12 volt 6A MW power supply/driver? If for instance I wanted to make a light box with 10 x 10 watt Leds would I have to use 10 current regulated drivers? My last question is could I just use heat sinks and a couple of fans? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks.

[@Hewpie]

Thanks very much for this! I need a non-flickering mains powered light source for high speed photography - will any 12V mains supply be OK for this to power 3x10W LEDs?

[@dannyboym424]

Any thoughts? I have 4 10w leds forward voltage of 9-11 watts and 900-1000 mA , a power supply ac to dc 12V 5A 60W and a Voltage Regulator DC 4-40V to 1.25-36V 8A Buck Converter, 36V. Should I run these in series or parallel ? using heat sinks also. the buck also has a potentiometer on it to raise or lower or even shut off

[@electric_mix]

Led 10w Maximum 12v or 11v

[@caddisking]

Wow that was great! I would like to see you do one on 30w LED.

[@YuTonyGraceRevolution]

Thankyou for this, how does one make it pulse/flashing at 10Hz?

[@kennmossman8701]

hit it quickly with a hammer many times a second

[@DominicShooter]

Thanks for the video Julian that's cleared up a ton of stuff for me.

[@TeslabladePlaysMC]

I forgot to say that I'm thinking on using batteries,but I will need suggestions for that,too. I am not the person who works with battery formulas,and I wish I could get the batteries in a box with the LEDs and put it where my existing light(Nikon LD-1000) would go on its tripod mount.i want the batteries to run at least half an hour,if not more. Thanks again!

[@hermoss1]

Hello could you explain me please how a Gu10 led bulb that you must plug on 230 volt works ? What does it contains in it exactly ? Can't find the description nowhere on the web ? Thank you so much.

[@AtariXcore]

Does the regulator step up as well as down? I have a few I used with the 9volt and regulator for the most amount of light. Never tried 12volts. If it is current limiting then. Itd only take what it needs because the voltage drop inhearent to the leds power requirement?

[@Twist_av_Lemon]

Hi, I have a nice 24v power supply and a housing from a previous sewing lamp. Id like to install some leds into the housing and use the psu to power it. Id like it nice and bright but not too warm as its a plastic housing. Would you maybe have some suggestions to how I could build my own? Id also be happy using mains and a converter if its small enough. If you could help me out I could send you pics and more info. Thanks Simon

[@savagesapper4260]

So, I'm very ignorant when it comes to wiring. Having said that, if I wire several of these, do I need more than one transformer- e.g. one transformer per light?

[@mnelson10000]

I love the 101-level vids! Thanks brother

[@TeslabladePlaysMC]

So,I'm thinking that since if you regulate the brightness from the cool,sort of blueish led and a warm,nearly yellow led,you can get most of all of the whites in the world.With knowing that, which size and amount do you think you could bear looking at,but is bright enough to light a big (3 or more square meters at least) scene and wouldn't make blotches of different colors of white everywhere and overexpose a camera? Thanks! (By the way)I normally have trouble filming indoors or outdoors because where I am,during winter,it doesn't get bright enough for filming,and indoor lights are very dim compared to the lights i need for filming.

[@karimismail3734]

Julian,you did it again. Great video and a knowledgeable teacher, handsome project as well. I finished a similar project. It works great. Using 9volts not 12v deacreases heat generated, brightness is almost the same.. Always use a fan (in heat sink) to keep your circuit healthy. To know if heat sink is required;just turn it on for a couple of seconds and touch the back side of LED and judge the necessity of the heat sink. Good luck guys.

[@kennmossman8701]

Yes do NOT use Math or Science to determine the heat-sink. Instead see if your fingers get burned. 1st degree burn - bigger HS, 2nd degree-much better HS 3rd degree - HS with fan so many idiots in the world..............................

[@NicholasAarons]

Fantastic Video Julian. Keep up the great work. Nick.

[@monopoly-hy6ol]

I've ordered 5 of these 10w led for an aquarium lamp along with 5 fans/heatsink.. does that mean i need 5 Drivers like the one in your video or do i just need the one hooked into my power supply?

[@Elquesisabe100]

very good video hello, excuse me if I wanted to connect one led to a 12 or 14v car. that you recommend transistor or will it better resistance ??

[@alexafa316]

Thanks mate I learned something today. Thiers's these led chips from Stratus Led that I wanna get into cuz I love bright lights and so I wanna learn some things so I don't fry another led bulb by plugging it into 240v wall lmao thank goodness I didn't get hurt just a loud pop

[@Ledske]

very nice tutorial, but what about putting this in a car with working alternator on 14.4 volts?... cause i build headlights with high power leds, but i want to optimise..

[@kenrobertson4952]

I want to build simple 1-5 Watt lamps for a development project in Africa powered by 12V battery. Is the LED Driver that you use suitable for low wattage LEDs?

[@charllie1]

Hi Julian and thanks for the video. I am looking to flicker a 10w led just like the in this video, I want to use a pic clicker to trigger the flicker rate which uses 3.3v. Could I use FETS for this and if so what would you recommend. Best wishes Charlie

[@TheJohnLyons]

Nice little project. Thank you.

[@chrisgavin]

Many thanks for this video/intro to using COB LEDs. I'm working on a DIY cine film scanner project and have so far been using an array of 10 rectangular LEDs as a light source. These COB LED packages look like a good solution for packing lots of LEDs into a small area. So I'm looking for a light panel area about 10mmx10mm. My project already has an Arduino and some stepper motors too, so there is already a 9Volt Maplin power supply powering the rest of the project and I'd like to use this to power the light source too. I've only just found out about COB LEDs today and have been looking to get something to try. I'd like the most 'neutral' white (4000k colour temp) and High colour accuracy (High CRI) would be nice if possible. I think 1W or 3W units would be OK, I probably don't want any more power and I do want to be able to run off the 9V PSU. It seems that the 1W ones are usually very small beads so may not have a large enough light area. I've seen a few 3W ones that might be large enough, but I'd worry more about heat/burnout issues. So can anyone help me spec/source the right COB LED for this project please (I'm in the UK.) Many thanks, Chris.

[@kennmossman8701]

my consulting fee is 20 USD per hour

[@1988NickF]

Julian, I have one of these 32-34V 10W LEDs you mention cannot be run in this way - however I have a healthy fear of higher voltages! Is it possibly to run it off 12VDC if using a boost converter? Sorry for the silly question, I'm a bit new to this and don't want to die.

[@MrJusjones0110]

Excellent Video very well done and a great beginners guide to Leds.

[@AnoopSreenath]

Hi Julian Awesome video, very informative.. I am a newbie to LED world, If I have to connect 5 of these 10 w LEDs in series I.e. +ve to +ve and -ve to -ve wiring and drive all 5 of them with a 12 v 2A LED driver, do they all turn on at full brightness, does the current get divided between each of those 10W module?..given these LEDs are rated at 900ma do all individual 10W LEDs get 2A current? .. Thanks a lot...

[@suprativdey596]

does it gives enough light 2 use as an emergency light in the place of a 5 watt AC fluroscence bulb????

[@8Jory]

Could you use heatsink plaster or that Arctic silver epoxy to attach the led instead of the screws?

[@clashtran9182]

nice video, JUlian, Can I use multiple ( 2 or 3) 10W LED into 1 power driver or do i need to use 1 power driver per 10W LED? Thanks

[@qnaman]

I assuem I can use dc - dc regulated converter? they are also efficient. like xl4015.

[@sebich11]

Hi Julian ..i bought this set up on "satisled" website .... i read that the driver has an input DC 12-24 v .... i dlike to know if i could use an old PC battery charger that i have .... the output is DC 19V 4.79 A... will it fry the driver or not ??? thanks Seb

[@TheNaiqqi]

Hello! Nice video. I want to ask; if it is about what I've read, this 10w led cannot go beyond 80ºC. So, with a thermocouple, i've measured it; and the temperature goes far beyond that, around 105ºC. The part of the led where y apply the thermocouple is in the yellow part (where the light shine). Is it the place to do the measure? should i do it somewhere else? Because the led is working fine (by now...) and is higher than the absolute maximum parameter of temperature. Thank you very much, sr. Greetings!

[@snaprollinpitts]

thanks Julian, I'd like to put a couple of those on my car.

[@hawkercnc8261]

Can you double up the power regulator boards in parallel to drive a 20watt COB led?

[@BartMan724]

hello im curious about using a GU5.3 or MR16 LED / Cree as Vehicle headlights do i have to use the Driver??? just a curious experiment an cheaper way then the HID Ballast setup alot of people are buying now days.....

[@sergioa.6657]

Great video! Thanks for taking the time to make it.

[@8Jory]

Could this be hooked up to a 12v 5a power supply without destroying things like the fan? Or does this only work because it's attached to a battery?

[@JohnnyDukovich]

+8Jory as long as it's a 12v supply, the fan will only draw as much current as it needs. So a 5A supply would be overkill, but should still work just fine.

[@wiatroda]

How bright is 10W led in compare eg to CFL ? Great tutorial BTW :)

[@TECHNO_TURK]

i have a flood light with the same led chip as yours with a died led driver ( lable says 25-34V) ??? i have chacked the led with an 12v supply it whass still works and i replaced the driver with the same but now my led chip is also died.

[@mediocre-motorcycle-modifi6818]

What can you put on a 20mm star heatsink? Is it possible to put a 5W LED without any airflow?

[@duncanmclachlan475]

Thanks, really well explained.

[@zerodegrekelvin2]

Cool video! I have to troubleshoot a led light bulb, so it is good to know the circuitry, also your 9V test is nice 8-)

[@rockyfosgate]

Don't take this the wrong way, you clearly know a lot more about this sort of thing than me! How have been getting away with running these exact LEDs directly off of 12v for so long? Ive even pushed them up to 15v for a short period. The ones I've been running direct off 12v have been going for months.

[@Ecne3D]

it's fine to connect your LED directly to 12V, as long as you take away the heat :D once led get hotter it allows more current through itself (that's why it's nice to have constant current supply), and that shorten it's life, it's complete bullshit as he said in this video that connecting led directly to 12v will instantly fry it, if you have less V for example 9-10 led won't be as bright but won't get so hot and won't break :D

[@kennmossman8701]

my consulting fee is 20 USD per hour

[@FilmFactry]

What if you wanted dimmable? Have you tested longevity of these components? Will these last for years or die out in a month or two. What's your general experience?

[@JulianIlett]

FilmFactry Cynical answer - the LED driver and VGA fan are intended for use in other products which generally have a 1 year warranty. Therefore, they will probably last a year and a day.

[@seanrolfe5583]

HI how many 10w LED COB Fire Rated Downlights would I need for a 1900mm x 2001mm bathroom ceiling which has upvc cladding, any quick professional answers would be greatly appreciated.

[@dafna2121]

Can you make video like this for changing temperature and zooming? I like to have light Lowel gl1.. thank you

[@TheAditya0]

Can you show how you connected the led to the 9V battery, my leds are not working when I connect the same

[@chandrashekharratnakarjosh8500]

Hon. Can we use resisters for each led chip,like other led of 5 mm and similar to that?

[@1981dasimpson]

i have just got a couple of these units to replace the pcb in my cree spots for the bike when i wired them up the led comes on but is only been supplied 2.5 volt and at 10ma when i tested with the stock pcb i got 3.6 volt across the lead and alot higher current any idea why these units are not supplying full power

[@Haider_Malik]

Great job, I must be sure to try this! Once again another informative video, thank you.