There are several different types of LEDs. When you buy the LEDs in any store, you usually encounter with a large selection.
We can distinguish different types of LED colors and capacities:
LED color:
- one color
- Multicolor
LED Power:
- low power
- high power
one color
This LED has only one color. The color of light is usually reflected color of the plastic case, but not always.
Has a cathode and an anode, and it is powered by connection terminals (+) of the power supply to the anode and from the terminal (-) to the cathode. The LED should always have a current-limiting resistor.
The most common one-color LEDs: infrared, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and white.
Multicolor
These types of LEDs come in different colors in a single package. For example, red and green, to show the status of something. They have more than two contact pins, so that you can choose from different colors. For example, in Figure 2 we see a 4 pin output, and hence the LED is designed for 2 colors.
Recently, there are more and more RGB LEDs. This light-emitting diodes red, green and blue. They are now different scope.
low power
This is the most standard LEDs. they usually have a voltage drop of about two volts and a forward current of about 10-20 mA. The light intensity is not as high, so they are usually used to refer to anything rather than to illuminate the space.
high power
These LEDs are used to generate more luminous flux than thin. They are made with a lot of metal to be able to dissipate more heat.
How to choose a general purpose LED
LEDs are usually easy to select. When I select LEDs, I adhere to the following criteria:
- choose the LED color;
- through hole or SMD;
- the forward voltage drop of about 2V;
- 10-20 mA forward current.