MAINS OPERATED LED NIGHT LAMP

Here is a simple and powerful LED based night lamp circuit that can be operated
directly from the 230V mains supply. There are total 24 white LEDs used and the
lamp produces an output of around 15W.The resistance R1 and capacitor C1
provides necessary current limiting. The circuit is sufficiently immune against
voltage spikes and surges.

Circuit diagram with Parts list.

Notes.

Assemble the circuit on a general purpose PCB.

The capacitor C1 can be polyester type.

White LEDs are preferred in this circuit.

DESIGNING LED LIGHTING
DISCLAIMER: None of us here are electronics experts. We've already corrected this
page numerous times thanks to real electronics experts who have emailed us. What
we'd really like is for a real electronics expert to completely re-write this page for
us!

LED ratings are specified by current, not voltage. For longest life, we recommend
you run them at 20-25 milliamps (ma). HOWEVER, in our LED flashlight conversions
(and many commercial LED flashlights), the LEDs are run at 50-60ma, twice the
rated current. One of our test LEDs ran at 98ma for over 200 hours without damage
or appreciable light loss. So go ahead and experiment with running them at over
rated current if you are willing to take the risk of a shorter life. In my opinion, a
flashlight bulb that lasts 100 hours is a huge improvement and cost saver over the
incandescent alternative which gives only 15-20 hours before it dies.

You must use some method of limiting current to your strings of LEDs. The easiest
is simply using the right number of LEDs for your supply voltage. Each white LED
gives a voltage drop of 3.6 volts. So, for a 115 volt DC light, you could use 32 white
LEDs in series (115 / 3.6 = 32 +/-) with NO current limiting (they will limit
themselves by their inherent voltage drop). In reality, though, there are many other
circuit design issues you need to look at to build a reliable 115VAC home LED
lighting fixture! We link to a few resources farther down on this page, and you can
always Google up 'LED lighting circuits' for more information. Reverse polarity will
not damage an LED unless the voltage is very high--it simply will not work, and will
not pass current through. However, be sure to check the manufacturer's rating for
the specific LEDs you are using--there are some out there, particularly the latest
models, that can be damaged by relatively low reverse voltages. The diagram below
shows how the LED package is marked for polarity.

The next easiest is a simple resistor. The resistor does

consume power, though, but is usually needed since an
'ideal' 3.6 volt source is rarely available. Use Ohms law
(Resistance(R)=Voltage(E)/Current(I)) to calculate the value
and wattage needed: (R=E/I)

Each white LED gives a voltage drop of 3.6 volts. As an example, for a
12 volt light, you can run a maximum of 3 white LEDs in series at full power (3.6 x 3
= 10.8 volts drop). Subtract this from your supply voltage of 12 volts to get the
additional voltage that must be dropped (in this case, 12 - 10.8 = 1.2 volts of
additional drop needed). In this case, 1.2 volts of additional drop / .025 amps (25
ma) = 48 ohms. Use the next highest value of resistor available, 50 ohms. You
must also be sure the resistor can handle enough current. Volts x Amps = Watts;
resistors are rated in watts. So in this case, 1.2 volts x .025 amps = 0.03 watts. A
1/4 watt resistor will work fine, but if you run a second string of 3 LEDs in parallel,
each string would need its own 50 ohm resistor. It's important that each string has
its own resistor....putting them in parallel with a single resistor is bad practice.

This method is cheap and works great, but there's one problem--voltages in a
remote power system (or car, for that matter) tend to vary. In our home system,
voltages range from about 12 volts when the batteries are low up to 14 volts when
equalizing the battery bank. An LED lamp string designed to run at 25 milliamps at
12 volts would be pushing 64 ma at 14 volts, which would be very bright and
PROBABLY last at least a few hundred hours...but then when your batteries are low,
the LEDs will pull only 10ma or so, making them very dim. If you are looking for
maximum lifespan (which could be over 10 years of run time) and brightness that
doesn't vary with your battery condition, try a voltage regulator circuit (below).

So, we highly recommend a simple voltage regulator chip for the safety of your
LEDs. White LEDs are expensive, and it would be a shame to blow them out. Parts
for a current-limiting circuit are very cheap--less than $2. Use the Ohm's law
calculations above to select the resistor for the voltage you choose. Or, use the
regulator in a current-limiting configuration to run the LEDs. You can also use an
LM317 adjustable voltage regulator set to the exact current level needed by your
strings of LEDs. See the circuit diagrams below.

We originally described using an LM7812 voltage regulator chip for this application,
but it presents some problems--they generally won't start regulating until input
voltage reaches 13.4v, and they have a 1.4 volt voltage drop, leaving you with
under 12 volts at typical RE system voltages. Instead, the LM317 is a better choice,
and you can adjust its output to fit your needs. Choose your current-limiting
resistors as shown in the diagram below. This protects your LEDs from fluctuating
system voltages.
MICRO INVERTER CIRCUIT