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I am trying to do an arts and crafts project (from this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5LjGFkpApw)

But instead of using a battery pack like he is in the video I would like to plug the lights into an outlet. I have these LEDs: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08G4X23BR, which say they can run off of a range of voltages, I am thinking either 9 or 12v for my purposes.

Unfortunately I don't know enough about electronics to come up with the proper circuit diagram for this. I also do not know how many lights I can run off of an outlet (I probably will only need up to maybe a dozen on each outlet max)

I would appreciate any help from the specific wiring diagram or just references to be able to figure this out myself.

Lastly (and this will probably show my naivete) I am thinking I want to run these in parallel, specifically so that if one light fails they don't all fail.

JYelton
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Thorny
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    You just need an AC to DC power supply, also commonly called an "AC adapter" or a "wall wart." See https://electronics.stackexchange.com/q/34745/2028. Also search the site a bit, there are dozens of questions about running LEDs in series and parallel with current-limiting resistors, constant-current power supplies, and so on. – JYelton May 04 '22 at 23:26
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    They will consume about 20 mA each (50 of them in parallel would use 1 A.) But that's at 12 V. If you run them at 9 V they will require less and will be dimmer. If you have some already, get a fresh 9 V radio battery and see if one of them lights up enough for you. If not, stick with 12 V. Either way, you should pick out a good quality power supply. How many of these, at most, do you plan to use in any one project?? – jonk May 04 '22 at 23:35

2 Answers2

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Unfortunately I don't know enough about electronics to come up with the proper circuit diagram for this.

You don't need to. These thing are a cheap commodity that is everywhere. And anyway, it would be dangerous to mess with AC power, and unnecessary since... y'know... everywhere.

However, the item needs to be UL, TUV, BSI listed.

Since these are commodities, there's no trouble buying safe ones. As such, there is no earthly reason to buy a dangerous one.

Safe ones are approved by competent testing labs (USA OSHA keeps a list that much of the world relies on, it's here). In Britain you may be familiar with the famous BSI Kitemark. Germany, TUV. Canada, CSA. The rest of America, "UL Listed".

5 volts: Sold in more places than eggs

5 volts works great with the video's method of a single LED with a resistor. It's very similar to the 4.5V used in the video. Where to get a 5 volt supply? Well, here's a fine example (1 amp):

enter image description here

That looks familiar, doesn't it?

As you can guess, that has a USB connector on the other end. And you know perfectly well where to get both those power blocks and the USB cords needed to plug into them. They're on the endcap or cash register at every corner store, gas station, drugstore and cell phone shop. Like I say, it's easier to find these than eggs.

And all the ones sold at retail establishments in the first world have been approved by UL or the local safety agency.

"That was easy"

Other voltages are in another form-factor you're familiar with

enter image description here

Bet you have a junk drawer full of these. Or friends with them. Or Goodwill has loads.

And again, almost every one of these sold is UL-Listed or equivalent. That's because of economies of scale - they sell so many billions of these in places where they must be listed, that there's no cost savings in making dangerous ones.

They vary both in voltage and how much current they can supply, but that is stated on the label - typically embossed in black-on-black in 3-point type. I just shoot a photo with my cell phone and zoom the photo. The label also indicates AC or DC, and whether the inside or outside pin is positive.

You can buy the sockets at Radio Shack-- er. I mean Mouser.com, Digi-Key, Sparkfun or Adafruit.

You can also get fantastic educational program kits from Sparkfun and Adafruit, to get you up to speed on electricity. I highly recommend this, because artists + LEDs + skill = the sky's the limit.

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Here is an inexpensive power supply capable of driving up to 100 LEDs in parallel. Adjustable so you can dim the light intensity if desired. If you want a cheaper unit choose one that do not have adjustment. A strait 12 Volts unit will do perfect. To find out how many LEDs you can run all you have to do is divide the total current capability of the power supply by 0.02 Amp. ex: 12V 1 amp power supply: 1A / 0.02A = 50 LEDs

Click to see a 3 to 12V power supply

Fred Cailloux
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  • I'm not sure why this comment was downvoted, I thought it answered my question rather well. If I had the rep I would upvote, but I don't so I'm leaving a comment instead. – Thorny May 05 '22 at 13:51
  • @Thorny, totally agree with you. Anyway, trying to speculate about people's behavior is futile. I'm here to help others with what I know and hope it brings a bit of good in this world. The rest is not of much concern. I even question why there is a voting system not requesting voter's justification. – Fred Cailloux May 05 '22 at 14:12
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    I'm happy to explain my down-vote: shopping recommendations are explicitly off-topic. As for down-voters being required to justify the vote - I think it's a terrible idea because all it'll lead to is a string of arguments in the comments (as has been discussed multiple times on meta). – brhans May 07 '22 at 11:38
  • @brhans, point well taken. Makes sense. Still , I remain a bit confused as to why Harper didn't get a down vote for suggesting Radio-Shack and others. Enlighten me someone. – Fred Cailloux May 16 '22 at 15:59