Okay. So, I want to build something along the lines of this...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Music-LED-Light-Box/In that Instructable, the 6 LEDs are wired in series. I want to be able to wire them in parallel and replace the 12V DC adapter with a USB connector so that the box may be powered via my laptop's USB port. This way I won't need another cable going off to a power point in the wall and things will be nice and tidy around my laptop.
Now, I know that the USB 2.0 ports (which is what my laptop has) are 5V @ 500mA.
The specifications for the LEDs I have are:
Emitted Colour : OCEAN BLUE
Size (mm) : 5mm T1 3/4
Lens Colour : Water Clear
Peak Wave Length (nm) : 465 ~ 470
Forward Voltage (V) : 3.2 ~ 3.8
Reverse Current (uA) : <=30
Luminous Intensity Typ Iv (mcd) : Average in 6000
Life Rating : 100,000 Hours
Viewing Angle : ±10°
Absolute Maximum Ratings (Ta=25°C)
Max Power Dissipation : 80mw
Max Continuous Forward Current : 30mA
Max Peak Forward Current : 75mA
Reverse Voltage : 5~6V
Lead Soldering Temperature : 240°C (<5Sec)
Operating Temperature Range : -25°C ~ +85°C
Preservative Temperature Range : -30°C ~ +100°C
So that's pretty much 6000MCD 3.8V LEDs @ 30mA, correct? And this guy here:
LED music Box has his version of the LED music light box USB powered. Would I be correct in saying that this USB powered version still needs the 3.5mm connection to the audio output, just as the 12V DC powered version does?
Seeing as my LEDs are 3.8V, I will need a resistor that will drop the 5V power supply down to 3.8v, correct? If this is correct, this resistor calculator
http://led.linear1.org/1led.wiz?VS=5;VF=3.8;ID=30 tells me I need a 47 ohm resistor.
This calculator
http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz when I put in my values 5V source voltage, 3.8V diode forward voltage, 30mA forward current and 6 LEDs in my parallel circuit, comes up with this:
+----|>|---/\/\/----+ R = 47 ohms
+----|>|---/\/\/----+ R = 47 ohms
+----|>|---/\/\/----+ R = 47 ohms
+----|>|---/\/\/----+ R = 47 ohms
+----|>|---/\/\/----+ R = 47 ohms
+----|>|---/\/\/----+ R = 47 ohms
So, in other words, I chuck the 12V DC adapter out and hook it up to a USB connector instead, stick a 47 ohm resistor in before each LED, then hook up the 6 LEDs in parallel and it goes. If any of what I said was correct, it should work, right ?
If anybody has any suggestions, comments or improvements, please feel free to share.