Author Topic: $50 Robot LED  (Read 8686 times)

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Offline ParthTopic starter

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$50 Robot LED
« on: June 15, 2008, 12:23:13 AM »
Hey everybody! I recently bought a 20-pack of a variety of LED's from Radioshack. While I was reading through the $50 robot (for like the thousandth time, lol) I saw that he gave a specific link to the LED.

It was a 3mm Clear Red LED. Do I have to use that LED or can I use any LED I want?

For instance, I have a red LED (not clear), but I don't know what size it is because it doesn't say on the packaging. There are also small red ones, big red ones, green ones, etc. Basically, could I use one of those instead of the LED picked out to use?

Thanks!

Offline goatfish

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Re: $50 Robot LED
« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2008, 01:29:34 AM »
i am prety sure you could just use a normal ,what was it 5mm LEd,anyway,it shoulndt matter what color you use they arent gonna drain moe power than say the red ones

p.s.-use green it sounds cool lol  ;D better than red,my choice anyway  ;)

Offline koolboarder007

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Re: $50 Robot LED
« Reply #2 on: June 15, 2008, 02:15:43 PM »
One thing you might want to consider is that different color LED's use different voltages. For example, the LED listed for the $50 robot takes almost up to 5V. I just finished putting mine together and I measured the voltage going to the LED and I was actually surprised that it was that high. I think the red LED's at radio shack (the ones with the little notch on the side) use a voltage less than 2V so be careful that you don't melt the LED. You might want to use a higher Ohm resister for the package of LED's you purchased to prevent this. Also, make sure to connect the anode to the right location. When I first put it together I couldn't figure out why my LED wasn't coming on and I realized that I put it on backwards. If I remember correctly, the short end connects to the positive voltage while the longer end connects to the resistor (which is connected to PIN 6). Keep in mind that the LED will not come on unless you program it since the signal is coming from the AT Mega 8 microcontroller. When you download the program for the robot, I think by default it calls the function LED_off(); Change this to LED_on(); and your LED should come on as soon as you plug in the 9V battery. I hope this helps :)

Will

Offline silent069

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Re: $50 Robot LED
« Reply #3 on: June 15, 2008, 05:22:23 PM »
Thanks, this also helped me with my led, wasnt sure if i wired it in backwords or not, but i haven't uploaded the program or plugged in my chip. Should have this all done tonight depending on how this storm treats my towns power.

Offline shlodo

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Re: $50 Robot LED
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2008, 03:04:54 AM »
put a small resistor in parallel with your led so it doesnt blow

Offline Admin

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Re: $50 Robot LED
« Reply #5 on: June 18, 2008, 03:22:57 PM »
This might help you select a resistor with your LED:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/electronics_led_tutorial.shtml

Quote
put a small resistor in parallel with your led so it doesnt blow
its supposed to be in series :P

Offline shlodo

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Re: $50 Robot LED
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2008, 11:57:52 PM »
sorry my bad, meant to say series...

 


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