LED resistor
Find the right resistor for lighting a model or diorama with LEDs: supply voltage, LED colour, current and number of LEDs in series or parallel, with the nearest standard value.
Calculated resistor
Nearest standard value
Resistor power
Total current draw
Why you need a resistor
An LED doesn't limit its own current. Connect it straight to 5 V and it burns out in seconds. The resistor takes up the extra voltage so the LED gets only the current it needs.
Series or parallel?
- Parallel, one resistor each: the safest choice. If one LED fails, the rest stay lit.
- Series: one resistor for the whole string and less wiring, but the supply has to cover all the LED voltages added together.
Making it look real
Warm white LEDs at low current look like old incandescent bulbs. For a flickering neon sign or a dying fluorescent tube in a garage, use a flicker LED or a small microcontroller. A drop of orange glass paint on a white LED makes a convincing sodium street lamp.
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