Operation of LEDs -

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Dear Reader,
Greetings from Wipro!

In this issue, we will study operation of LEDs.

Please feel free to contact us for any additional information / support.

Please write to our Lighting Solutions team at: atul.jawase@wipro.com for any design / technical
support.

Enjoy Reading!

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• As LED is a Semiconductor device, it is Uni-directional

• DC Voltage is required for driving LEDs
• Operating DC voltage also referred as Forward Voltage of LEDs is low– typical VF = 3.6V (e.g. 1W LED)
to 40V (e.g. COBs)

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• LEDs can’t limit the current through them by themselves

• So, LEDs need external control circuit for regulation of current
• Individual LEDs used for illumination require 2-4V of DC power and DC current in mA

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• Forward Voltage (VF) of LED, has positive and negative tolerance.

• It is not possible to get all LEDs with fixed typical VF
• LEDs need external control of Voltage with Maximum VF input.

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• The brightness, Life & colour of LED depends on current

• Operating on a low-voltage DC power supply enables LEDs to be easily adapted to different power
supplies, permits longer stand-by power, and increases safety.
• LEDs need precision Constant Current control

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• As LEDs are connected in series in an array, higher voltage is required

• In addition, during operation, the light source must be protected from line-voltage fluctuations
• Changes in voltage can produce a disproportional change in current, which in turn can cause light
output to vary

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• If current exceeds the manufacturer recommendations, the LEDs can become brighter
• But their light output can degrade at a faster rate due to higher temperatures within the device which
leads to a shorter useful life.
• One definition of useful life for LEDs is the point at which light output declines by 30 percent

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 Operation of LED – Driving Basics

• LEDs, therefore, require a device that can convert incoming AC power to the proper DC voltage, and
regulate the current flowing through the LED during operation.
• The driver converts 230V (or other voltage) 50Hz AC power to low-voltage DC power required by the LEDs,
and protects the LEDs from line-voltage fluctuations.

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Did You Know?

• In 1979 to 1987, Steven Van Slyke worked with Ching Tang on the first OLEDs at Kodak. Kodak became a
patent holder of SMOLED (small-molecule OLED) technology. SMOLED requires depositing organic
molecules in a vacuum. This was a very expensive process at the time.

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Stay tuned...

For next issue on “Operation of LEDs”

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 Thank You

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