LEDs with Resistors

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Forum Name: Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs
Forum Discription: Under Car Lighting, Strobe Lights, Fog Lights, Headlights, HIDs, DRL, Tail Lights, Brake Lights, Dashboard Lights, WigWag, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=60307
Printed Date: May 14, 2025 at 12:01 PM

Topic: LEDs with Resistors

Posted By: customcutlass92
Subject: LEDs with Resistors
Date Posted: July 28, 2005 at 8:37 PM

I know that LEDs need resistors to work properly with a 12v source, but the LEDs that I bought each came with their own resistor for me to solder on. I want to wire about 20 LEDs in series so I can just ground it on the other side. Does each LED still need its own resistor???

Thanks in Advance,

Brad

Replies:

Posted By: nowlater123
Date Posted: July 28, 2005 at 10:34 PM

Try wiring all the LEDs in parallel. This site should be helpful.

https://www.metku.net/index.html?sect=view&n=1&path=mods/ledcalc/index_eng

Just use the parallel calculator at the bottom.

-------------
Kenwood all the Way!

Posted By: customcarchris
Date Posted: July 28, 2005 at 11:43 PM

Yes, each LED needs its own resistor. You will have to run a power wire and a ground wire to each LED.

It's not that much harder, just run both wires and then solder the resitor to the power and positive of the LED and then the negative of the LED to the ground and then at the end just stop the power and "ground" the ground wire.

The most LEDs you can run in parallel is six with red, yellow, and orange, or three with blue green and white. Purple and pink or multi colors I'm not sure, but I know you can't run more than those numbers in one parallel strand, and then you would need a different resistor than what came with the LEDs for the parallels.