5 simple ways to determine LED polarity

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5 жыл бұрын

LEDs are probably the most-liked elements by all beginners maybe even by everyone involved in electronics projects. One of the most important factor to use them properly is to connect them the way they should. Of course, usually you need to use a resistor in order to limit the current and avoid burning your LED, but that's not what I am going to write about in this instructable. I want to talk about even more basic thing: checking the LED polarity. In electronics you can find various components, we can divide them into polarized ones (LEDs, electrolytic capacitors, transistors, microcontrollers and many others) and ones that don't have polarity (resistors, coils and other). Polarized component means that it has to be connected in a specific way in order to work. Connecting it the other way may damage it, it may even explode (electrolytic capacitors) or your circuit will just not work properly. So polarity is very important as you can see.
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Пікірлер: 48

@BeauwithaBang Жыл бұрын

I didn't know my multimeter had a diode setting until seeing you use the setting on your meter made me look! That alone gets a subscribe :)

@borisbommen 8 ай бұрын

Haha when you know, you know. Thanks for this short but very help full video! Just about to solder 76 LEDS on a board...

@impulsecoupling 2 жыл бұрын

This was the perfect answer video for my question. Nice work.

@loslosbaby 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! This video was ON POINT! Brief, complete, appreciated! I just figured out how to recycle an LED from a PC case for the BASTL 60 Knobs, which i burned the vias out of messing around with its LED placement. Thanks again!

@micheljansens4643 Жыл бұрын

Hi, actually, there is a 6th way I just had to use: light the LED with a strong light. The LEDs should generate a small voltage. when you measure it with a multimeter ( in position V--- (DC, not AC), and the multimeter shows a positive voltage (around 0,6V- 0,9V), then your red probe side is the + and the black side probe is - I needed this because I was checking a sealed module with multiple LEDs connected in serial and only had access to the external connection not the individual LED pins. The visual methods didn't work because LEDS were not visible, the LED position of the multimeter didn't work because the voltage was not enough to light up the LEDs.

@avpinstarter Жыл бұрын

Thanks for uploading this video clear and easy to understand

@nomnom914 Жыл бұрын

the button cell helped me in my christmas led lights

@deniegaelizalde1518 5 ай бұрын

Nice video, now I knew it which is positive and negative...

@ismulazam7631 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the tips

@tensor131 Жыл бұрын

this video should have likes in the nK zone ... so good . thank you.

@majidzadeh2798 Жыл бұрын

Will Reverse polarity damage the LED light?

@vinaychikodi350 3 жыл бұрын

Yes! VERY good to know& Learning. ,,thank you**

@zolatanaffa87 5 жыл бұрын

very well Nik! quick and clear !

@nikodembartnik 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@deathshaker0026 5 жыл бұрын

Nikodem Bartnik There is one more way to quickly determine LED polarity on that style of led. The cathode has a notch or flat spot. :) Great idea of going back to basics for electronic components. That is the second thing I did when I picked up a microcontroller.

@jamesrichters3517 Жыл бұрын

Thank You!

@tassie7325 Жыл бұрын

Hi. I'm just getting into electronics and have an issue with this I have some LEDs where the internal plates are the opposite way around ie the larger plate is on the positive side i, opposite the flat spot and shorter lead. I have confirmed the polarity by connecting a power source. Am I to take it that the internal plates are not a hard and fast rule.

@jamesallen6007 3 жыл бұрын

Many thanks.

@tomgray7049 5 жыл бұрын

That was great. I did not know the trick with the voltmeter, thank you. I used a coin battery, still do. Would you like to see my big clock LED project?

@RobertornGar Жыл бұрын

Thanks handsome. You helped me out 💡

@kevindondrea144 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video. I liked, subscribed and shared it but... I have an LED so old I can't find the polarity by site. Both sections inside are about the same size. I used my multimeter and found it but was hoping to find a quick site method that covers all LEDs.

@brooknet 4 жыл бұрын

I have a red LED that has its *anode* on the flat side of the package, and this also corresponds to the larger electrode. Has it been incorrectly doped? It's the only LED that I've seen that has this configuration.

@nickblack2006 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you :)

@imranaig3550 2 жыл бұрын

Nice ... 👍👍

@mayachan4430 4 жыл бұрын

thank you.

@johndinsdale4471 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Problem solved with the button cell method.

@COLONELDIRTY 2 жыл бұрын

I know this is an older video, and you will likely not see this comment, but thank you for this!

@thebigone6298 2 жыл бұрын

Thank buddy..

@markgreco1962 5 жыл бұрын

I like your wall mounted multimeter very much

@nikodembartnik 5 жыл бұрын

Me too :) Very useful

@MrIMacro 4 жыл бұрын

How about sharing the buying link of that white beautiful magnifier ? (:

@nikodembartnik 4 жыл бұрын

I bought it locally so there is no link :)

@Sly527 5 жыл бұрын

Grazie!!

@joetke 5 жыл бұрын

The last tip is so natural even if I would not guess it. Nice pair of glasses and hair dress Nikodem ;)

@nikodembartnik 5 жыл бұрын

Most of them are very simple but it maybe useful for all of the beginners out there. Thanks! I really like this new hairstyle, very comfortable :)

@SianaGearz 5 жыл бұрын

I'm sure you know all this, but a couple notes for the viewers. To test most LEDs you need a Lithium (3V) coin cell battery rather than an Alkaline (1.5V). If you're thinking "why don't i just connect 2-3 Alkaline cells in series", well yes you can, especially with coin cells; but if you try that with AA or AAA batteries which can deliver high current, unless you have a fairly beefy white or blue LED that you're testing, as opposed to red for example, you're likely to burn it up if you're not super careful and very quick, and even then you can damage it.

@nikodembartnik 5 жыл бұрын

As long as you are using single AA battery, you wouldn’t burn LED because voltage is too small, of course you can’t connect more batteries in series because that will result in higher voltage and burn an LED.

@SianaGearz 5 жыл бұрын

@@nikodembartnik not the most reliable way to light even a 1.7V red LED either.

@nikodembartnik 5 жыл бұрын

Sure it's not a good idea to power an LED with this voltage in a project but just to check the voltage it is fine.

@makermelissa 5 жыл бұрын

Sometimes I'll just throw them in a 5v circuit with a 330 ohm resistor, which is about the same as the battery method. Gets a little frustrating when you realize it's actually an IR LED though and doesn't light up either direction with the exception of a very faint orange glow.

@GRBtutorials 5 жыл бұрын

Maker Melissa's Lab Orange glow? It’s red!

@makermelissa 5 жыл бұрын

Perhaps my memory is off, it's been a while.

@SianaGearz 5 жыл бұрын

Use your phone's camera or your laptop's webcam to check IR LEDs. If the camera is anywhere near shitty enough, the LED will show up with a bright purple glow, and even on better cameras, it should be visible. If all you have is a high end smartphone and it doesn't work too well on main camera, maybe the selfie cam is shitty enough.