

The transistor now provides amplification to the current, turning the LED on. When the switch is closed, base currentįlows through the transistor, turning it on. So with no current, the transistor nor the LED turns on. Bipolar junction transistors need base currentĪnd sufficient positive voltage to the collector in order to provide amplification. Therefore, the transistor cannot turn on. When the switch of the circuit is open, no current flows to the base of the transistor.
#Fet transistor for multiple leds driver#
The schematic of the LED driver circuit we will build is shown below: This 3 volts can comeĮither from 2 AA batteries connected in series or from a DC power supply. This is called reverse bias voltage so that the current in the transistor can flow from emitter to collector. Positive voltage applied to the collector in order to work. This voltage is necessary for the transistor to work. To power the LED and the collector of the transistor, we provide 3 volts of power. This will be sufficient for providing amplification. The parts we need to run this circuit are shown below.įor the transistor, we simply use an NPN transistor. We use the transistor to supply the amplification necessary so that the LED

This circuit exploits the fact that transistors can function as current amplifiers in circuits. However, if you wanted to drive 2 LEDs in parallel, you would need a driver circuit to get more current. Thus, you could drive a single LED on an output pin. A chip such as the Atmega168 or Atmega328 allows for about a maximum of 20mA of current output Or you may have a chip that allows for enough current to light an LED but you may want to light several LEDs in parallel.įor each LED that you want to light in parallel, about 15mA of current are needed more per LED. This current may not be enough to drive an LED. However, say you have a circuit that is operating off the power supplied by a chip and the chip can only output a There will be enough powerįrom that power source to light up the LED without the need for a transistor. Of course, if you're powering an LED and you can connect the LED directly to a power source, you won't need a very sophisticated driver circuit. The point of this circuit is to demonstrate that if you do not have sufficient current powerful enough to drive an LED, you can connect a transistor to the circuitĮnough current amplification to drive it. We will simply use a transistor and a few resistors to bring about a circuit which, with minimal current, can produce enough current to drive and light an LED.
#Fet transistor for multiple leds how to#
In this project, we will show how to build a simple LED driver circuit.Ī LED driver circuit is a circuit which can power on and light an LED>
