2022-11-09 07:00:05 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								categories:
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								  - Electronics
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											2023-02-10 18:22:04 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								tags: [electricity, circuits]
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								# LEDs
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											2024-02-02 15:58:13 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								LED' stands for **Light Emitting Diode**, a [circuit]() component that emits
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								light. The symbol for an LED is displayed below:
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											2024-02-16 16:14:01 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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											2022-11-09 07:00:05 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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											2024-02-02 15:58:13 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								A **diode** is a special kind of component that only permits current to flow
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								through it in one direction. To achieve this it has very low resistance in one
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								direction to allow current flow and high resistance in the other direction to
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								impede current flow. This feature of diodes is clearly represented in the
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								generic diode circuit symbol:
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											2024-02-16 16:14:01 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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											2022-11-09 07:00:05 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								An LED diode lights up when the right amount of current flows through it. A
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								standard LED has a maximum current of 20mA. An appropriate
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											2024-02-17 11:57:44 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								[resistor](Resistance.md#resistors)
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											2024-02-02 15:58:13 +00:00
										 
									 
								 
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								must therefore be added to the circuit to ensure the current doesn't exeedd this
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								amount.
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