I have got two LEDs that I scavenged from a dollar store.
The first LED (LED 1) is shown in this photo. It flickers to simulate a candle (3v, 18mA).
The second LED (LED 2) is from a cupboard light. (4.5v, 350mA). Its much brighter than LED 1.
(The voltage specs above came from the batteries in their respective housings. I measured the currents when I connected my power supply to each one.)
My goal is to make the bigger LED flicker like a (big) candle using a common power supply—a 9V battery. I saw a Youtube video where a fellow just connected, in series, two LEDs (one like LED 1 in my photo, and the other, a plain (non flickering), similarly rated LED. By “in series“ I mean he connected the Anode of the flickering LED to the positive terminal of a battery (via a resistor) and its Cathode to the Anode of the plain LED. The Cathode of the plain LED went to the negative terminal of the battery. The second, plain LED flickered in sync with the first. Not a bad hack.
Here is the Youtube video. Warning: Please start your view at no earlier than 1minute, 49 seconds.
However, this only worked because of the similarity of the ratings of the Youtube man’s 2 LEDs. Its not as simple in my case because my second LED is so much more high powered than the first.
If I am to use this hack, I have to have LED 1 connected to the battery, followed by LED 2. However, without a resistor before the battery I will destroy LED 1. With an adequately sized resistor I wont get enough power to LED2.
Can you help please?
I need a transistor in between?
The first LED (LED 1) is shown in this photo. It flickers to simulate a candle (3v, 18mA).
The second LED (LED 2) is from a cupboard light. (4.5v, 350mA). Its much brighter than LED 1.
(The voltage specs above came from the batteries in their respective housings. I measured the currents when I connected my power supply to each one.)
My goal is to make the bigger LED flicker like a (big) candle using a common power supply—a 9V battery. I saw a Youtube video where a fellow just connected, in series, two LEDs (one like LED 1 in my photo, and the other, a plain (non flickering), similarly rated LED. By “in series“ I mean he connected the Anode of the flickering LED to the positive terminal of a battery (via a resistor) and its Cathode to the Anode of the plain LED. The Cathode of the plain LED went to the negative terminal of the battery. The second, plain LED flickered in sync with the first. Not a bad hack.
Here is the Youtube video. Warning: Please start your view at no earlier than 1minute, 49 seconds.
However, this only worked because of the similarity of the ratings of the Youtube man’s 2 LEDs. Its not as simple in my case because my second LED is so much more high powered than the first.
If I am to use this hack, I have to have LED 1 connected to the battery, followed by LED 2. However, without a resistor before the battery I will destroy LED 1. With an adequately sized resistor I wont get enough power to LED2.
Can you help please?
I need a transistor in between?