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3 Watt, 5 Watt LED DC to DC Constant Current Driver Circuit

Last Updated on January 21, 2022 by Swagatam 152 Comments

The following article provides a simple yet very decent solution for driving powerful LEDs rated at 3 watt or 5 watt.

Table of Contents
  • Circuit Objective
  • Circuit Operation
  • LED Driver Request

Circuit Objective

These 3 watt 5 watt and similar high watt LEDs are able to produce highly intense and powerful light outputs, however these are extremely vulnerable too with their operating parameter. I have explained more how to operate these devices very safely  using a simple power supply.

We have seen quite many power supply and driver circuits in this blog using the IC LM338, that's because this particular device is so versatile with power regulation and control functions.

The same IC yet again takes the center stage in this application too. Here the IC LM338 has been configured in its standard mode and it perfectly executes the expected current as well as voltage regulations for driving a 3 watt or a 5 watt LED.

Circuit Operation

As shown in the circuit diagram below, in its standard mode the resistor 240 ohms is a regular placement, and the next resistor connected to it is the one which decides the voltage at the output of the IC. Here it has been calculated and set for producing around 3.3V at the output, which is the optimal voltage value for driving all types of white LEDs.

However the IC itself cannot control the current and normally would allow about 5 amp at the output.

We can see that the IC is associated with an additional active component which is the transistor connected to its ADJ pin.

The transistor here is employed solely for controlling the current at the output to the specified limits.

The resistor across ground and base decides how much current would be allowed to the output.

As indicated in the diagram, 0.6 ohms will pass about 1 amp maximum current which becomes suitable for driving a 3 watt led safely, and if a 5 watt LED needs to be driven safely, this resistor must be replaced with a 0.3 Ohms, which will allow a maximum of 2 amps of current.

The input to the IC can be derived from a standard transformer bridge capacitor power supply or from a suitably rated battery supply.

3watt5wattleddrivercircuit

In fact, the transistor and the associated base/emitter resistors are absolutely not required, because once the voltage is set to precise 3.3V, the current would automatically get adjusted as per the LEDs specs.

So the correct circuit should be as given below:

3watt5wattleddrivercircuit 1

Update:

The above suggestion is not recommended if the ambient temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius. Therefore users are requested to go with the first universal design using the BC547 as the current limiter stage, for enabling the intended current control function.

LED Driver Request

The following request for a customized 9 watt LED driver with constant current was requested by one of the avid readers of this blog

We need constant current LED driver. Supply in put is 11.0 vTO 15.0 vdcOut put required is constant current 1400 mA, 8.4VDC. The Load is 3 White Power LEDs, having Vf - 2..7 to 2.8V. This cluster will operate in flashing (Blinking mode). The circuit should have utmost high reliability, minimal number of components. We were using ONSEMI Linear LED Driver NSI 50350AST3G, (qty. 4 nos. connected in parallel)which is now not available Can you please suggest us some suitable Part or Circuit?

The following circuit diagram was suggested for the above application:

LM338 high watt led driver circuit 1

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About Swagatam

I am an electronics engineer with over 15 years of hands-on experience. I am passionate about inventing, designing electronic circuits and PCBs, and helping hobbyists bring their projects to life. That is why I founded homemade-circuits.com, a website where I share innovative circuit ideas and tutorials. Have a circuit related question? Leave a comment.... I guarantee a reply!

Previous Post: « High Current Solar Battery Charger Circuit – 25 Amps
Next Post: Mains AC Xenon Tube Flasher Circuit »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Naveen Sharma says

    November 28, 2023 at 6:59 pm

    Hii sir

    I want to make same dc to dc circuit but with 3 led of 3v, 750mA , all three in series.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      November 29, 2023 at 10:26 am

      Hi Naveen,
      You can use the following calculator to fix the voltage for your 3 LEDs:
      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/lm317-lm338-lm396-calculator-software/
      The voltage must not exceed 9V at the output across the 3 series LEDs.
      For the current sense resistor using the following formula:
      R = 0.6 / 0.75 = 0.8 ohms
      power = 0.6 x 0.75 = 0.27 watts or simply 1/2 watt

      Reply
      • Naveen Sharma says

        November 29, 2023 at 12:50 pm

        Thank you so much sir.

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          November 29, 2023 at 4:34 pm

          You are welcome naveen…

          Reply
  2. Andrew Cazalet says

    November 8, 2022 at 9:35 pm

    Can you help? I need to light from inside a box with a glass cover above using (I think) a small LED Mini Bulb Diode lamp (3W Warm White) that is powered by a rechargeable 12v (?) Lithium battery. I need to know which components (drivers?) I need plus a wiring diagram. Much appreciated if you can resolve.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      November 9, 2022 at 9:10 am

      What is the voltage rating of the LED?

      Reply
  3. Yashaswini K R says

    August 20, 2021 at 11:53 am

    How can I extend this for 10 watt

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      August 20, 2021 at 1:24 pm

      Please provide the voltage spec of the LED, I will try to solve it.

      Reply
  4. Venkat says

    June 4, 2021 at 1:48 pm

    Design a constant current LED driver of 5watts.

    Reply
  5. Rohit Ahuja says

    January 24, 2021 at 11:49 pm

    Hi Sir,
    I appreciate your work, i always visiting your website for learn something new.
    There is a driver (mr16 led driver) on internet, i want to know how can we build it own. It work with 3w led input of 12v dc. Please check out the driver and make a article on it.
    Thank you ????

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 25, 2021 at 8:12 am

      Thank you Rohit, M16 LEDs are just like any other power LED, enclosed inside a multifaceted reflector (MR). So these LED do not require any special driver rather can be operated by any other LED driver which satisfies the exact voltage and current specifications of the LED, therefore if you know the V and I specs of the LED you can drive it with any SMPS having matching specs and current control feature.

      Yes you make it as explained in my above reply.

      Reply
  6. Murali says

    December 15, 2020 at 7:46 pm

    I want to have glow a led lamp with the help of a power bank of 5v dc supply and usb

    Reply
  7. Nelio Abreu says

    August 12, 2020 at 10:15 pm

    Hi Swag,

    Do you any circuit with a 10W LED?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      August 13, 2020 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Nelio, do you want an LM338 based circuit?

      Reply
      • Nelio Abreu says

        August 13, 2020 at 9:05 pm

        Hi,
        One possibility. But if you have another, you are welcome.

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          August 14, 2020 at 8:51 am

          The LM338 actually works like a current limiter, which can be also implemented through transistors. If you have a suitable power source from an SMPS or transformer then you can try any of these current limiters, as explained in the following article:

          2 Best Current Limiter Circuits Explained

          Reply
          • Nelio Abreu says

            October 11, 2020 at 2:41 pm

            Hi Swagatam,
            In the 1st circuit, what are the power ratting for the 0.6 and 0.3 ohm resistor?
            Best Regards.

            Reply
            • Swagatam says

              October 12, 2020 at 12:21 pm

              Hi Nelio, it can be calculated using the formula:

              W = 0.6 x Max LED current limit

              Reply
  8. Aju Manuvel says

    April 29, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    Can i use this circuit with 6 volt 4.5ah battery as input with 3 watt led 3 or 4 numbers in parallel, or can u suggest me a voltage regulator circuit

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 30, 2020 at 9:50 am

      The first circuit can be used for your specific purpose.

      Reply
      • Aju Manuvel says

        April 30, 2020 at 1:39 pm

        Ok sir, thank you. How to calculate the resistance required?

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          May 1, 2020 at 10:36 am

          You can replace the 400 ohms with a 4k7 preset and adjust it to get a precise 3.3V output for the LED.
          The lower vertical resistor can be calculated using the formula:

          R = 0.6 / LED max current

          Reply
          • Aju says

            May 1, 2020 at 1:07 pm

            Thank u. Working fine.

            Reply
      • Yashaswini K R says

        August 20, 2021 at 11:43 am

        Sir where is the link

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          August 20, 2021 at 1:23 pm

          Which link are you referring to?

          Reply
  9. Anish Francis says

    April 14, 2020 at 1:30 pm

    Hi Swagatam, Please let me know if I can use this 3w LED circuit, in parallel to light up 12 LEDs from a single source of 15amp 12v power adapter. Will using the capacitor for each branch make it risky?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 14, 2020 at 4:53 pm

      Hi Anish, you can use the single supply for all the LEDs, but you will have to incorporate individual current limiters for each of the LEDs. You can use a LM317 based current limiter as explained in the following ost for each of the LEDs separately:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter/

      Reply
      • Anish Francis says

        April 15, 2020 at 8:23 pm

        I already have 12nos LM338 with me. How do I use these instead of the 317s for each of the 12 LEDs (3W each). What are resistors to be used and the point where they’re to be inserted. Don’t I need the 2N2222 for each LED?

        Reply
        • Swagatam says

          April 16, 2020 at 10:08 am

          You can apply the first circuit, replace the 400 ohms with 4k7 pot and adjust the output to suit your LED’s exact voltage specs.

          calculate the current limiter resistor using this formula:

          R = 0.6 / LED Current.

          To find LED current divide 3 watt with LED voltage

          Reply
  10. Kosta Stojcev says

    February 15, 2018 at 2:22 am

    Hello, I have the following scheme but i dont know how to calculate resistors and stuffs since i am using a little more difficult scheme.
    All the LED diodes are 3W and need 700mA to light in full power.
    As power supply i am using PC power supply with 12V as input.
    Check the image and i will be really happy if u can help me and give me guidinence.
    prntscr.com/ietal9
    Thanks

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      February 15, 2018 at 8:05 am

      Hello, if you are using a fixed 12V then no resistors would be required, because you have 4 LEDs in series which will be getting only 3V across each of them.

      Reply
  11. Bubu says

    May 14, 2017 at 12:38 pm

    Hello Sir,
    My 3 wheel head lamp have 1w x 6 leds. 3 for dim and all 6 for head lamp. But Alread damaged its PT 4115. So which circuit is the best out of ur two ? Or need modification ?. Should I make 2 circuit that u selected for me for dim & head lamp. Reply me soon. [email protected]

    Tks
    Buddhi

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 14, 2017 at 2:54 pm

      Hello Buddhi, I cannot suggest until I know how these LEDs are configured, are they in series, or are they in parallel?, do they have resistors associated with them? please specify all these details or simply build a fresh new circuit for your bike headlights using my suggested design….

      Reply
  12. Swagatam says

    April 4, 2017 at 11:56 am

    Hello Sandeep, yes it's possible, but I am not sure about the discharge rate and the back up specs of the battery, so I cannot confirm the 4 hour estimate.

    you can use a 9V/2 amp solar panel, and regulate the output to 4V though a LM338 circuit, and supply this to the solar garden light design, this will allow you to get the intended results.

    Reply
  13. Abel Tasfir says

    March 28, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Hallo.. I need power supply with 0-6volt max output voltage for 6v 20watt halogen lamp. I use 10k potensio to adjustment 0-6volt lamp. Please how get it ..

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 29, 2017 at 3:04 am

      Hello, you can use an Lm338 based power supply and adjust its output to the desired level

      Reply
  14. Sunil Thombare says

    November 10, 2016 at 10:02 am

    Hello Sir, I am Sunil from Pune (INDIA). Please can you guide me to design a circuit for 5W LED (the flat one) using mains.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      November 10, 2016 at 3:20 pm

      Hello Sunil, provide all the details of your requirement, regarding the type of power supply you plan to use

      Reply
  15. Ashjeet Talwar says

    October 20, 2016 at 5:10 am

    What value of Capacitors and Resistors would I need if I had a 12V input ?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 20, 2016 at 10:46 am

      It can be same as shown in the diagram

      Reply
  16. tarehi Nunute says

    October 18, 2016 at 6:03 am

    Sir is this circuit suitable for 9 watt and 12 watt
    As I want to use 9 parallel led of 1.2 watt and want to operate circuit at for 12 volt battery source led spec is 9- 10 Voff and 120 MA current please tell me what change is exaxtky required and Lm 338 required heat sink or suggest any other good ckt for different combination like strings of 4 led 3 volt Voff and 3 parallel series of this

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 18, 2016 at 10:38 am

      Tarehi, you can configure this circuit to handle upt 150 watt LED….so yes you can operate the mentioned LEDs with the above circuits after changing the resistor values appropriately.

      Reply
  17. Unknown says

    September 15, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    Hello sir
    Sir can please tell me how many current does 3 watt led consume…how many miliamp current??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 16, 2016 at 11:19 am

      divide 3 by the LED voltage rating

      Reply
  18. Kancharla Nishanth says

    July 15, 2016 at 3:15 am

    Hi Swagatham,
    I have 3.3V battery to power on the LED. But i wanted to control the brightness of it by PWM function from micro-controller output. Microcontroller also operates on same 3.3V battery. Can you suggest a way?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      July 15, 2016 at 2:33 pm

      Hi Nishanth, presently I do not have this article in my website, but possibly I may soon post it with the required data.

      Reply
  19. Ed Mandu says

    June 30, 2016 at 8:58 am

    Can this circuit be made dimable

    Reply
  20. nanigopal mahata says

    June 18, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    sir i have a 12v 7.2 mAh battery,,, maximum how much 5 watt cree xm-l led can i connect in parallel? please send circuit diagram.. i have seen the cree- xm-l led driver,,, but i can't understand which one i use….. i have connected the led direct , it getting hot and ligts are flactuated,, …

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 19, 2016 at 5:32 am

      Nanigopal, did you see the following article?

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/05/cree-xlamp-xm-l-led-datasheet-highest.html

      please do it as per the given details, and make sure to calculate the 0.24 resistance correctly as per your LED specs.

      Reply
    • nanigopal mahata says

      June 19, 2016 at 10:07 am

      sir i got it,, but the input is there 12 volt 3 amps,, but my battery ratting is 12 volt 7.2 mah,,, is the current automatic controlled by LM338… and what is the Rx value for 12volt 5 watt lights… is it 0.24 ohm 1 watt.

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 19, 2016 at 12:09 pm

      Nanigopal, Input is 12V 3amps?? sorry I did not understand? I thought the input was supposed to be from the battery 12V 7.5 AH (not mAH, right?

      yes the LM338 along with the BC547 will control the current for the LEDs

      5/12 = 0.41amps

      Resistor = 0.6/0.41 = 1.46 or 1.5 ohms
      wattage = 0.6 x 0.41 = 0.246 watts

      Reply
    • nanigopal mahata says

      June 20, 2016 at 3:58 am

      sorry , its my mistake …. yes my battery is 12 volt 7.2 Ah…… thank you very much sir… but one problem is that the LM338 currently unavailable in our local shop…… so is there any alternet for LM338, such as TO- series???

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 21, 2016 at 3:49 am

      since the current requirement is below 500mA, you can easily use a LM317 IC for the same….LM338 is not required….the circuit design for LM317 will be exactly similar to LM338

      Reply
  21. kiran says

    November 13, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    Hello der v r using 12 v 20ah car battery and willing to connect 5w LEDs ..can you plz suggest d proper circuit for it..is it possible to connect them in series and what would be the proper size of the heat sink

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      November 14, 2015 at 7:01 am

      please provide the exact specs of the LED in terms of voltage and current….and quantity

      Reply
  22. mrugendra says

    September 7, 2015 at 5:23 am

    hello sir i want to power a single 12v 10watt led with bike battery of 12v 7.2ah
    i tried finding circuits on goolge but no luck.
    according to me powering direct throught battery amps will kill the led

    i want to make a search light for night with the help of single led 12v 10 watt
    please suggest some circuit sir

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 7, 2015 at 4:02 pm

      hello mrugendra, use the first design presented in the following article:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter.html

      make sure to use a big heatsink for the IC, and calculate the value Of R1 as per the given formula.

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 7, 2015 at 4:03 pm

      …the LED will also require a large heatsink

      Reply
  23. Swagatam says

    June 24, 2015 at 6:12 am

    Hi Jaco, I have posted your requirement in the following article:

    https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2015/06/cree-xm-l-t6-led-driver-circuit.html

    Reply
  24. Jaco Bezuidenhout says

    June 23, 2015 at 8:44 pm

    Hi Swagatam,
    Thanks for the great advice and circuits!
    Have you had a chance to have a look at a circuit for the LED mentioned by Guruh above?
    I would like to retrofit my 3 cell Maglite with this Cree LED and upgrade the batteries to Li Polymer. Do you have any advice on the battery voltage I should choose and how would I achieve changing the intensity of the LED to a high, medium and low state with the existing on/of switch?
    Typical information on the LED:
    CREE XM-L T6 Mounted on star board
    2.9V-3.5V 3000mA 6500K
    Maximum Drive Current 3 A
    Maximum Power 10 W
    Light Output 1040 lm @ 10 W
    Forward Voltage 3.1 V

    Regards and thanks in advance,
    Jaco

    Reply
  25. srinivasula reddy says

    June 12, 2015 at 3:16 pm

    Hello, for 10 number 3 watt cree LEDs , what capacity driver needed. thanks
    Power: 1W-3W
    Model Name: CREE XPE-R3
    Emitted Color: Cool White (6500k)
    Brightness: 1W:122LM 3W:320LM
    DC Forward Voltage (VF): 3.2V-3.6Vdc
    DC Forward Current (IF): 350mA~1000mA
    Maximum Pulse Voltage: 3.8V
    Maximum Pulse Current: 1200mA
    LED Viewing Angle: 120 degree
    Diameter: 20mm

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 13, 2015 at 11:53 am

      Hello, just multiply the voltage rating with the current rating of the particular LED and you will get the maximum wattage for the driver….and it also depends how you want to connect the LEDs…if in series then the current becomes equal to the rating of the single LED, but voltage ratings combines.

      Reply
    • srinivasula reddy says

      June 13, 2015 at 2:10 pm

      thanks a lot

      Reply
  26. Hv Verma says

    May 7, 2015 at 8:44 am

    Hello Sir….
    I want to run 5 watt LED (normally runs on 9 volt DC) on 12 volt DC with the help of IC 7809 on my scooter Headlight. But both LED and 7809 got Very hot…. is there any risk to run with 7809…?
    2. I want to run these LED on 220Volt. I made a circuit with bridge and capacitor with 100 ohm .. but light is dim… how can I increase light…coz when i run this LED with 9Volt DC it brights light…
    pl solve my probs.. How can I run these LED..

    thanx….

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 7, 2015 at 11:45 am

      Hello hv, using 7809 is OK, and if the LED and the IC are getting hot, that's normal too and may be simply controlled by using large heatsinks for both.

      However 7809 is not current controlled, therefore I would recommend you to use the first circuit from the above article, it has a current control feature and also a voltage adjust feature which you can set to 9V as per your LED spec.

      for 5watt, 9V led the current requirement would be 5/9 = 0.55 amps

      therefore the value of the lowermost resistor will need to be = 0.6/0.5 = 1.2 ohms, 1 watt

      for 220V operation also you can incorporate the first circuit and feed the input from a 12V/1amp adapter

      Reply
  27. Raj says

    April 3, 2015 at 12:28 pm

    So can I run a LED with the simpler circuit in India? In summer it goes to 40 degrees here.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 4, 2015 at 4:13 am

      with a large heatsink and a fan switched ON, it'll be OK

      Reply
  28. Raj says

    April 3, 2015 at 7:43 am

    The second circuit diagram is a voltage regulator circuit, not a current regulator (wikipedia- LM317)! And LEDs should be run from current regulated source.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 3, 2015 at 11:55 am

      yes I know, this has been already discussed in one of the previous comments with Richard Hoad May 21, 2013 at 5:53 PM

      the second circuit is also correct if sufficient heatsink is provided and the room temperature does not fluctuate by much.

      a thermal runaway situation may arise only if the heatsink is not adequate or the ambient temperature gets too warm, as in tropical countries.

      Reply
  29. Haseeb Abdul says

    October 19, 2014 at 5:30 am

    Sir, please send me a diagram to connect 4*3W LEDs in series with 230V.

    Forward Voltage- 3.4 – 3.6V at 700mA
    Output Power – 3W,
    Luminous flux – 200-240.

    My Email ID: [email protected]

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      October 20, 2014 at 5:07 am

      Haseeb, you'll need a 12V 2amp smps AC/DC adapter for this….you can connect the LEDs in series at the output of this adapter using a 0.6 ohm 1 watt resistor for limiting excess current

      Reply
    • siddharth gupta says

      January 1, 2015 at 7:01 am

      Sir please send me diagram to connect 10 high power 1 watt led in series running on 230volt.
      Forward voltage:3.4 to 3.6v at 280 ma
      Email:[email protected]

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 2, 2015 at 5:54 am

      Siddharth you will need a 12V, 2amp AC/DC adapter for this first, then connect the LEDs using the second crircuit as given here:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter.html

      use 1 ohm for the upper resistor and use three strings in parallel including the 0.7 ohm on each string for getting 9 leds in the circuit

      Reply
  30. Jayanath Ranasinghe says

    July 22, 2014 at 3:20 am

    sir but red green blue white 3w leds having various voltages. red-2.8v, green,white & blue 3.8v,
    my question is 240ohm, 400ohm is suitable for any color 3w led?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      July 22, 2014 at 2:13 pm

      Which LED do you want to want use exactly,

      the 400ohm will set the output to 3,3V approximately

      you can alter the 400 ohm resistor accordingly using an online LM317 calculator.

      Reply
  31. Jayanath Ranasinghe says

    July 21, 2014 at 8:40 am

    sir can i use LM317? with last circuit for one no 3W led. what will be the wattage of 240ohm and 400 ohm resistors.?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      July 21, 2014 at 1:52 pm

      yes you can use the last circuit, the wattage of the resistors will be 1/4 watt…

      Reply
  32. Tabby Katze says

    June 10, 2014 at 5:28 pm

    Hello Swagatam,

    I have tried doing circuit 2 on this page for 4 x 3.3v 700ma leds in parallel, circuit works and is great with my resistor values being R1 =270 and R2 being 440 but the LM338 is getting extremely hot, i have a heatsink attached to it but it gets hot to point of it hurts to touch.

    700ma x4 = 2800ma so it's well within it's current tolerance, so why is it getting so hot?

    Regards,
    Emile

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 11, 2014 at 6:46 am

      Hello Emile,

      yes, even though 2800 may look within it's range, these linear ICs tend to generate a lot of heat.

      The remedy could be to use higher voltage and to put the LEDs in series, this would greatly reduce the current as well as the heating up of the IC.

      for 4 LEds you could use a 4 x 3.3V input meaning a 15V input so that all the LEDs could be wired-up in series, requiring just 700mA for the entire series.

      Reply
  33. Vimal Mehta says

    June 6, 2014 at 12:29 pm

    Hi Swagatam! Posting this again because my first post simply disappeared! Really amazing blog.. appreciate the hard work you put in to keep this blog buzzing.

    Regarding the 3 Watt, 5 Watt LED DC to DC Constant Current Driver Circuit,

    1) If I need to run 6 x 1 watt leds from this circuit, what changes do I need to make in the circuit? The input voltage shall be from 12 volt car battery.

    2) Instead of 6 x 1 watt leds, if I decide to run 3 x 1 watt leds, what changes should I make to the circuit?

    Thanks…

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 6, 2014 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Vimal,

      Thanks once again, OK got it, here are the answers:

      1) make two parallel strings each having 3 LEDs in series, change the 400 ohm resistor in the first circuit to 1.68K and use 1 ohm resistor for the bottom most resistor

      2) for 3X1 use a single string having 3 LEDs in series, the 1.68K will not change, but the above 1 ohm will now become 2 ohms.

      Reply
    • Vimal Mehta says

      June 6, 2014 at 7:33 pm

      Thanks ! Will try it and let you know how it works out.

      Reply
  34. Vimal Mehta says

    June 6, 2014 at 5:17 am

    Hi Swagatam! Really amazing blog and such simple circuits. Appreciate the effort you put in.

    1) If I want to drive 6 x 1 watt leds, should I connect them in series or parallel? Also do I need to make any changes in the above constant current circuit?

    2) Instead of 6 x 1 watt leds, if I want to drive 3 x 1 watt leds, what changes should I make in the above circuit?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      June 6, 2014 at 12:58 pm

      Hi Vimal, thank you! Due to a large number of comments the replies occasionally get delayed, although I try my best to finish them quickly.

      Answering to your question the series or parallel specifications will depend on the voltage level that you are using.

      How much voltage do you have or intend to use? Please provide me the data I'll let you know how to proceed with it.

      Reply
  35. Swagatam says

    May 21, 2014 at 5:54 am

    Dear Vinod, cmake three strings each having 3 LEDs and a series 6omh/1watt ersistor.

    put these 3 strings in parallel and connect their common ends to a 12V/2amp smps adapter.

    use heatsink for the LEDs,

    Reply
  36. vinod kumar Umargakar says

    May 20, 2014 at 3:49 am

    Dear Sir,
    I want a circuit diagram to run12 numbers of 3W LED's using AC current…rep pls

    Reply
  37. Akshay gupta says

    May 11, 2014 at 7:28 am

    Hello sir,
    I need a 12v to 28vdc converter 3w/5 w. Want to light up 5 led of 1 each.
    I have seen an ic circuit but the manufacturer has rubbed the number on it. So plus can u help me with an alternative circuit or anyone knows which ic is used in this kind of circuit

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 11, 2014 at 12:50 pm

      Hello Akshay,

      You can try the circuit given in the following link:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/09/led-emergency-light-circuit-using-boost.html

      Reply
  38. Sriram Kp says

    May 10, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Thank you for ur quick response…. I am having one doubt… Suppose My LED panel needs 14v, 700mA. But if I connecting 14v, 2Amps battery to the LED panel means, wil it affect the LED panel lifetime due to the higher Amps from the battery? or the battery backup wil increase??

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 10, 2014 at 2:32 pm

      if the voltage does not exceed the forward voltage of the LEDs then current will not matter….however if the ambient heat increases the situation could become dangerous, so use of a current controlled supply is recomeneded, for example using a LM338

      Reply
  39. Sriram Kp says

    May 9, 2014 at 7:41 am

    I made a LED panel by placing four 1watt LED in series fixed on 4×4 inch 1mm aluminium sheet. Like that two panel connecting in parallel. This panel will work with motion sensor. Now I like to make a power supply and backup for that. The panels need 14vdc, 700mA and the sensor circuit need 5vdc. Please provide me a smps circuit for the follwing specification:
    1. The circuit's input should be a AC main connection.
    2. I need two outputs from the circuit. One should be 5vdc and another should be 14vdc, 700mA.
    3. Battery backup should be there in the circuit for both output. so if AC main supply is there means , the light panel and the sensor should work with the AC main supply. Suppose if AC main power failure occurs means, instantly the sensor and the pannel should work with the battery backup.
    4. Then if AC power supply comes means again the output should work with AC supply only and battery should start chraging.
    5. The battery should contain overcharge protection.
    6. The backup time should be 2-3hrs. so what volt and amps of battery i need??
    Thankyou in advance…

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 10, 2014 at 4:56 am

      Sriram,

      for the SMPS you can try the following circuit:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/03/how-to-make-simple-12-v-1-amp-switch.html

      adjust R6 to get 14V

      for the automatic actions you can make the following design:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/02/make-this-automatic-10-watt-to-1000.html

      just replace the shown transformer power supply with the 14V SMPS given in the above link.

      Reply
  40. Sriram Kp says

    May 8, 2014 at 1:40 pm

    Can u pls provide me ur contact mail id??? so I can clarify doubts regarding my LED panel for home.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 9, 2014 at 4:53 am

      you can say it here, i'll do my best.

      Reply
  41. Sriram Kp says

    May 5, 2014 at 2:04 pm

    Hai swagatam, your blog is awesome. I am following it. I made a water tank controller from ur blog. Its working great. Thank you. Now I am planning to make LED pannels for my home. If I connect ten 3watt LED in parallel means how much amphere should i need??
    and how to calculate it??
    LED specifications:-
    Forward voltage = 3.5v
    Forward current = 700mA
    Power dissipation = 5w
    Please help…

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 6, 2014 at 7:33 am

      Thanks Sriram,

      3.5 x 0.7 = 2,45 watts, so it cannot be 5 watts

      10 in parallel would require 10 x 0.7 = 7 amps.

      Reply
    • Sriram Kp says

      May 6, 2014 at 1:46 pm

      So if i connect ten 3 watt LEDs in series means how much amphere should it require??

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 6, 2014 at 4:05 pm

      in that case current will be 700mA, but voltage will need to be 12V

      Reply
    • Sriram Kp says

      May 7, 2014 at 8:38 am

      How it wil be 12v ?? 3.5v per LED. If i connect ten LEDs in series means i need 3.5 x 10 = 35v. If I am wrong means can u pls explain me pls???

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      May 7, 2014 at 1:38 pm

      yes it will be 35V, I confused it to be 3 in series.

      Reply
  42. thurrmac says

    April 2, 2014 at 8:47 am

    noted and wish me luck… thanks

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 2, 2014 at 3:08 pm

      Wish you all the best

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 16, 2014 at 8:31 am

      my pleasure thurrmac:)

      Reply
  43. thurrmac says

    March 31, 2014 at 12:47 am

    here are the data of the leds.

    3 Watts
    DC forward Voltage: DC 2.8-3.8V
    DC forward current: 700mA max
    Rated power: 2.66W max

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 31, 2014 at 7:49 am

      you can use 4 in series with a 12V input and use LM 338 as a current limiter as shown in the following post, R1 will be around 2 Ohms 1 watt

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter.html

      Reply
    • thurrmac says

      April 1, 2014 at 12:38 am

      noted. will give it try and let you know of the result. many thanks

      Reply
    • thurrmac says

      April 1, 2014 at 12:48 am

      btw i want to get it right… R1 is the 400 ohms resistor or is it the 240ohms?

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 1, 2014 at 5:13 am

      The discussed R1 is in the following post, pls don't confuse it with the above post:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter.html

      Reply
    • thurrmac says

      April 2, 2014 at 12:56 am

      oh ok, last question before i proceed. where will be the placement of R1?

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      April 2, 2014 at 6:24 am

      across the "out" and ADJ pins of the IC, it's clearly shown in the diagram.

      for pinout details of LM338 you may refer to the following image:

      4.bp.blogspot.com/-cQYYHQMayYc/UX4km7_cniI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/oYsD49dla0w/s1600/lm196+pinout+details.png

      Reply
  44. thurrmac says

    March 26, 2014 at 9:11 am

    Good day sir i want to connect 5 pcs of 3Watts leds to this circuit of yours please guide me thank you… power supply will 9v 1700mah

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 26, 2014 at 2:33 pm

      Good day thurrmac,

      1700mAH will not support even one 3 watt LED properly, 5pcs is out of question, you may require at least 5AH input for it.

      Reply
    • thurrmac says

      March 27, 2014 at 12:49 am

      how bout 5V 6.5amps or maybe 12V 5amps???

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 27, 2014 at 12:03 pm

      yes will do, in that case you can make the first design from above, you will need to calculate the parameters as per the given instructions.

      Reply
    • thurrmac says

      March 28, 2014 at 12:52 am

      unfortunately sir i dont have any background in electronics im not able to calculate. what would be the best position of the leds is it in series?

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 29, 2014 at 5:01 am

      please tell me the operating voltage of the LEDs, i'll provide you with the required data.

      Reply
  45. Nizamani says

    March 2, 2014 at 8:55 pm

    hi sir i want to create a led lyts for my farm .. i want to connect 30 leds in parallel my problem is that i have 12volt 200amp battry when im trying to connect leds to battery they are going to be hotter what should i do brightness is very awsome but why they are going to be hot..?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      March 4, 2014 at 4:33 am

      Nizamani, you will need to fix the LEDs on a large aluminum plate so that the heat from the LEDs is sinked and dissipated otherwise the LEDs will get damaged within minutes.

      While fixing the LEDs on the aluminum make sure the leads do not short with the aluminum plate.

      Reply
  46. Swagatam says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:25 am

    Hi Muhammad, you can use the first circuit from the above article, no changes would be required except for the bottom most resistor which should be replaced with a 0.2 ohm resistor

    Reply
  47. Muhammad Waseem says

    January 19, 2014 at 4:20 pm

    Hi There, Mr.Kapila and Specially Mr.Swagatam!
    Sir if i need to connect these 3w X 3 LEDs in parallel then which type of modificatons to be required?

    Reply
  48. Greg Farino says

    January 14, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    I forgot to ask what the power ratings are for the resistors in this circuit ?

    Reply
  49. Greg Farino says

    January 14, 2014 at 6:14 pm

    You referred me to this page. I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to convert a 110V 10W LED floodlight to 12VDC and also have the ability to flash as an emergency light. MY question is, this article is for a 3W and 5W LED. Can I still use it for my 10W LED and do I need to change any of the components ?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      January 15, 2014 at 5:57 am

      You did not mention 110V in your previous comment, you said that the LED had a forward voltage of 12V and current rating of 1amp and you wanted to operate it at a little lower current than the given max specs.

      Anyway, here's what you need to do in the first circuit:
      replace the 400 ohm resistor with a 1.8k, 1/4 watt resistor
      replace the bottom most resistor with a 0.66 ohm 1 watt resistor

      as already mentioned in the previous comment, you can use a standard IC 555 astable flasher circuit and connect its pin#3 with the collector of the transistor in the above circuit. connect pin3 via a 1N4007 diode, cathode should be connected to pin3.

      Whenever you switch ON the 555 circuit will result in the flashing of the LED

      Reply
  50. Vedha Moorthi says

    December 9, 2013 at 8:25 am

    Lot of thanks sir.

    Reply
  51. Vedha Moorthi says

    December 8, 2013 at 7:51 am

    Hello sir,
    I want to install my home 1w high power led's in series connection, using 12v 7.5 AH lead acid battery. Please give the method. Thank you sir.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 9, 2013 at 4:55 am

      Hello Vedha,

      Please refer to the diagrams provided in the following article, you can try them for your application, the input should be from a 12V 3amp smps AC/DC adapter

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/07/making-led-halogen-lamp-for-motorbike.html

      Reply
    • Vedha Moorthi says

      December 9, 2013 at 2:57 pm

      Sir,
      1.Alternate method for changing LM338 Voltage Regulator.
      2.Give the instruction 12 or 15 (4*3 or 5*3) led bulbs connections in the 12v 7.5 AH lead acid battery.

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 10, 2013 at 7:23 am

      an alternate circuit can be seen below with all the necessary formulas:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2011/12/make-hundred-watt-led-floodlight.html

      Reply
  52. Jhunix says

    December 7, 2013 at 1:47 pm

    Hi,

    Can you please give the resistor value (ohms & watts) for 2 led in parallel?

    what is the recommended capacitor volage for 12-14v circuit?

    Thank You.

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 8, 2013 at 6:36 am

      Hi, if you are using 12V then you should connect them in series.

      Use 1.2k resistor in place of 400 ohms, rest of the values will be as it is

      Reply
    • Jhunix says

      December 8, 2013 at 8:30 am

      Ok. noted. thanks.

      one more question, is there specific Watts value for resistor or can i use any watts value?

      thanks.

      Reply
    • Swagatam says

      December 9, 2013 at 5:01 am

      divide the wattage of the LED with supply voltage and multiply the result with 0.6, this will give you the wattage for the lower resistor, remaining will be 1/4watt rated.

      Reply
  53. Abubaker Naseer says

    September 20, 2013 at 6:01 am

    Can you Please upload the Schematics for Isolated Constant Current 6W, 8W and 12W SMPS used for LED drivers?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 20, 2013 at 12:27 pm

      You can use the following two circuits together to fulfill your requirements:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/03/how-to-make-simple-12-v-1-amp-switch.html

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter.html

      Reply
  54. krishna chaitanya says

    September 12, 2013 at 3:42 pm

    Hello Swagatam Majumdar sir,

    i want to install 2X3Watt 12 volt Led lights as a my bike Pilot lamps (parking lamps), i want the 12 volt constant current regulator for these leds please give me the Driver, thank you.
    if possible please forward the details to my mail id [email protected]

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      September 13, 2013 at 8:29 am

      Hello Krishna,

      Please refer to the following post, you will get an idea of the required procedures:

      https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/universal-high-watt-led-current-limiter.html

      Reply
  55. Swagatam says

    September 3, 2013 at 5:09 am

    you are welcome!

    Reply
  56. Swagatam says

    September 1, 2013 at 3:52 am

    You can use the first circuit.

    If you are connecting the LEDs in series, replace the 400 ohm resistor with a 1.68K resistor, or a 1k and 680 ohm in series.

    the vertical resistor at the bottom should be replaced with a 0.4 ohm 1 watt resistor.

    Reply
  57. Swagatam says

    August 31, 2013 at 8:06 am

    Hi Tommy,

    What's the operating voltage spec of each LED?

    Reply
  58. josef says

    August 28, 2013 at 3:19 pm

    Hii…

    Your blog is real cool.
    i had a doubt regarding the forward voltage of the 5W LED. I thought it was 7V at If=700mA instead of 3.3V.
    can you please provide the specs. or link to the datasheet of the LED used here..?

    regards,
    joseph

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      August 29, 2013 at 4:09 am

      Hi thanks,

      Different manufacturers may provide sightly different specs, one says it's around 4.5V as given here:

      http://www.lumex.com/images/Lumex_New2w_3w_5w-HPleds.pdf

      No issues, you can set the voltage as required by simply adjusting and selecting a different value for the 400 ohm resistor.

      Reply
  59. Swagatam says

    August 10, 2013 at 7:50 am

    I'll inform you when it gets posted.

    Reply
  60. Jayaraju Lakkepogu says

    August 10, 2013 at 5:23 am

    Thank u. Pls. just inform me when u post that.

    Reply
  61. Swagatam says

    August 10, 2013 at 2:45 am

    Thanks Jayaraju,

    you will see all these circuits in my blog very soon.

    Reply
  62. Jayaraju Lakkepogu says

    August 9, 2013 at 11:12 am

    Thank u very much Mr. Swagatam. I am trying to implement those circuits. Pls. send some more links for the real time circuits which is useful for solar applications like solar converter for existing normal inverter, solar charge controller for different amps, solar LED driver circuits, solar lanterns 3w,5w circuits, etc.,

    Reply
  63. vineesh chandanattil says

    August 8, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    hi
    i want 5 x 1 watt blue led to be put in this circuit,
    does it require any change in components…
    and can i put a solar panel of 12 volt 5 watts as the input,,,

    pls guide me

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      August 9, 2013 at 7:55 am

      Use the first circuit and connect the lEds in parallel at the output, use a 0.5 ohm resistor in series with each LED and select 0.3 ohm as the current limiting resistor as shown in the circuit.

      Reply
  64. Swagatam says

    July 29, 2013 at 4:34 am

    Use a bigger heatsink, it's as simple as that. Try increasing the size until it prevents any further rise in the heat.

    If you diffuse it you would reduce the amount of light from it, so it's better not to look at it, which is a dangerous thing to do anyway..

    Reply
  65. Swagatam says

    July 22, 2013 at 4:35 am

    I am sorry presently I have no info regarding it.

    Reply
  66. KENNY HO says

    July 15, 2013 at 5:39 pm

    How can I run 3x1w led using this circuit? I'm using 9v batt, Any suggestion I can run with 9v batt?

    Reply
    • Swagatam says

      July 16, 2013 at 4:38 am

      if you are using 9V PP3 battery, then it won't work, it should be rated at least at 4AH.

      With a 9V fixed supply you won't require any circuit or resistor, simply put the LEDs in series and connect it directly to the battery.

      Reply
  67. KENNY HO says

    July 15, 2013 at 5:31 pm

    I would like to use 9v batt to run this circuit on my mountain bike, any modification? Please advice.

    Reply

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