| Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff |
| Vintage LED's |
| (1/5) > >> |
| zingzang:
Hey Everyone, Came across EEV while searching for vintage LED's for a "history of LED" display I'm working on. I've amassed quite a few older LEDS; Monsanto's, fairchilds, national semiconductor, western electric, even a few from Texas Instruments. My ultimate goal is to make a small desktop/wall display that shows the evolution of LED's over the past 50 years. I'm hoping that an arduino will be able to drive all the LED's at their respective voltage while also demonstrating the unique qualities advance LED's have: color-changing, multidie, blinking, etc. Once I get a microscope objective for my camera I'll be photographing these to post along with the history I can find out about them. One such find so far has been a TIL209 made by Texas Instruments. In my hunt for old stock LED's I talked with a gent that had heard of a unique LED die designed by TI that was eventually packaged in a standard T1 casing. Thanks to a generous, kind, and older circuit designer I finally got my hands on some and they are indeed unique. It looks unassuming and modern at first glance but the die is on a larger platform/anvil than usual (for that period.) Very neat to be able to find the connection between stories/facts you hear while on this peculiar hunt. Does anyone have any experience using any of the modern micro-diy-computers to drive vintage LED's? Anyone find any really old specimens? |
| coromonadalix:
You could use simple up / down counter ?? You know the important thing is, to have the right voltage and current settings to drive your leds ......... check all the specs. |
| zingzang:
Thanks. Yes, I've learned the hard (or fun way depending on your POV) that higher voltages = super hot LED/dead LED. Some of the ones I've found don't have data sheets available but it seems like red's take low voltages than yellow/green - atleast with the old ones. The vast majority of the ones I've come across so far seem to handle a short test with a 3v coin cell. Can output voltage be adjusted on the pin-outs or would it be better to use resistors for any outliers? |
| jeroen79:
Resistors to limit the current would be most practical. Adjusting the input voltage to be in exactly the right spot on on the diode's I/V curve would be much more complicated. A 3V coin cell has an internal resistance high enough to limit the current. |
| Edison:
The first LED made in Czechoslovakia |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |