Electronic – How much voltage to give the IR LED

infraredledvoltage

I got a new IR led, emitting light at 850nm. It says 5v reverse voltage and 1.5 forward voltage. How many volts should I give it? I have DESTROYED three other IR LEDs because of giving them too many volts. What should I do?!

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Here is the full information on the LED, typed up:

Max. Reverse voltage:5v
Max. Continuous forward current: 100mA
Max. Forward Voltage: 1.5 typ., 1.8V max.@50mA

So, if I give it 3.3v@50mA raw, it will destroy it, correct? Therefore, I guess I need a 10k resistor?

Best Answer

I'm pretty sure that there are multiple answers on this site with the information that you require.

But: decide what voltage you want to run the LEDs from. Subtract 1.5V - you now know the voltage across the series resistor that you need.

Now divide that voltage by the desired current. If you divide by Amps, you get the resistor value in Ohms. If you divide by mA, you get the resistor value in Kilohms.

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