I build a lot of little hobby circuits and I usually place them inside of some kind of project box. Right now I'm working on the "Atari Punk Consol" by Forrest Mimms. It looks like this:
I tried adding an LED to this circuit coming in from the voltage source but that had some detrimental effects on the sounds that this thing produces.
I like to add power indicator LEDs but I'm not skilled yet at circuit design. I realize every circuit is different, so I'm not asking about where to put it on this circuit specifically, but can someone give me some guidance on how to find good places in my circuits to add a power indicator light? What should I look for and what additional components would I need? Any information pointing me in the right direction is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Best Answer
A "power on" light would normally be connected between the positive supply (after the power switch, if any) and ground.
If you use an LED for the light, you must connect a resistor in series with the LED. The resistor value is not critical, but if your device is powereed by a battery, you probably want to minimize the power consumed by the light. You might start with a 1.5 K (1500 Ohm) resistor - a higher value will reduce the current, and dim the LED...