General LED Knowledge

Is there any possible way that somebody who is very familiar with the forums (admin maybe if broed?) could go to each forum and make a new post containing info on general basic knowledge of that board? ex: could somebody make a new post under LED and just basically talk about LED's and such (then maybe admin could stickie it)? I'd like to know more, but I don't know where to start.

I'll start with what I know:

LEDs are basically tiny light bulbs that, unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, have no filament. Because they have no filament, they require less energy, produce less heat, and last a great deal longer. With LEDs energy is not wasted heating a filament and a greater percentage of power is going directly to generate light making them much brighter than traditional bulbs. Furthermore, the bulb is constructed out of heavy plastic and therefore remarkably durable.

what i'd like to know:
What does MCD stand for, what is it, and what is normal MCD range for users on these boards? Does MCD have any bearing on value of LED's?

That would be great. I am particularly interested in a summary of all the mods. Searching for certain mods is really a pain sometimes.

Btw, kushy04, you shouldn't get frustrated too often. That looks painful.......

Hmmm.... then again, u recover fast...

That's a groteque little animation you have there, kushy.

Actually, while LEDs have a similar form factor as tiny light bulbs, the technology is very different. They consist of a semi-condutor "chip" that has a tiny gap (the size of the gap determines the color of the light). When a current is passed through, it forces particles to jump the gap, to a lower energy state. When they do, they release energy in the form of light. Because the whole setup is solid and potted in plastic (unlike the tiny wire of an incandecent bulb that is exposed to the air, it is very hard to break an LED by impact. LEDs are not brighter than incandesent bulbs in general, although they are starting to rival them. Still, while being more efficient than incandecents, they are still even with or less efficient than flourecent lights.

Here is a cool and informative video by Lumileds, maker of the most common high powered LED, the Luxeon:

http://www.luxeon.com/technology/ll_video.cfm

Welcome to CPF!

BUMP.... I'd really like some more general Infos on LED :sweat:... help me, im a n00b! Could somebody draw a simple circuit board showing how to light up a LED using a battery? I know nothing and want to learn hands on.