Low Cost Low Power RGB LED Recommendation?

Mike - K8LH

Well-Known Member

• Jun 13, 2014

• #1

Can anyone recommend a decent low-cost low-price RGB LED, please? I don't mind ordering from one of the Chinese vendors on ebay, if you've had good experiences with them.

I'd like to experiment with color fading/mixing algorithms, but, as always, I'm on a tight budget.

TIA. Cheerful regards, Mike

 

ronsimpson

Well-Known Member

Most Helpful Member

• Jun 14, 2014

• #2

Here is a part that is through hole so it should be easy to experiment with. (not surface mount)
$1.65 for one at digikey.com
$1.40 each at 10.
You are in the USA so you might try RadioShack.

 

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Mike - K8LH

Well-Known Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #3

Thank you, Ron. I will check it out...

 

Joe G

Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #4

I've been happy using;
Cree® PLCC6 3 in 1 SMD LED
CLX6A-FKB
it's surface mount.

 

Mike - K8LH

Well-Known Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #5

Thanks, Joe. Unfortunately, the SMD package would be difficult for me to work with at this time...

 

ronsimpson

Well-Known Member

Most Helpful Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #6

So Radio Shack has 2 color LEDs but not RGB LEDs. sorry.

These guises are almost neighbors to me.
https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=led+rgb
They have "break out" boards to help you use surface mount parts.

 

Mike - K8LH

Well-Known Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #7

Thank you, guys. I appreciate the suggestions.

Has anyone tried RGB LEDs from the Chinese vendors? Prices of 8 to 10 cents per LED (quantity 100) is really tempting.

I purchased a hundred 3mm 2-pin red/green LEDs from China a couple months ago and I'm quite pleased with the quality (pictured below on a CDP1802 Cosmac ELF clone).

Cheerful regards, Mike

 

JonSea

Well-Known Member

Most Helpful Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #8

A few years ago I purchased some RGB LEDs from ebay. Very surprisingly, the red element is much dimmer than the green or blue. This was several years ago, so I'm not going to mention where they came from. This may have been a bad batch and quality may have improved.

 

Joe G

Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #9

jfyi, the cree leds I mentioned are very much hand iron solderable, all the items I ever list are all hand iron solderable, and those are pretty easy to hand solder

 

Mike - K8LH

Well-Known Member

• Jun 15, 2014

• #10

Joe G said:

jfyi, the cree leds I mentioned are very much hand iron solderable, all the items I ever list are all hand iron solderable, and those are pretty easy to hand solder

Click to expand...

Do you have any pictures of projects using those, Joe? I'd love to see them...

TIA... Mike

 

Joe G

Member

• Jun 16, 2014

• #11

these are the only pictures of that led in use that I still have, the brd is used in the "wally" vehicle in the vedio. I got burglarized last year this one is a Avago white led with a similar package except for the lens. I have ordered more of the Cree leds but they haven't arrived as of yet, I'll be using them for a motorcycle lighting display.

 

Mike - K8LH

Well-Known Member

• Jun 16, 2014

• #12

Thanks, Joe. That's a very nice looking smd pcb...