Rainbow LED Specs.

This is a simple one but yet I have never has the chance to test myself.

Can rainbow LED's be run in series like normal LED's? I do not have any to test on myself. The specs I have read say 3 -3.8 volts on average. Does the voltage drop across them change with the colors? Or is it constant?

My niece wants a "cool looking anything" built by here favorite uncle.
I thought I would do up a custom brushed stainless steel sheet with her name in it with all small rainbow LED's. Give it a sort of twinkle effect.

Just not sure if I can run the LEDS in several series sets or if they will all have to be in parallel.

Just curious.

I have some rainbow LEDs that dim before changing colors and the current also dims.
Other rainbow LEDs do not dim and the current is almost constant.

I would never connect the first ones in series. Maybe the second ones.
Use a current-limiting resistor.

Super! thanks! I will just have to test them out when I get them.

Don't those automatic colour changing ones have built in resistors?

Sceadwian said:

Don't those automatic colour changing ones have built in resistors?

Click to expand...

They have a chip inside but I have never seen curves of voltage vs current on a datasheet. They say to use 3V to 3.6V but I use a 270 ohm series resistor from a 9V battery.

Is thee a limit to the maximum voltage you can connect them to?

If they have built in resistors, the ones you add are only to bring the LED back into voltage compliance from an out of range supply.