krazyderek Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 anytime you can put the wires in differnt places, what ever is easiest for you to rout with your dremel.. just make sure the connections are made in that fashion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ava-Adore Posted January 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 Well that way you'd also have to get the wires across the neck pickup cavity... What is the neck pickup cavity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 this is how you would wire the leds in parallel so that if one burned out the rest would still work Heh, Duracell battery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 Well that way you'd also have to get the wires across the neck pickup cavity... What is the neck pickup cavity? It's what happens when neck pickups eat too much sugar and doesn't brush it's teeth. It's the hole where the neck pickup is mounted in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StratDudeDan Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 this is how you would wire the leds in parallel so that if one burned out the rest would still work Heh, Duracell battery! nothing beats the copper top. btw, brilliant diagram. worthy of awards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 6, 2004 Report Share Posted January 6, 2004 give me a break i was on the phone at the time, btw, you'll have to work out the correct voltage and ie, the correct power source, it's more then likely not just a C cell AA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ava-Adore Posted January 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 I was thinking on using 4 AAA batteries for a 6v. power supply, does anyone have any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 7, 2004 Report Share Posted January 7, 2004 what ever you can fit into your guitar and depends on the voltage of your leds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 you need resistors and need to learn how to build a circuit. an led draws 3 volts. you need a 2 volt resistor per led. however there is a voltage draw. i recommend a 9 volt. then ask someone about the wiring and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 you need resistors and need to learn how to build a circuit. an led draws 3 volts. you need a 2 volt resistor per led. however there is a voltage draw. i recommend a 9 volt. then ask someone about the wiring and such. A 2 volt resistor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbkim Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 Will these led's you're planing for this guitar just stay on or will they flash patterns... like this (animated gif at the bottom of page.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 I think you need to spend some time with a breadboard and some components before making any plans. Not all of the replies here are accurate. I know I sound like a snob but I say this because : 1. I have done this on two fretboards. 2. I went to school for Electrical Engineering. I can tell you that your biggest obstacle will not be voltage in this. It will be current draw. 9V batteries are great for guitars since they make boxes for them. Unfortunately, the 9V's are about the worst when it comes to maH (battery life). Depending on how many LEDs you use and what current you design for, you can expect no more than a few hours from a 9V unless you do something to blink / dim them. I'm not talking about a simple dimmer like in your house. There are many LED dimmer circuits out there but I would not suggest going that route. After doing the research on LED circuits, you will probably know what I mean by the current / battery life issues. Then you have the issue of installation. It looks extremely simple on paper but is pretty tricky when you actually get into it. You need to pick your components carefully - not just any LED, not just any resistor, not just any type wire, ... Then you need to plan the wire routing and path to the body where the batteries will be. I'm not saying this to discourage you - just want to share some info that I have learned from experience. It's great to see it when it's done but it's a lot of work getting there. I think LGM mentioned that he had issues doing it without losing money - the main reason is time. The installation takes a while - especially the first one you do. Good Luck Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 no not 2 volt because then the other leds in series will be drained and running at half power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 wasn't aware leds needed resistors if you had the right power source... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 ???? what do you mean daveeq. its been done tons of times with batteries. if you went to electrical engineering college could you enlighten is in a good circuit for just on off. basic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazyderek Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 ummmmmmmmmm yup, sorry, i guess i was assuming you'd wire them up like standard lights, didn't mean to miss inform anyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh since when does a 3v led not need a resistor when pulling from something over 3 v. i was planning on putting 20 in a series. and using a 9v battery im going to need resistors im just not sure how much energy gets used volt wise. im not sure of the circuit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 no not 2 volt because then the other leds in series will be drained and running at half power wasn't aware leds needed resistors if you had the right power source Please see my post above. I don't know a kind way to say that some of the replies are not exactly accurate. I don't mean to pick on you guys but you were the closest I could quote. Resistors are not spec'd by voltage - by resistance (ohms). The power supply does not have anything to do with the LED's needing resistors. Without the resistors, you would have no protection for the LED's - they are needed. The current running through the LED's needs to be limited to prevent burn-out. That's the main reason for the resistor. You can use one (with parallel LED's) or one resistor for each LED (resistor in series with LED's). The original poster really needs to do some research and breadboarding (practicing with the electrical thingers) before going further. Don't move forward with buying anything until you understand everything. You can waste a lot of money! (and please read my previous reply above). Thanks and sorry for sounding rude to the two guys I quoted. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 ???? what do you mean daveeq. its been done tons of times with batteries Ahhhh!!! I wasn't saying that it can't be done with batteries! I was pointing out that 9V may not be the best way to go. Check into maH for each tpye of battery. You will see that the 9V has about the worst. As for a circuit, I hate to post something like that since many people will just try to run with it without understanding it. I will try to find a good site with circuits within. Please stay tuned. I personally like using one resistor for each LED. That way if one LED burns out, the others don't get brighter. It's more time in the install though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 no offense taken. i do practice with electrical things every single day. i just am not certain on this. so you are telling me that for every led in series you need a resistor? that seems strange that there would be no natural impedence from the leds. thats strange. do you think you could diagram sometihng out for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 ill definately do that then. btw the stuff doesnt cost that much leds are cheap as all hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snork Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 or resistors........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 OK, here's one good site. The LED light I would reccomend the Basics topic, battery technical data, and definitely the "Simplest ways ...." links. Some of you may be able to put all of that together and understand it without trouble. Others just have a hard time with electronics - it's kinda like math some people get it, some just don't. None of those links will show the exact circuit that I use. I can help if someone needs specific help with something. It would be better if you read through that stuff before going further though. Hope that helps you fellow LED'rs out there. I'll be posting pics of my latest LED board very soon. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 leds are cheap as all hell Can you send me a link of where you get yours? I've been getting mine (blue 3mm) for about $1.50 each (I think). Not cheap by my standards. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted January 8, 2004 Report Share Posted January 8, 2004 so you are telling me that for every led in series you need a resistor? The LED's just need current protection. You can use one resistor for all LEDs. I don't like doing it that way due to the dynamics of the circuit when an LED fails. USing one per LED makes it stable. I'm not sure what you mean by natural impedance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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