LEDs in a model house

[Ghost In Black]

My friend is making a model house for a competition and asked me to help with the lighting.  I've done LEDs before, but not as many as he's going to use. He wants to use about 20 for the outside lighting, and 50 for inside. I found some 1.8mm 2V white LEDs that I think we're going to use.  I'm not sure what to power it with though. I was thinking of using 2-6 AA batteries, but I'm not sure how many are necessary, and if they'll supply enough current (the LEDs take 20 mA). Another thing is how long will the batteries last before dying?
He also wants to have small connectors to be able to disconnect the wires running from the first floor to the second, and the second floor to the third. This is because the separate floors of the house detach, allowing a better view of the inside. I want a small connector for the wires, but I have no clue about what to get.
Any suggestions/help would be appreciated. Thanks

[bustinthejustin]

I'd think Alligator clips of some sort would work well as a connector for wires - although it won't be clean without a bit of work, it's definitely convenient. For power, maybe 9v batteries? I dunno I've never worked with that many LEDs either...

[FOOKz™]

Get a wall power supply maybe like a charger or something.

Once you find a charger you need an appropriate resistor in accordance with that voltage rating.

[Ghost In Black]

Get a wall power supply maybe like a charger or something.

Once you find a charger you need an appropriate resistor in accordance with that voltage rating.

Ok, um what would be an example one that you can find online? I'm not too sure what you're talking about.

[FOOKz™]

im talking about something like this:



You Can plug that into the wall to get an infinite battery life.

[Ghost In Black]

im talking about something like this:



You Can plug that into the wall to get an infinite battery life.

Oh ok, and use rechargeable batteries?

[bustinthejustin]

Ah I don't think you quite get it - You can plug a usb cable into one of those to charge your usb powered devices from a wall socket. Basically one of those adapters apple sells so you can charge your ipod from a wall socket. They generally give off about 5v which, combined with a resistor, would be perfect to supply your LEDs with unlimited battery life.

[Ghost In Black]

Ah I don't think you quite get it - You can plug a usb cable into one of those to charge your usb powered devices from a wall socket. Basically one of those adapters apple sells so you can charge your ipod from a wall socket. They generally give off about 5v which, combined with a resistor, would be perfect to supply your LEDs with unlimited battery life.

Ohh, ok. Thanks for clearing that up. So I wouldn't have to worry about current being drawn from the charger would I?