Release: How to make your power led swap BRIGHTER!!!

[GhoSt]

I dont think anyone has done this before .I figured this out today while staring at my powerboards sucky brightness from the white power led. I have heard you could bridge the resistor but that would be pumping a full 5.5v into my leds and blowing them into oblivion... Then I got it... add my own resistor and I can run it at the voltage I desire.

So here is how to do this mod, it is customisable for every 0603 led all you need are the specs to caculate the resistor value.

Firstly this is how it was before the mod. yes sucky.


Now caculate the resistor needed (If you are not comfortable with Ohms law use this http://www.led-calculator.com/)

then gather your parts: Powerboard (Duh!), Solder (my ultra thin ), your caculated resistor and some 30awg wire (not shown).


Then solder the resistor between the positive point and the led. Mount is somewhere, I sugest here. (yep im awesome with a hot glue gun.


Now remove or bridge the smt resistor. (or attempt to bridge and accedently remove) *If you remove it bridge the two pads with some solder*

and test your results you should see considerable improvement.


and its driving it at the typical voltage for that led, not the 2.7v(or something) that It was before.

Yea thats it, oh if you want me to write this into a full body tutorial just say.

Peace
    GhoSt.

[Sanctus]

Thanks for the tip 

[PhenomenalDesigns]

I did this before, although to save space I removed the resistor there and replaced it with a 0603 resistor of my own

[ndru98]

I THOUGHT of this...
but never brave enough to try it....
Didn't understand the OHM rules....

I knew about the bridging resistor, but that was WAAAY to much voltage, so just add a resistor

Nice work! 

[GhoSt]

replacing it with a 0603 reisitor was my original idea even tho they are too big for the pads. My way you only need one resistor and you can connect charge and power to the same one (if you wire the charge the same way as power is usualy wired.

A improvement for my way would be better doing this with one smt (1206, 0805) and mounting in in the spot I did. I didn't have any of the size I needed left in my smt resistor kit .

[psp339]

I bridge the resistor when I use a blue power light. I don't use a resistor and its super bright. Then I bridge the charge and power contacts, so the charge light is same as the power light. When it charges, its light blue and bright blue for power.

[GhoSt]

I bridge the resistor when I use a blue power light. I don't use a resistor and its super bright. Then I bridge the charge and power contacts, so the charge light is same as the power light. When it charges, its light blue and bright blue for power.

nice idea, But be carefull most 0603 leds have a max forward voltage of 5v and bridging that resistor runs it at 5.5v and its not a good idea to run even at max for extended periods of time.

[psp339]

nice idea, But be carefull most 0603 leds have a max forward voltage of 5v and bridging that resistor runs it at 5.5v and its not a good idea to run even at max for extended periods of time.

Still no problems yet. 

[Alien_X]

I can't be bothered to correct all the wrong/misleading technical information in this thread (Like forward voltages, over-powering an led, voltage readings, info on resistors), so I will just say one thing 

The powerboard resistors are 0402.

[buickgnx]

thank you.

[PhenomenalDesigns]

replacing it with a 0603 reisitor was my original idea even tho they are too big for the pads. My way you only need one resistor and you can connect charge and power to the same one (if you wire the charge the same way as power is usualy wired.

A improvement for my way would be better doing this with one smt (1206, 0805) and mounting in in the spot I did. I didn't have any of the size I needed left in my smt resistor kit .

i have hundreds of 0603 resistors, and it fitted in, but it looked bigger than the existing ones, i think the existing ones are 0402