Light source using 3 different types of LED

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

Hi….

I want to make a light source for the garden in my balcony.

Well, i’m planning to use 3 different colors of LED (and a total of 7 LED): 3 x White, 2 x Green and 2 x Ultra Violet (Purple), but i don’t know which type of driver i should use.

The LEDs would be a 3W high power LED (that one with that “star” PCB) and the specs of each LED is:

:: White ::

- DC Forward Voltage (VF) : 3.6 ~ 3.8Vdc

  • DC Forward Current (IF) : 700mA

:: Green ::

- DC Forward Voltage (VF) : 3.0 ~ 3.4Vdc

  • DC Forward Current (IF) : 700mA

:: UV ::

- DC Forward Voltage (VF): 3.2 ~ 3.6Vdc

  • DC Forward Current (IF): 750mA

I also want to have 3 [ON-OFF] switch, one for each color. Can i use just 1 driver for this, considering there will be simultaneously ON 2 (only Green or UV), 3 (only White), 4 (Green + UV), 5 (White + Green or White + UV), 7 (White + Green + UV) LED?

Thanks everyone, but i have no idea how to calculate the voltage and stuff.

Just another question: Should i need another heatsink mounted with each LED, or the “star heatsink” can do the job?

Thanks!
Gabriel

2

That’s often referred to as “fixed lighting” (as compared to portable flashlights)
Paste this into Google and it will get you a lot of background info:
"LED" - Google Search%22fixed+lighting%22%22DIY%22
and then on the results page /More/Image Search for pictures

Short answer from an amateur, better answers will follow:

Separate drivers (you don’t need flashlight drivers)
Screw the stars down firmly to a big piece of copper or aluminum to carry heat away,
plus a very thin film of thermal paste, but aim for metal to metal contact as much as possible.

3

Humm….okay!

Thanks :wink: