I’ve been creatingย with paperย since I was a kid – so whenย I began workingย with electronics, combiningย circuits withย paper becameย an instantย passion. I’ve even launched my own line of paper circuit kits, one of which is now live on Kickstarter.ย To find theย best LEDs for myย kits, I journeyedย beyond the traditional 5mm LED toย consider alternative shapes and sizes.
I’ve testedย many LEDs and have found that there are limitations and advantages to eachย of them. In this post,ย I’ll share what I learned while making myย paper LED creations. No matter what you build your projects with, I hope this post will help you choose not just any LED, but the perfect LED for your next project!
*Iย willย focus on the physicality of the LED, not the power requirements or electrical capabilities. Remember toย also refer toย the LED’s data sheet to makeย sure it fulfills the needs of your circuit!
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Questions toย ask yourself whileย choosing an LED:
What shouldย the shape of the LED be?
- Notice whether or not the LED will be visible in your design.
- How will the look of the LED affect the visualย design of your project?
- Is the LED the right shapeย to be concealed properly or complement your design?
What shouldย the shape of the LIGHTย be?
- Think about what shape the light itself should be.
- Are you illuminating a specific spot or large area?
- Should the light be visible from the side? What should it be shaped like?
What should the size of the light be?
- Think aboutย the distance between the user and your project.
- Would a larger or smaller light source improve your design?
- Is the LED the main event or a subtle indicator? Does its size reflect its importance?
To diffuse or not to diffuse?
- Think about the quality of light that is right for your project.
- Should the light be softย like a cloudy dayย or hard like a spotlight?
- Should the light be even or fragmented?
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Theย great, and theย not-so-great, about LEDs I’ve tried:
The 5mm LEDย (aka the old stand-by)
Great for:ย Being common and cheap.ย Use these to prototypeย even if you plan to switch to another type of LED later.
Not-so great for:ย Concealing in small projects.
The 3mm LED
Great for:ย Concealing between paper. Plus, even with its small size, it offers long wires that are easy for kids to use.
Not-so great for:ย Emitting light from the side. It is most visible and looks the nicestย from the top of the LED, so even though it fits nicely laying flat between two pieces of paper, the visual balanceย of the light isn’t very pleasing.
The 10mm LED
Great for:ย When you’re looking for a light-bulb like impact. These are great for robot eyes or flower centers, like in my light-up paper flower kits.
Not-so great for:ย Concealing the light source โย these are large, loud and proud!
The straw hat LED
Great for:ย Wide angle light! Straw hat LEDs have a wider viewing angle of light. Use these when you are illuminating a large area, or a small area that is close to the LED, like Rudolph’s nose in the example.
Not-so great for:ย Focused light. Because so much light is directed sideways, light will leak around the sides and even back of the LED, so be sure that’s ok if you use one of these.
The square LED
Great for:ย Focused light! The light is directed straight out of the top, and the shape of the light itselfย even looks square just like the LED. These can look very modern if the project calls for it. (And they also make great “Flames” for candles!)
Not-so great for:ย Smooth light. The square shape acts like a prism and spreadsย the light unevenly. If you shine itย at a piece of paper, you will see some areas are more illuminated than others.
The 4 Pin LED
Great for:ย Laying flat on a piece of paper or other thin surface. You can also get these in 3 color (RGB) variations, which can be easier to wire with copper tape than aย standardย RGBย LED (not pictured).
Not-so great for:ย Narrow spaces. These are wider than 5mm, so if you are looking for short AND thin, you may want to check out the next variety:
The Surface Mount LED
Great for:ย Super tight spaces. There are many varieties, and some are almost as thin as paper. Choose your shape carefully based on your projects needs.
Not-so great for:ย Big impact. The tiny light source can be hard to see in some cases, and they are easy to loose while working with them because they are so small.
And many more…
This is just a small sample of the shapes, sizes and types of LED’s out there, but I hope this will give you a few ideas and get you thinking about what possibilities are out there. Did I not include your favorite kind of LED? Please comment below, and shareย what it’s great for and not so great for. Thanks for letting us know!
If this is your first time tinkering with electronics, please check out my paper circuit kitsย to get your feet wet in the world of circuits, or take aย look at my Kickstarter where you can makeย 10 light-up paper flowers (called Electric Embellishments) for just $25. Invite your friends to start making today!
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