# Calling all LED nerds
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777
**Category:** NYSpeed Automotive
**Created:** [August 30, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777 "2010-08-30T22:01:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@97FormulaWS-6](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/97FormulaWS-6)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777/41 "2010-09-22T17:19:54Z")
With that resistor (150 ohm; from the picture it looks to be Brown/Green/Brown/Gold, correct?), wire 4 of them in a series with 1 resistor. With that ring of lights, you should have 3 “strings” of LEDs and resistors. You can add as many of those strings as you would like as long as you stay with the 4 LEDs/Resistor.
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### Author:  [@rugsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rugsr)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777/42 "2010-09-22T18:01:27Z")
ok cool
so what type of wire do i use?
solid or stranded?
what guage wire?
do i need to put heat shrink on/around them?
also, when it was one led and one resistor the LED was really bright
when i add 3 more LEDs will it be as bright?
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### Author:  [@97FormulaWS-6](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/97FormulaWS-6)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2010, 5:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777/43 "2010-09-23T05:35:02Z")
Stranded wire, probably 18 or 20 gauge will work fine. Heatshrink everything.
As for brightness, with 1 LED and 1 resistor you were running about 3x the rated current through the LED. It will work, but it wont last long. So with 3 in series they will be dimmer, but they need to be.
One other spec that I didn’t see listed was the max forward current? I did my assumptions based on it being ~20mA.
I made a mistake above though; you want to run 3 LEDs/1resistor, not 4. (My apologies, I shouldn’t try and do math after drinking for a few hours)
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### Author:  [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777/44 "2010-09-23T05:40:24Z")
As Mike said you have a 150 Ohm resistor.
> [@rugsr](#):
>
> - so what type of wire do i use?
> **You can use pretty much anything. Radio Shack sells spools of wire. Some Auto Parts places do as well.**
>
> - solid or stranded?
> **Use stranded wire. Solid breaks at smaller guages if bent too much.**
>
> - what guage wire?
> **22 AWG will work fine. I would not go lower than that.**
>
> - do i need to put heat shrink on/around them?
> **You should insulate the solder joints. If you are not able to heat shrink liquid tape works well too.**
>
> - also, when it was one led and one resistor the LED was really bright when i add 3 more LEDs will it be as bright?
> **With one resistor you where pumping .060A through the LED which is too much for it to handle long term. If you put three LEDs in series with the resistor you will be driving them at .020A which is more stable for the LED. This will also be dimmer.**
EDIT: Ha, we got to stop doing this back to back. At least we have the same info.
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### Author:  [@rugsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rugsr)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2010, 6:15am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/calling-all-led-nerds/159777/45 "2010-09-23T06:15:12Z")
thanks guys
looking at the pic i almost think the resistor is
brown
green
purple
gold
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