I will give a short summary, The LM317 here configured for around 6.4V DC. The Q3 BC547 limits the current, you can select [...]]]> This is a easy to build LED lamp circuit for Learning and building skills. This is the first draft schematic V 1.0. It will need improvements for Higher Power Lighting.

From Schematics of delabs

I will give a short summary, The LM317 here configured for around 6.4V DC. The Q3 BC547 limits the current, you can select R3 to suit, make it 1/2W. The Ni-Cd battery pack 1.2 * 4 will not get Over-Current or Over-Voltage due to this circuit.

The IRF540 Mosfet or any other equivalent you have around, along with Q2 BC547 forms a current source for the parallel 12 LED array. Ultra-bright White LED at 20mA each or use a 1W ready LED Chip. R4/R6 can be selected for the Max LED current. The voltage of LED is around 3.1 and 20mA * 12 = 240mA is the max current. You can Tweak the design for even 5A or more but then you will need a DC/DC High frequency converter in place of LM317. The Current source also needs to switch to improve efficiency. A PWM on the mosfet gives brightness control. The entire solution (switching) can be found in many chips with semiconductor vendors today.

From Hobby Hound

One Single High Current LED may work well. 12 Matched LEDs also can be used. In LED Array some are dim, put min. resistor (3.9 ohm) for all 12 for current sharing. The resistor addition will impar the ability of Candle to work at lower battery voltages. Also resistor is less green, It wastes power, so use PWM and Single Die high current LED. Ni-Cd system may last over 5 Years if Candle is allways on Mains. Sealed Lead Acid system may go upto 2-3 years life but will have more punch. A SuperCap system may last more than 12 Years, i feel.

Source in Cadsoft Eagle format – candle.zip

Circuit Operation

The infra red diode D2 detector gets the reflected light from LED and some [...]]]> The proximity switch can work for a wide range of power, from 8v to 18v DC, D3 protects reverse power supply connections, and U1 regulates the supply to +5v , -5v is derived from U2 555 oscillator which serves dual purpose.

Circuit Operation

The infra red diode D2 detector gets the reflected light from LED and some ambient light, The forward voltage drop of D2 will vary with the amount of light falling on it. Ambient light causes a DC component and the pulsing light from D1 causes an AC component.

The capacitor C6 blocks DC and only transfers AC pulses if any to opamp amplifier U3A whose gain is set by R18, D9 rectifies the pulses to DC and this DC voltage is used by opamp comparator U3B which drives Q1 through Q2 for an open collector output for relays. LED D7 turns on when relay Output is high.

R14 and R13 can be replaced with potentiometer for threshold adjustment if required.

Testing

Connect 12v DC supply to +V and GND Ports, Connect a relay coil Between OUT and GND Ports, you can use the relay contacts as you require to turn on a lamp, heater, fan or motor.

If all connections are ok and ICs are working you should see a +5V at U3 pin8 VCC and around -4 to -5 at U3 pin4 VDD.

Construction

The Optic switch can be used for both reflecting detection (retro reflective) or obstacle detection. The mechanical construction will decide this, for obstacle detection the diodes D1 and D2 could be put in two different tubes and can be kept far apart 2mts+ and both should be exactly opposite each other, any obstacle like a passing person will be detected. To make a retro reflective proximity switch this circuit is ideal, it can be housed in a cylindrical 30mm by 70mm metal unit with m30 threads and nuts for mounting, both D1 and D2 have to be fitted in the front of this tube on a plastic plug optically insulated from each other yet beside each other.

This is also useful as a level detector for colored liquids like oil. This has some immunity to ambient sunlight as it detects ac pulses.

IC 555 is used as an astable [...]]]> This circuit is used to detect objects by reflected infrared light. It can be built into a cylindrical enclosure just like an inductive proximity switch.

This is also useful as a level detector for colored liquids like oil. This has some immunity to ambient sunlight as it detects ac pulses.

IC 555 is used as an astable oscillator and it flashes the Infra red LED D1 at a high speed, The object close to this LED reflects the light along with the ambient light which may also be sunlight.

IR Led’s and Diodes

The types available are various and polarity hard to detect even photo IR transistors can be used. The IR Led can be tested in diode mode of a DMM (battery should be in good condition) it should give around 1.1V drop in proper polarity. An IR detector diode or photo diode can be tested in the same way the drop will be 0.5V at 1 feet from a 60W lamp (no sunlight), closing the IR photo diode with your hand will be an over range on DMM this will happen on proper polarity. the photo diode shows around 10k ohm resistance in daylight and in Mega ohms when covered also the photo diode detects light on reverse bias and used like that.

[...]]]> This is a Constant Current Source LED Driver, When the LED driver Upper-NPN is driven by a voltage thru 4.7K the LED lights up. Assume that the Lower-NPN at bottom is absent. The current via LED and NPN is limited by R. 20mA may be ok 15mA even better. Or LED blows even transistor goes.

BC547 is like 100mA-40V-200b, Limit collector current to 60mA, use it at less than 25V and depending on the individual transistor you may get a DC current amplification of 200 times. That is 1uA of base-emitter current could give a whooping 200uA of collector-emitter current.

Still Thinking we do not have the Lower-NPN we calculate the resistor. Vcc – ( 2 LEDs * 1.7) – Vce = Vr that is the voltage across the resistor. You know ohms law and the current needs to be 15mA for a bright and long lasting LED. Lastly 1.7 the forward drop of a green LED and 0.6 a saturated or Turrned-On NPN Vce.

Now you use the Lower-NPN, The above calculations do not hold anymore. Let us think a small current is flowing in the LED. Then the voltage across R is less than 0.7V, that means base-emitter diode of the Lower-NPN will not get to conduct. The Collector does not draw any current away. Now think that more current flows in LED, the voltage across R builds up above 0.7V the Lower-NPN is biased. The collector of Lower-NPN starts drinking current from the base of the Upper-NPN. So The Upper-NPN starts losing its bias. This lowers the LED current and contains, regulates or controls the LED current as shown in the formula.

BC847/BC547 series; 45 V, 100 mA NPN general-purpose transistors
LEDMUSEUM.ORG-THE LED MUSEUM-Reviews of LEDs

The N-Channel FET BF256C can give 15mA current.

A current source based on a JFET 4QD-TEC: Current sources and mirrors Current source – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Field effect transistor – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Read all of Above.