That's false. Power dissipated by each LED is the current multiply the voltage drop across. By connecting LEDs in serial you force them to all operate at a same current but different voltages. This would be a false design if all LEDs are different. One LED may be required to operate at 15MA but another may be 300MA. If LEDs connected in serial are same LEDs, by connecting them in serial you allow them to operate at a same current, which is fine, but still each one is forced to operate at a different power level unless every single LED is identical. In reality if the LEDs are not produced from a same silicon wafer their voltage drop across the PN junction will be different. As a result you will find the brightness from each LED, in serial, different. That's still fine if the difference is small. If somehow one of the LED is shorted out, because of vibration of your westy, or just a simple internal failure that usually happens to diodes as a short first, your other LED will be instantly destroyed too. If this very likely if the LEDs are set to operate at a high power (brightness) level. They are diodes and they generate heat. They will burn out too. When one burns out the other goes with it. An LED burns of by melting its PN junction to become a shorted diode first. As I said you can do it but it's not an ideal design. See this web: http://www.chesmontastro.org/?q=node/526 If you want to connect LEDs in serial you can under power a bit to keep them safe. But you won't get all the brightness. David
--- Mike S <mikes@FLATSURFACE.COM> wrote: > > LEDs run on current, not voltage. When connected in series, they will > always operate at their own individual voltage drop. That is necessary > and desired.
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