Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Noob LED modder question

Hi-

Wondering if anyone can direct me to a tutorial on working with LED stars, driver boards and so forth?

The choices are a bit overwhelming, and everyone who posts about the latest killer lightset they built seems to already have the knowledge. Gotta be somewhere to look it up.

I have an electronics background, so I'm conversant with the lingo; I just haven't seen anywhere that explains how to match a driver to a star, voltages to use, etc.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Rick

Go to DX and check the LED's and drivers.
http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.917
Look at the current requirements for the LED's and select a driver that meet the requirements. Also note the power and voltage requirements for the driver. You'll note the use of the term "clicky switch". This is chinglish (Chinese to English translation) for click on/click off switch. With multi-mode drivers operation of the switch is easy. Click it on, then to switch to different modes your depress the switch and release quickly slightly breaking contact momentarily. This quick circuit opening action switches the mode. When building a headlight with a remote battery pack typically you would put a simple on/off toggle switch on the battery pack and put a small normally closed momentary switch in line with it mounted around the handlebars where you can easily switch modes by just tapping it. The driver circuit boards are designed to be a part of the battery holder known as a "pill" in chinglish. The back side of the circuit board centre pad is the battery positive post connection and the outside ring is the negative connection. If your using a remote battery pack you would simply solder your positive lead to the centre pad and negative lead to the ring pad. It makes no difference which leads have the on/off and momentary off switches. Most drivers already have short red and black wires soldered on the circuit board for connection to the star mounted LED.

Chinglish: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-497544/Chinglish-Hilarious-examples-signs-lost-translation.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/graphics/2008/05/08/chinglish1.jpg

Scott-

That's incredibly concise- I feel like I'm nearly up to speed already. :)

Any advice on optics and reflectors?

Rick