Simple LED driver

myminifactory

This model serves as a means of controlling and adjusting your LED's brightness levels. By varying the light intensity of the LED through different methods, you can achieve unique colors and effects. This approach is the key to the lamps I've designed this year. It's a straightforward way to create a driver/dimmer. Essentially, it involves a case with 3 potentiometers and 3 transistors (or FETs like the BUZ11) that regulate the voltage levels. This design builds upon my previous adjustable LED base project: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/50232. If you have your LED's and the necessary resistor (as discussed in https://www.myminifactory.com/object/50232), you can easily assemble this driver case. I've included a schematic for connecting the components. Due to its simplicity, I opted not to create a PCB, instead soldering the parts directly onto the potentiometers. The transistor is used to handle current and is more cost-effective than purchasing a 5W potentiometer. The 15K resistor acts as a limiter, allowing the potentiometer to function better. If the range proves insufficient for your LED's, you can replace this resistor with a 50K potentiometer to fine-tune its performance. To hold the components together, I designed a case with a main housing and two different baseplates. One features additional mounting options, while the other has a built-in cable tie. The basic version without external mounting options lacks the cable tie feature but includes slots for cable ties. In the photos, the white case is the one with the built-in cable ties. I also created a knob that fits the potentiometers used in this design. Please refer to the photo for the dimensions. This driver can operate on a USB charger, but I also use 12V adapters with an LM7805. However, the 12V solution has a significant drawback: it wastes a substantial amount of energy as heat (along with an LM7805, 100nF & 33nF capacitor). Therefore, my advice is to purchase a cheap 2.1A USB charger. The primary goal of this driver is to make it affordable. If you already have three 50K potentiometers, use them. If not, consider alternatives like the BUZZ11 or an IRFZ44N. The fewer components you need to buy, the cheaper it will be. Perhaps in the future, I'll design a PWM-driven driver if there's sufficient demand for it.