Best way to attach wire to LED?

[WM&CQR]

Can anyone guide me on the best way to attach a wire to the legs of an LED? What components do I need?

Also I have a twenty filament ribbon cable which I want to attach to a chocblock. The wires seem to be too thin to be gripped properly by the block, so is there a plug I can use?

 

[simond]

Well, electricians' flux-cored solder would be my first choice, assuming we are talking about a standard LED.
You'll need a soldering iron, and it is useful to have "helping hands" to hold the wire and LED in alignment

I think you'll have to post a picture of the ribbon cable for anyone to be able to offer advice, as there are so many variants.

You could always bend wire back on itself, and solder the double thickness to make a "lug" if you need to use a choccy block.

 

[WM&CQR]

Electricians solder I guessed, but how do the two wires attach? Simply lay one against the other?

 

[SandyBrook]

Just enough of wrapping the bare wire round the led leg to hold the two together while you solder works for me. A heat sink further up the leg to stop heat reaching the led is good practice. Watch the polarity too! Some LEDs will fry, others change colour.
Properly the LED legs would go to holes in printed circuit board ( typically from the reverse) and the wires into appropriate holes connected by the copper strip
Playing about and want to experiment? Stuff wire and leg into a choc block!

 

[WM&CQR]

Just enough of wrapping the bare wire round the led leg to hold the two together while you solder works for me. A heat sink further up the leg to stop heat reaching the led is good practice. Watch the polarity too!
Properly the LED legs would go to holes in printed circuit board ( typically from the reverse) and the wires into appropriate holes connected by the copper strip

The LEDs are to go in a control panel, indicating turnout settings. Now I'm wondering if short strips of circuit board stuck on the back of the panel would be useful in making the connection as well as helping keep the LEDs in place.

 

[SandyBrook]

If you can fit it in that would be the “proper” way to do it and could also hold the leds so they line up with any aperture you were thinking of. Will look forward to seeing what bright idea you come up with.

 

[WM&CQR]

If you can fit it in that would be the “proper” way to do it and could also hold the leds so they line up with any aperture you were thinking of. Will look forward to seeing what bright idea you come up with.

Well I'm wrestling with what is involved (switches, LEDs connections etc) So I also am looking forward to what bright idea I come up with

 

[richard carr]

I find it much easier to use pre wired 12 volt 3mm LEDs for a control panel. These are pretty cheap on Amazon and they come with a resistor already fitted so you can use a 12 volt supply. £10 gets you 20 or more and they are available in numerous colours.

Richard

 

[Stephen Freeman]

For the larger LEDs you'd want to use in a control panel, there are proper holders (at least for 5mm ones). Connection by solder, insulation by heat shrink tubing. 1k resistor needed.
SMD LEDs are a little tricker but then you wouldn't want those in your control panel would you?

 

[WM&CQR]

I'm using the Lenz LW150 control panel module which controls 16 devices. It operates through, and draws its power, from the Xpressnet. The LED pack comes with a twenty wire ribbon cable and plug to connect to the mimic panel module, and 32 LEDs, for £18.60, which seems reasonable. No resistors are needed as the LW150 feeds the LEDs at the required level. The switch and indicator light wiring on the panel connects through two 20 wire ribbons to the control module. If I ever construct another layout all I need to do is build another swappable panel top with two ribbon wire connectors