[Shotimes] how do flashers work?

[James F. Ryan III]

> Then please help me understand.  LED's put out much more light with a
> lot less electricity.

Absolutely correct.  LED's are MUCH more efficient at converting heat into
light than their incandescent counterparts.  That's just technology, my
friend, not black magic.



> They also require a resister in-line to make them equal the resistance
> of the older incandescent bulb.

No.  They require a resistor to limit the current so they don't damage
themselves.



> If they have much higher
> resistance, then why do they light up brighter and quicker with less
> juice?

You struck upon the very definition of a SEMI-conductor - a device that can
act as both a conductor and an insulator (but not at the same time).
Normally it has a very HIGH resistance and acts like an INSULATOR.  However,
when you forward-bias the device (connect + battery to + lead of diode,
and - battery to - lead of diode) it will magically become a CONDUTOR at a
very low voltage of approx 0.7V.  Now the LED/diode has a very LOW
resistance and must be protected with a properly sized current-limiting
resistor.



I thought the higher the resistance, the higher the ohms of
> resistance?

Yup.



>
> Just asking
>
> Don
>
> James F. Ryan III wrote:
>
> >>The LED's have a much lower resistance to electricity as I understand
> >>it, thus it is like opening up a water faucet from a slow drip to
> >>flood.  Things move faster!  :)
> >>
> >>
> >
> >LED's have a MUCH HIGHER resistance.  High resistance = not a good
conductor
> >= very little current flow.
> >
> >LED's and diodes are classified as SEMI-conductors (that's an easy memory
> >aid).
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