01
beginner+100 XP

Light Your First LED

Complete your very first electronic circuit and make an LED glow!

🎯 Objective

Connect a battery, resistor, and LED in series to make the LED light up.

📖 Background Theory

Every LED needs two things to work: voltage in the right direction and a current-limiting resistor. **The basic LED circuit:** Battery + → Resistor → LED Anode → LED Cathode → Battery – **Why the resistor?** Without it, too much current flows and destroys the LED instantly. For a 9V battery and a standard LED: R = (9V – 1.8V) / 0.02A = 360Ω → use 470Ω (next standard value) **Ohm's Law:** V = I × R

🔧 Components You'll Use

BatteryResistorLedGround

📋 Steps (9)

  1. 1Place a Battery from the Basic components panel
  2. 2Place a Resistor (220Ω–470Ω) next to the battery
  3. 3Place an LED to the right of the resistor
  4. 4Place a Ground symbol
  5. 5Wire: Battery + → Resistor pin A
  6. 6Wire: Resistor pin B → LED Anode (+)
  7. 7Wire: LED Cathode (–) → Ground
  8. 8Wire: Battery – → Ground
  9. 9Click ▶ Run Simulation and watch the LED glow!