# 3mm LED vs 5mm LED for clipping diode



## SteveScott

Just wondering, is there any difference, sonically speaking, between using 3mm red LED's versus using 5mm red LED's?


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## DGWVI

Only difference is the size


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## SteveScott

DGWVI said:


> Only difference is the size


That's what I figured, but I wasn't sure.  Thank you so much.


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## Chuck D. Bones

Color, on the other hand, makes a big difference because they all have a different forward voltage.


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## SteveScott

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Color, on the other hand, makes a big difference because they all have a different forward voltage.


I had heard that.  Everyone seems to use red.  I'll have to try some others just to hear the difference.  Are the LED's that have colored lenses actually white and just getting their color from the lens?  The only clear LED's I have are red and ultra violet.


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## DGWVI

Diffused (colored) and clear will not have any differences between the same colored light.
Edit: Go with the reds, as I doubt the UVs will actually do anything- they have a huge forward voltage


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## Chuck D. Bones

The actual diode radiates a single color.  White LEDs are red, green & blue LEDs running in parallel.  Find a prism & check it out!  I have used white LEDs in solid-state amp distortion circuits.  For fun, I popped various color LEDs into my transistor tester.  The test current is higher than we would see in most pedal diode clipping circuits.  These were all 5mm LEDs.

red - 1.58V
yellow - 1.91V
green - 2.72V
blue - 2.67V
violet - 3.03V
white - 2.94V


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## SteveScott

Well that explains why red is the color to go with.  Thanks for the explanations.


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## reubenreub

Another fun option is infrared LEDs which have a forward voltage of around 1.2V, so even lower than red ones. 









						Infrared LED  940nm 5mm TSAL7400
					

VISHAY - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping




					www.taydaelectronics.com


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## Chuck D. Bones

I'm putting green LEDs in my Frost Drive (VFE Ice Scream) because hey, it's a TS and they're green.  I used yellow LEDs in my Teddy Rupture mod.  Lower diode voltage = more compression.  The various BMP derivatives use everything from germanium diodes to yellow LEDs and anything in between.  Red LEDs are the most common (at one time they were the cheapest), but there's a place for all of the LED colors.


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## Mourguitars

Chuck D. Bones said:


> The actual diode radiates a single color.  White LEDs are red, green & blue LEDs running in parallel.  Find a prism & check it out!  I have used white LEDs in solid-state amp distortion circuits.  For fun, I popped various color LEDs into my transistor tester.  The test current is higher than we would see in most pedal diode clipping circuits.  These were all 5mm LEDs.
> 
> red - 1.58V
> yellow - 1.91V
> green - 2.72V
> blue - 2.67V
> violet - 3.03V
> white - 2.94V




Lots of good info CDB ! Thanks for putting that up..

Mike


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