I soldered 0201 LEDs.

[JanesCustomTrain]

WOW ! 0201 ? Really ? Well done ! I do all my soldering down to 0402 but I gave up on 0201, too small. I buy them now on ebay or aliexpress already soldered to wires.

Jane

[DKS]

I buy them now on ebay or aliexpress already soldered to wires.

This.

[craigolio1]

WOW ! 0201 ? Really ? Well done ! I do all my soldering down to 0402 but I gave up on 0201, too small. I buy them now on ebay or aliexpress already soldered to wires.

Jane

Yeah totally. I don’t WANT to solder them. I only found un soldered on eBay. Would you be able to link to the soldered ones?

[DKS]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/S1144-10-Pcs-SMD-Leds-0201-White-with-Wire-Enamelled-Copper-Wire-Micro-Mini/253872096883

[C855B]

Since that pre-wired LED David linked to is spec'd in metric, just be aware that "0.15mm" wire is roughly #34 AWG. That's going to be thick relative to the #38 you've been using, almost twice as thick. I'm currently working with pre-wired LEDs in #36 and #38 in building signals, and I'm somewhat surprised at the difference in handling and routing. A bundle of four #36 wires is a challenge to push down a 3/64" OD mast, four #34s would be nigh impossible.

Also, the "0201" spec is slightly misleading, implying 0.020" x 0.010". They're actually closer to 0.025" x 0.015". (That's not peculiar to the eBay LEDs, that's the LED manufacturer's dimensions.) The "0201" is close enough within the SMD component specification conventions. Besides, there's a little bit of marketing spin here, if they rounded up, they'd be "0302" and would lose their distinction against 0402 components.

TMI? Probably.

[DKS]

TMI? Probably.

No, not really. Your point on wire thickness is well taken. That said, it applies more to others who may be trying to do what you are--shove a lot of wires down a skinny tube. Long ago, I made a set of working stoplights for a five-way intersection (including left-turn signals plus walk/don't walk signs, below), and I wound up using #43 solenoid wire, which is much finer than hair, to make everything work. Meanwhile, I currently have a few dozen of the ePay pre-wired 0201 LEDs, and for most applications, the wire is fine. Indeed, the thickness gives it the advantage of added robustness.



So, like everything else in life, it's ROI: build or buy? What's your application?--that determines the route to take.

 

[Maletrain]

The SMD 0201 LEDs that I am seeing on eBay with wires attached all seem to use insulated wire.  That tends to make them unusable for stuffing the wires down tiny tubes. 

Does anybody know of a source for prewired 0201s using magnet wire, in the #34 to #38 range?
 

[craigolio1]

Yeah those ones would cost me $70 Canadian for same quantity I bought for $10. I’ll continue frustrating myself. That said I would charge $1000. Haha. 

I wish I could find them in warm white.

[peteski]

I wish I could find them in warm white.

I think the size is a problem.
White LEDs use a blue LED die and surround it with a phosphor-filled resin case which converts part of the blue light into warmer colors.  Some of the blue light still passes through the phosphor, and the combination of the blue light, plus the warmer colors emitted the phosphor produce "white" light.  The more of the blue light passes through the phosphor, the cooler (higher) is the color temperature.

I believe that with such a thin layer of the phosphor-filled resin surrounding the LED die, it would be difficult to filter out the blue light to make the white light look warmer.  But you could coat the LED with some transparent amber paint, that will warm up the color (by blocking blue light).  I have done that to some larger size LEDs, but it should work here too.

[wvgca]

it's easy to convert cool white LEDs into warm white, with a coat or two of Tamiya transparent orange or yellow ..

[conrad]

"The SMD 0201 LEDs that I am seeing on eBay with wires attached all seem to use insulated wire.  That tends to make them unusable for stuffing the wires down tiny tubes.

Does anybody know of a source for prewired 0201s using magnet wire, in the #34 to #38 range?"

Magnet wire is insulated.  Per 'definitive' wikipedia the insulation is not enamel but a polymer film.  I beleive the items on ebay are wired with magnet wire.

Conrad

[conrad]

PS: As a retired electrical engineer I am somewhat adverse to running uninsulated conductors down a tube:)

Conrad

[peteski]

"The SMD 0201 LEDs that I am seeing on eBay with wires attached all seem to use insulated wire.  That tends to make them unusable for stuffing the wires down tiny tubes.

Does anybody know of a source for prewired 0201s using magnet wire, in the #34 to #38 range?"

Magnet wire is insulated.  Per 'definitive' wikipedia the insulation is not enamel but a polymer film.  I beleive the items on ebay are wired with magnet wire.

Conrad

Whatever the magnet wire insulating substance is, it is much thinner than any insulation on a standard insulated wire, and it also cannot be stripped the way insulation is stripped from insulated wire (mechanical wire stripper which pulls the insulating sleeve off the wire). Magnet wire insulation is bonded to the surface of the wire.

Magnet wire (as the name implies) is used for winding coils (transformers, electromagnets, chokes). Its very thin insulation maximizes the density of the windings in the coil.  Standard insulating wire, because the insulation it thicker, would not be optimal for winding coils.

[DKS]

I wish I could find them in warm white.

They do come in warm white; I've bought a few packs. They just aren't always listed--you need to keep searching over time. However, I've not yet found any wired with magnet wire.

EDIT: Information on magnet wire insulation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_wire

 

[conrad]

 

"... it also cannot be stripped the way insulation is stripped from insulated wire (mechanical wire stripper which pulls the insulating sleeve off the wire). Magnet wire insulation is bonded to the surface of the wire."

You are correct Peteski.  I've use sandpaper or scraping with a razor to get the insulation off (watch out for nicks).

Conrad

ps How do you get the nice grayed out quotes into a reply?