# What size AWG for LEDs?



## Blake82 (3 mo ago)

Looking to throw together some diy lighting for cheap. I purchased loose 5mm 12vdc LEDs to make some quick diy spotlights. Didn’t bother with the DC adapter because 12v is common and so surely ONE of the many unused plugs I hadn’t thrown away yet should suffice.

Wrong…sort of. What I did find was an old 135W XBox360 PSU and plenty of online tutorials on how to convert it to supply 12VDC at 10.83A plus another 5Vsb 1A.

My question is whether I should choose the wire gauge to run the lights based on the power supply or the power draw?

I’m pretty sure that is based on the load, but I can’t find anything definitive and don’t want to light my house on fire


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## PropGuy (Oct 24, 2021)

I usually use 18 gage wire for LEDs but you can go as small as 22 gage if that fits your project.


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## fred-o-lantern (12 mo ago)

Always by the amount of current drawn. 5mm leds draw next to nothing (approx 20mA each) so you could get away with a thinner gage. Though I usually use 18 gage. Mostly because I have a good supply of it around.


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## All Hallows' Steve (3 mo ago)

The choice of wire gauge should definitely be based off the amount of current your load(s) draw. 

I don't know your setup, but you will most likely have main power wires coming from the 12VDC supply, which you will branch off of to supply power to each LED. The individual LED branch currents will be dependent upon the type of LEDs used. Normal "indicator" LEDs typically draw around 0.02A (20mA). Some high-powered LEDs can draw upwards of 1A or more. 

Keep in mind that each branch you add to the main power wires will draw its own current. The sum of the branch currents will equal the total current flowing through you main wires. For example, if you have three LEDs in their own branches and each draws 0.1A, then there will be 0.3A flowing in the main wires. Ten LEDs would draw 1A. Twenty would draw 2A. etc...

Long story short, use 18AWG wires, as PropGuy and fred already pointed out, and you will be fine.


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## Blake82 (3 mo ago)

Blake82 said:


> Looking to throw together some diy lighting for cheap. I purchased loose 5mm 12vdc LEDs to make some quick diy spotlights. Didn’t bother with the DC adapter because 12v is common and so surely ONE of the many unused plugs I hadn’t thrown away yet should suffice.
> 
> Wrong…sort of. What I did find was an old 135W XBox360 PSU and plenty of online tutorials on how to convert it to supply 12VDC at 10.83A plus another 5Vsb 1A.
> 
> ...


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## Blake82 (3 mo ago)

Thanks, everyone. As I mentioned, I was 99.99% sure I had it right, but wanted it to be 100%


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## hogyween (Jul 25, 2020)

I recently used VanOaksProps' YouTube tutorial for spotlights. Found a 12V/5A transformer from an old laptop, using a barrel connector adapter to hook the LEDs up to some 24AWG wire.

Works perfectly!


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