# Cree 5mm LEDs are awesome!



## JohnR66 (Dec 6, 2009)

While the major interest is with power LEDs, I tend to use a lot of 5mm LEDs where the high lumens are not needed and cost needs to be low. Tiring of all the junk LEDs hacked from x-mas light strings and purchased off of ebay and such, I thought I'd try some Cree LEDs. They are not really much more $$ than the the pricier ebay LEDs and as you see, perform great.

Amber seems to be a color that is hard to make bright. I thought I was going to have to go to a power LED to get the flux I want for a bike light side marker project, but a couple of the Crees will do the trick. Note the dim amber cheapie on the right.






The Reds have not changed much from the ones I got 3 years ago. Red has been bright for a while, still the cheap ebay reds I tried were feeble.





The brightest blues I had were the ones from DX. They were better than the 3 year old Crees. The new Cree out shines them. (DX blue on right)





Same story for green





The new white Cree is rather interesting. While The Nichia GS (on right) is still brighter, the Cree is not far behind and lacks the angry blue center. The Cree is a cool white, but is what I call "neutral-cool" - lacking the blueish or purple tint of many cheap LEDs. Higher bin Crees are said to match the GS in brightness.





The Cree on the right is a 24cd one CPF member "Sgt. LED" sent me a while back. The intensity looks the same, but the new one has a wider beam even though it is supposed to be 15 Deg, so it is emitting more light. In a QTY. of 100 I got them for 42 cents each. Not a bad deal for bright LEDs that won't quickly fade like the cheapo LEDs.





Notes: Cree C503 series 5mm LEDs. LED beam shots appear oblong due to camera angle used to avoid hot spot from hi-gloss white paint. I noticed Cree is now using a rectangular die in the indium gallium nitride LEDs (white, blue and green ones) the red and amber LEDs have the die cup as the anode. Perhaps they are using some sort of flip chip design? Thanks for looking.:huh:


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## tnforever (Dec 6, 2009)

Very interesting thread, John! I've been looking at low powered LEDs myself as a way to retrofit some old cheap flashlights to make them more interesting/useful 

Where do you get your LEDs (both high powered and 5mm) from? I've been looking for reputable places to buy them but I only really know of DX and Cutter. Ebay didn't even cross my mind...

I certainly like the look of those white 5mms I can sacrifice some brightness if it meant a beam that I would actually like to look at.


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## Vermonter73 (Dec 6, 2009)

Do you know what the lumens per watt is with these?


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## Scott_T (Dec 6, 2009)

I got some of the whites from DX to make night lights with and they really need diffusers, not too bad once its all mixed together.


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## JohnR66 (Dec 6, 2009)

tnforever said:


> Very interesting thread, John! I've been looking at low powered LEDs myself as a way to retrofit some old cheap flashlights to make them more interesting/useful
> 
> Where do you get your LEDs (both high powered and 5mm) from? I've been looking for reputable places to buy them but I only really know of DX and Cutter. Ebay didn't even cross my mind...
> 
> I certainly like the look of those white 5mms I can sacrifice some brightness if it meant a beam that I would actually like to look at.



I got XR-E and XP-Es from DX. Last order was shipped in three separate pieces and took two months for the XP-Es to show. I bought these 5mm Crees from DigiKey. I ordered them Thursday morning and when I got home on Saturday night they were sitting in my mail box. That was fast! 



Vermonter73 said:


> Do you know what the lumens per watt is with these?



No.



Scott_T said:


> I got some of the whites from DX to make night lights with and they really need diffusers, not too bad once its all mixed together.



I'd be wary of those white LEDs. At that price point, I'd expect them to fade in a month and be useless.


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## Pathlight (Dec 7, 2009)

Hi John,

Love all the researsh you do. Are all the leds above the C503 series? Haven't figured out
Digi-key web site yet and how to order: can look up their specs though. Interested in the amber or yellow, the white and maybe green. looks like amber has some rings in it. Been trying to find a bright yellow/amber without rings for years. Found some clear ones, but only 3000 mcd. Got some from Photon USA that were fairly bright but were ringy. If you've got a couple extra ambers, a green and a few white ones you want to sell, let me know. I could tell if I wanted to buy a bigger amount. 

Thanks, Gordon


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## JohnR66 (Dec 7, 2009)

Yes, these are the C503 series. DigiKey's catalog is immense. I found the Cree 5mm LEDs on page 2649! To make finding them easier, just enter LC503 in the search on the home page.

Some of the beams are ringy, but as you see, not as bad as cheaper LEDs I have. The mcd rating of the amber is 16,000 with the 15 Deg version or 4,800 for the 30 Deg version. I prefer 30 Deg beam for color LEDs.

After being impressed with the initial order, I went back and bought a boatload more. When I get them, I can let a few go for the price I paid + shipping. No problem helping people out here on CPF.


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## JohnR66 (Jan 1, 2010)

*Re: Cree 15 vs 30 degree LEDs*

I received my order of 15 Deg color LEDs. Here is the comparison beam shots with the 30 Deg ones.


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## zapper (Jan 25, 2010)

*Re: Cree 15 vs 30 degree LEDs*

Those 15 Deg beams are nice. The 30 start getting too ringy but probably more useful in their intended applications. Like the red for night use. If it's too concentrated, it's just as bad for your night adapted vision as a bright white light. What's your opinion on the red 15 and 30 you have in use at night?


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## JohnR66 (Jan 25, 2010)

These are too bright for night vision unless you reduce the current. They could be used to light an area, such as a camp site for night vision retention since 10 of these are cheaper than a power LED.

I replaced some of the 30 Deg ones in my tail light on my bicycle and they are much brighter than the original LEDs.

Cree seemed to have developed these LEDs for outdoor video panel/sign use. They used UV resistant epoxy encapsulant, high brightness dies, consistent performance from LED to LED and long life. In QTYs of 100, the red and amber are only about 21 cents each.

I hate to sound like I'm kissing up to Cree, but like their power LEDs, these new 5mm LEDs are another great product. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Update: If you shop DigiKey, they were using an old part number (starting with LC) and shipping new LEDs, but now they are using the correct part number. Search C503 on the home page.

I think I said this somewhere before, but to make sure you get the new LEDs instead of older parts, you can check the LEDs at low current and look at the die. The white, blue and green have a rectangular die. The red and amber use a flipped chip so that the die cup is the anode which is unusual.


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## GarageBoy (Feb 4, 2010)

How about turquoise?


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## JohnR66 (Feb 4, 2010)

GarageBoy said:


> How about turquoise?



Cree seems to have concentrated on RGB and amber for the colors since they are common in video screens and signs. I don't see turquoise on their site.


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## metlarules (Feb 9, 2010)

I have the Cree 5mm reds and the SSC reds from Mouser. The SSC's have a much better beam to them. They are a little brighter and they don't have that hole in the middle of the beam.


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## Pathlight (Feb 10, 2010)

*Re: Cree 15 vs 30 degree LEDs*



JohnR66 said:


> I received my order of 15 Deg color LEDs. Here is the comparison beam shots with the 30 Deg ones.



Really like your work. Thanks. I've been looking for a good yellow or amber 5mm led with decent brightness for years. Tried many and finally gave up. The best (almost ringless) I've found was a 30deg. from All Electrictonics but it only has 3000 mcp. It's pretty nice except for lack of brightness. Red has a very bad effect on my eyes and they hurt after a
little while. Orange, amber or yellow is ok for me.

Very interested in the Cree 14 deg. ambers you tried. The 30 deg. don't look that good to me. I do like 20-30 Deg., but if it's bright then I could use the 15 deg. In above photo the 
center of the 15 deg. amber looks like it has a small dark hole in it. Is that right? If you 
have any extras, I only need 2 or 3 or maybe 1 to check out. Be glad to buy 1-3 from you.
Anyway let me know, and keep up the good work.

Cheers, Gordon


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## LEDAdd1ct (Feb 10, 2010)

Thank you for your advice, John!


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## JohnR66 (Feb 10, 2010)

metlarules said:


> I have the Cree 5mm reds and the SSC reds from Mouser. The SSC's have a much better beam to them. They are a little brighter and they don't have that hole in the middle of the beam.



Is the die cup side the anode or cathode on the Cree or the SSC? What part numbers are you comparing?


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## JohnR66 (Feb 10, 2010)

I'm glad so many have taken interest in these LEDs. I have sold a few in small qty to a few members who were interested. I seem to be getting more requests. I didn't intend on becoming a reseller. I sold as many as I can. I need the rest for my projects. If I had the time, I would organize a group buy.

They aren't difficult to get. You can get them an any qty from DigiKey and if you can use first class mail, the shipping is cheap and fast, but it makes sense to get more than 10 as the shipping cost would cost more than the red or amber ones.

Thanks John


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## metlarules (Feb 11, 2010)

JohnR66 said:


> Is the die cup side the anode or cathode on the Cree or the SSC? What part numbers are you comparing?


 http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMs4quMj8r4lml0GZsaK/vRILswrr9Lrg2M=

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=C503B-RCS-CW0Z0AA1-ND

These are the 2 leds that I have.


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## JohnR66 (Feb 12, 2010)

metlarules said:


> http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMs4quMj8r4lml0GZsaK/vRILswrr9Lrg2M=
> 
> http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=C503B-RCS-CW0Z0AA1-ND
> 
> These are the 2 leds that I have.



They look good if a little pricey. Could you post comparison beamshots or spare one for testing?


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## metlarules (Feb 12, 2010)

JohnR66 said:


> They look good if a little pricey. Could you post comparison beamshots or spare one for testing?


 I do not have a camera unfortuately and only ordered 5 for the projects that I have. I am making 2aa lights out of them. The 1st one I made was a cree on 2 aa with a resistor in between. It's been running for 43 hrs so far and doesn't seem to be dimming. Good long runtime lights.


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## vtunderground (Feb 12, 2010)

I picked up a few of these, in 15-degree & 55-degree. I was looking to replace the Nichia CS 5mm's in a headlamp.

First I tried the 55-degree Crees. WAY too dim, which is too bad, because I love a floody beam.

The 15-degree Crees were definitely brighter than the Nichias, and with a slightly whiter beam. Only problem (for me) is that they have less sidespill than the Nichias. My headlamp beam went from floody, to just a wide hotspot. I think they'd work well in a flashlight, though.

edit: Beamshotz!

4 x Nichia CS:







4 x Cree 15-degree:






4 x Cree 15-degree, after sanding the domes of the LEDs:


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## JohnR66 (Feb 12, 2010)

A little sandpaper to the dome of the crees will ease off the spot and give you some flood.


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## Pathlight (Feb 13, 2010)

JohnR66 said:


> I'm glad so many have taken interest in these LEDs. I have sold a few in small qty to a few members who were interested. I seem to be getting more requests. I didn't intend on becoming a reseller. I sold as many as I can. I need the rest for my projects. If I had the time, I would organize a group buy.
> 
> They aren't difficult to get. You can get them an any qty from DigiKey and if you can use first class mail, the shipping is cheap and fast, but it makes sense to get more than 10 as the shipping cost would cost more than the red or amber ones.
> 
> Thanks John



John,

You answered most of my questions, but one. The center of the 15 deg. amber looks like it
has a small dark hole in it. Does it? I'm not very good on computers and still figured out how to use Digikey's site. I'll keep trying. 

Thanks, Gordon


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## JohnR66 (Feb 13, 2010)

Pathlight said:


> John,
> 
> You answered most of my questions, but one. The center of the 15 deg. amber looks like it
> has a small dark hole in it. Does it? I'm not very good on computers and still figured out how to use Digikey's site. I'll keep trying.
> ...



Gordon, optics on color 5mm LEDs will never be perfect because they are trying to focus the die and die cup reflection with a simple dome lens. They vary from LED to LED. The Crees are ringy, but at least they are not odd an blotchy like some other LEDs.


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## vtunderground (Feb 13, 2010)

JohnR66 said:


> A little sandpaper to the dome of the crees will ease off the spot and give you some flood.



Thanks, I'll try that.

edit: I sanded the Crees last night... wow what a super-floody light I got! I feel like I lost some overall lumens, but the end result is much more usable than with the unaltered 5mm Crees. I'll try to post a beamshot this afternoon.

edit again: Beamshot with sanded LEDs has been added to post #21 above.


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