Hi All,
Does anybody have a specific circuit and/or parts recommendation for a simple AC Pilot LED?
I merely want to power an LED directly from the U.S. 120 volt 60 Hz mains to act as a pilot light - a job traditionally filled by a small neon bulb and high-R dropping resistor. There is no other equipment associated with the requirement, so no DC voltage available, no low AC voltage, etc.
Is there already a packaged solution out there?
If I must build it, I'm thinking to use a capacitor as the current limiter and some kind of high voltage rectifier diode (like a 1N400x) to protect the reverse voltage of the LED. LED current for the visibility requirements would be around 10-20 mA.
The smaller the better, I'm hoping to gut an existing pilot light housing and stuff this LED implementation into the housing. SMD parts are preferred to thru-hole.
Low parts cost is an issue too, and there may ultimately be a UL approval involved.