ATTN: Electrical Guru's (aka...BrianG)

[BrianG]

LEDs need between 2.5v and 3.5v each (depending on color) and around 15-20mA each. Then it depends on if they are wired in series or parallel.

If in series, you can hook around 45 LEDs in series with 120v (to get the peak voltage/divide that by 0.707), and then a current limiting resistor. Easy hook-up, but if one goes out, they all do, just like old style xmas tree lights. But, each LED string only requires that 15-20mA, so it uses very little energy.

If in parallel, each resistor will have a current limiting resistor in series with it, and then each resistor/LED set is in parallel. But, since each LED requires 15-20mA, 50 LEDs would require 1A total.

Because companies make these things as cheap as possible, I would say they are in series.

LEDs are nice because they use less power (all the heat from filament bulbs is wasted heat), and are much more shock-proof. But, they do have a lifespan, usually something like 100,000 hours. And white LEDs get yellow over time because they use a phosphorous coating which yellows.