User Guide

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is not enough resistance in the circuit then the LED will draw too
much current and break.
Figure 5. Lighting an LED
Check that:
1. The + leg of the LED is on the same row as the 3.3
V wire, and the - leg of the LED is not on the same
row.
2. The top wire is connected to pin 1 (3.3 V).
3. The bottom wire is connected to pin 6 (ground).
Connect the Pi to its power source and the LED will turn on. If it
does not, unplug the power immediately, and then check that:
1. You have placed the LED in the correct direction.
The anode receives power, the cathode allows the
power to flow out and into the next component.
2. You have placed the LED, resistors, and wires in the
correct holes on the breadboard.
Each input/output pin on the GPIO header can only supply 16 mA
of current, and the Pi can only supply 50 mA of current to all of
the pins in total.