Issue with LED and Transistor

[firearrow5235]

I have everything wired up correctly. When I hit the switch the sound comes on. Swing/Clash is working fine also. The issue I'm having is the when I plug in the battery, the LED'S come on, and the transistor starts getting really hot. Using the switch doesn't shut them off. I can't see any spot where they would be short circuiting. I'm using the Luke Skywalker BladeBuilder board with the tri-cree LED, a 18650 battery, and a TIP42G transistor. Any ideas?

[firearrow5235]

Okay, so I did a little troubleshooting, and I'm finding that the issue is the connections for LED's on the board. They're not stopping the current.

[firearrow5235]

If I wire the LED- to the speaker, that seems to work perfectly. Is that okay?

[jbkuma]

Yes that's one of the way many have done it. It is a good way to get the flicker effect.

[jbkuma]

Are you sure you had your transistor wired correctly in the first instance? I've never had it even get warm.

[firearrow5235]

As far as I could tell it was wired correctly. Gate to LED- on board, collector to LED+, and Emitter to Battery+. I had everything working but unfortunately I couldn't get it all to fit in the hilt. I elected to go without sound instead. It looks fantastic so I'm fine with it.