Make 4-5 LEDs flash with relay or??

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LED's don't make good diodes in the normal sense. They have a high 'forward voltage' which is the voltage that needs to be applied before the device conducts. For germanium (its one of its good points) its very low at around 0.15 volts. For silicon its around 0.6 volts. For LED's it depends on the colour and could be as 'low' as 1.7 volts for a red LED to as much as 4 volts for a white/blue type. The reverse voltage that they will stand is around 15 to 20 volts for a small germanium, 70 volts or more for a little silicon diode (some are in the 1000's of volts) and 'not very much' for an LED. Around 7 or 8 volts from memory.

So silicon wins out every time for this kind of application.
 
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