Im wiring some LEDs in parallel, 8 to be exact. Im using 12v as the power source and the LEDs need 3.3 volts of power and only use 20mA a piece. Im using a resistor calculator online, just because its a lot faster than I am. The resistor calc says i need a 2 watt resistor, but that doesnt seem right because the LEDs arent putting out but .528 Watts. Did i do my math wrong? Could someone tell me what i should be using or explain why its 2 watts instead of a 1/2 watt or 1 watt resistor?

Any Help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
deershoot3r

I got the same answer too, using "the guru" calculator, but im trying to use parallel instead because of a single resistor not multiple.

@woz okay i like that, thats how i wired another project up so im just gonna use that method, thanks everyone for their help!!

Alright ive added up the value of a different LED, make sure i have this right, this LED only needs 2.3 volts of power instead of 3.3, Voltage stays at 12, and amps stay at 0.020
so if
R=(12-2.3)/0.020= 485
and P = I^2R = 0.194

Then i should i User a higher resistor like a 487ohm 1/4 watt 1% tolerence or should i try to stay lower than the resistance above?

Thank you sir! (or maam)