Author Topic: strobe light? (Read 12690 times)

ryan0 · « **on:** August 26, 2008, 08:10:13 AM »

i want to make a strobe light keychain that i can wear to raves and clubs,and i was wondering would a 555 timer to the job or would it be too slow?

kink192 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 26, 2008, 09:19:39 PM »

you can control the speed, just replace the resistor going from pin 8 to 7 with a variable resistor and tweak it til its at the speed you want.

p.s. poo on raves, techno/trance=bad music

ryan0 · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2008, 04:40:36 AM »

Quote from: kink192 on August 26, 2008, 09:19:39 PM

you can control the speed, just replace the resistor going from pin 8 to 7 with a variable resistor and tweak it til its at the speed you want.

p.s. poo on raves, techno/trance=bad music

hey,i like metal too XD,i just also like rave and trance :P:P:P

PspKicks316 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2008, 07:58:17 AM »

Quote from: Alien_X on August 31, 2008, 05:03:33 AM

Why not use a PIC.?

Simplicity probably.

PspKicks316 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2008, 08:17:47 AM »

Quote from: Alien_X on August 31, 2008, 08:02:57 AM

if you can code them.

Exactly.

ryan0 · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2008, 12:26:49 PM »

I can code it but a p.i.c. would be overkill,I'd rather use the p.i.c. for something else,plus I want to make a few for my friends too so the simpler the better,I just need to know if I can get a strobe light effect with a 555 timer because I have a few lying round the house

Ghost In Black · « **Reply #6 on:** October 06, 2008, 04:33:58 PM »

Well if you figure out how, send me the instructions because I'm just learning C# in computers class and have no clue how to program these.

thanks

Jumbo · « **Reply #7 on:** October 07, 2008, 03:50:27 PM »

You dont program a 555 timer

ryan0 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 08, 2008, 02:30:06 AM »

lol dude read the other posts,we arent retarded XD

Jumbo · « **Reply #9 on:** October 08, 2008, 11:47:30 AM »

I was talking to Ghost In Black..

And did you ever do this?

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #10 on:** October 10, 2008, 09:46:01 PM »

If you have the 555 timers laying around why not go ahead and try one out. It wont hurt anything, and even if it doesn't work you still do have the 555 timer and all your other components.

ryan0 · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2008, 06:28:10 AM »

I wired it up and it would work for about a minute then my led's would blow
I think I need led's that are designed for the job,
they can last ages if I bring down the speed of the flash,but then I don't get the strobe effect,just a blinking led

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #12 on:** October 12, 2008, 08:53:58 PM »

hmm why would they blow from that after a minute? Does it take more energy for them to turn on and off the nit does for them to stay on. As in would a light bulb blow faster if you flashed it on and off alot then if you just left it on all the time...

ryan0 · « **Reply #13 on:** October 13, 2008, 10:54:21 AM »

takes 2 times as much energy to turn on than to run,and every time you turn it on you are putting the led under a great amount of stress,once you get to the speed where it give an actual strobe effect they just burn out after a minute or two

802Chives · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2008, 02:14:21 PM »

RyanO, what did you use for a circuit? Did you limit your LEDs with resistors? If so what size did you use? What LEDs are you using? What are u using for a power source?

LEDS should not blow unless they are getting too much current, try using like a 150 ohm resistor to limit your current on each LED. If you are using a cmos 555, you will get a current spike when you turn the LED on, however that will get limited by a resistor and shouldn't be catastrophic. LEDs can be modualated very fast, much faster than any eye or camera can see, so the concept is doable for sure.

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #15 on:** October 13, 2008, 05:08:30 PM »

Yeah I think chives pretty much said what I was going to say after your reply to my comment, but I do want to add that I believe I may have seen blinking leds at radioshack before, but i guess thats not really the same... I dont see much any other way of doing it without the use of a pic unless the resistors work

ryan0 · « **Reply #16 on:** October 14, 2008, 01:22:40 PM »

Quote from: 802Chives on October 13, 2008, 02:14:21 PM

RyanO, what did you use for a circuit? Did you limit your LEDs with resistors? If so what size did you use? What LEDs are you using? What are u using for a power source?

LEDS should not blow unless they are getting too much current, try using like a 150 ohm resistor to limit your current on each LED. If you are using a cmos 555, you will get a current spike when you turn the LED on, however that will get limited by a resistor and shouldn't be catastrophic. LEDs can be modualated very fast, much faster than any eye or camera can see, so the concept is doable for sure.

hey,thanks for the advice,if what you're saying is true (which I am confident that it is) then I've been supplying too much current to my LED's.At the weekend I'll pop in to the electronics store and pick up the proper resistor and LED's,I've run out of 3mm and ain't no chance am I using my smd's!

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #17 on:** October 14, 2008, 04:48:41 PM »

why not use smds? Are they more expencive or something because I got some for really really cheap from uniqueleds.com for like 30cents each... If that isnt the reason then just forget this post entirely

H-Sauce: Please hyperlink your urls next time

ryan0 · « **Reply #18 on:** October 15, 2008, 02:37:54 AM »

In Ireland you can't buy SMD's in shops,any shops....at all.....except one...but you have to buy a minimum of 500.Therefore to me at least,SMD LED's are worth more.

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #19 on:** October 16, 2008, 09:53:19 PM »

well I live i nthe us and you cant hardly buy them anywhere either. Actually I have never seen em anywhere i na store. I always order mine of of uniqueleds.com. I dont know for you how much the shipping would be but I got 16 leds and shipping for like 6$ or 8$

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #20 on:** October 24, 2008, 10:38:34 AM »

Hey did you ever get thi working? if not then you could try to make one with a cylon scanner."i think its called that anyways" It isnt a strobe light but it is pretty cool still and would be a cool bracelet for raves and stuff and i dont think it costs too much to make em

socomhacker239 · « **Reply #21 on:** October 25, 2008, 09:45:16 PM »

if you get this working please post a tutorial,because i build custom model cars and i just finished building a level 4 (the highst skill) car and on my model cars i always put little mods on them this time i got a police truck so i would like to add red white an blue storb lights
thanks

StealthedHunter · « **Reply #22 on:** November 03, 2008, 11:01:51 AM »

the only way i see to do this best would be with a pic. You could get your friends to pay you for them just enough to get the parts or something that way it wouldnt cost you alot of money anyways

socomhacker239 · « **Reply #23 on:** November 04, 2008, 03:52:05 PM »

ok thanks man i wish this did work cuz i already have a 555 timer i acidentally bought cuz i thought it was a lm386 lol

PhenomenalDesigns · « **Reply #24 on:** December 28, 2008, 05:13:59 PM »

If your only using like 2 Colors, make a flip flop circuit, very very simple

The 470 ohms are for the LED, the 10ks are to protect the transistors and changing the capacitor will make it faster/slower (Lower fared, faster, and vice versa)

1uF makes it so fast it looks like their both on, if you did that with LEDs, theoritally, they will last longer, double as longer infact

Where as 1000uF makes them like 30 seconds each, id say get about 5uF or 10uF, or even better, if possible, get a variable capacitor, but they are very hard to get, and not sure if they make a pentiometer version like one

legoman · « **Reply #25 on:** December 28, 2008, 06:43:53 PM »

hmmm, i see.
So if a flip flop circuit is used, it could put less strain on the leds!
Nice idea

Tomasz8 · « **Reply #26 on:** December 29, 2008, 04:11:03 AM »

U can use the ne555 timer using a capacitor and a variable resistor. I've made a strobe with 2 super bright led's and it was blinding anyone looking at it.

or use that

And... i forgot, if you need any explanations just let me know abd I can help u with the diagrams.

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Author Topic: strobe light? (Read 12690 times)