Finally! I have been searching for a video like this that would help me to understand how to create a fading LED for a lighthouse project I want to build. THANK YOU! I wanted the light to appear to "rotate" as it shines in any direction. I will be adding a solar panel to this project though. Hopefully you might make that addition in the future? Thanks again!
I messed up building this and accidentally used 1,200 ohm resistors for both, it actually turned out quite nicely using 2,500uF of capacitance instead (I have a feeling that the LED that I used was very low draw in comparison to the one in the demo). The fade is ultra smooth and cycles around 3 seconds up/down. Thanks for the great how-to video!
555 timers will take up to 14 volts, so an input of 12 volts could be used without harm. This will kick up the output voltage, as removing the 150 Ohm resistors shown in the schematic will also do. I've messed around with this circuit for a while, and I have had some trouble powering 12V 200 mA lighting strips. I'm not sure if the output voltage was quite enough, however. If you can't supply 14 Volts to the circuit to account for Voltage drop, there is a way to amplify it with a transistor.
The transistor usage is NOT CORRECT. It's an NPN transistor, so the emitter should go AWAY from B+. Connect the collector to B+, and the emitter to the resistor to the LED. It is part of a specifically designed "emitter-follower" mode of the transistor. The voltage on the emitter tracks the voltage on the base which ramps up and down as the capacitor is cyclically charged and discharged through the high value resistor from the output of the 555. Here is a link to the proper circuit: www.555-timer-circuits.com/up-down-fading-led.html It sort of works if you hook the transistor in backwards because transistors are somewhat symmetrical but you're damaging the transistor and not getting the proper functioning of the circuit. You don't need a huge 1000uF capacitor, either. The gain of the transistor takes very little charge off the capacitor, so you can get away with a much smaller 100uF capacitor. Just use a proportionally smaller resistor on pin 3 of the 555 and adjust to get the desired cycle time. Since the gain of the transistor is on the order of 100 so to run 10 or 20 mA through the LED, you'll only draw 100 or 200uA (microamps) through the base of the transistor. Blue LEDs are very bright by nature so you can use a higher value resistor, like 330 ohms or 470 ohms with a 5V source, or even 1K ohms with a 12V source. Putting a PNP in that location completely ruins the circuit design. it's not only NOT an emitter-follower voltage-tracker any more, but it creates a forward-biased diode connected to B+ and the 555 won't discharge the capacitor, and wouldn't cycle, I would predict.
@@Custom3dPrinting4U only if you include 50 current limiting resistors, one in series with each of them, with the common tie point being at the emitter of the transistor. You can't put raw LEDs in parallel directly. If you expand the output in this way, you will draw 50x rhe current through the transistor, and even if the power supply and transistor can take the current, remember that you're drawing 50x the base current which may require a larger capacitor (and corresponding adjustment of the resistor) because m ore charge will be bled off as current through the transistor base.
You mean a slower fade rate by changing the input voltage? If you input, for example, 4 volts instead of 5 it should fade slower, but the LED won't be as bright. You can change the fade rate by adding a potentiometer in the place of the resistor I point at at 5:20 if that's what you were asking for.
Hi, Someone7089. In your video, you didn't mention a potentiometer at 5:20. You indicated changing the resistor rating. Or, are you saying to replace the resistor with the potentiometer? Thanks so much!
Thanks for the video and link to schematic. Nice how the output pin 3 back-routed to pins 2 and 6 by a resistor, and how pin 7 is not used, capturing the output of the 'ramp' timing internal of the chip. Congratulations on yet another unique wiring of the amazing 555. The 555 can do so much, even voltage to frequency (via pin 5 modulation). One of the most versatile chips of all time and its been around for ages. I'm looking forward to bread-boarding this circuit soon. Thanks again.
Would you happen to know how to make and LED fade on with a duration of four seconds. I'm attempting to make the LED's fade on while in the background sound emits for four seconds. If you can help me out that would be awesome!
On your diagram what is tha PNP on the left (transistor?) and the LED that is connected directly above, will that LED blink as well or how does that work. i am just learning this stuff so my question may be lacking in a lot of background.
I am totally new to the world of electronics, I have tried to follow your tutorial a few times but it cant get it to work...i think I may be wiring something wrong. I’ve got a feeling its the transistor im plugging in wrong. Can you please tell me, do the collector, emitter and base all go on the same track or does the emitter and collector go on the same one and the base on its own track...this is the only thing I must be getting confused with...cheers for the great step by step video :-)
Please help me set this up with a 12v battery. I have been changing my circuit for more than a month (almost every day) now and still can't figure out how to make the led strip pulse with 12v. It seems to work fine with 9v, but it won't pulse with 12v. I added a 10k Ohm resistor for pin 8 + 4 directly from the 12v battery. I can't find any good tutorials out there. Yours is the only one that works as I want! Would like your help in this thing :)
I purchased all of the components you used, and followed your video. However, it does not work. Could using 1/2 watt resistors instead of 1/4 watt resistors be the problem. Also, I am using a 9 volt power source, is that what you are using? Any thoughts?
@Someone7089 looks like i have everything connected like in this video.... It was a really awfull feeling to see it fail... The led just stays on, not even flashing...
How can I make 16 LED to pulse quickly, fade and go on slowly and shine constant, with one circuit and I can choose option with a button maybe or wireless?
hey man, f u don't mind can you please list all the matl's. needed for this? cause it makes me difficult to identify just in the video.. thanks man i do really appreciate your work.. :))
Hi.. could you do a video making one that is with out the push pins board and sardar the wires together? I want to build a working light for my full size TARDIS. Thanks.
Where to conNect? The 9v battery? I can't see it on your schematic. Sir.. Where to connect ? The (-) & (+) wires of 9v battery? And can i use 13001 Transistor? Thank you.
Can you achieve the same effect, with having all of the wires connected in the exact arrangement, without having to wire everything to that board thingy? I'm totally new to wiring...
Question: You're using a single LED and probably powering with 4.5~6.0 V. What if I wanted to do this with a Tail-Light LED made for automobiles powered by 12V. What would be different in the circuit? Thanks for this video.
Hi, can i power this schematic with 12 volts power source? And the output voltage be the same. Because i wanna power LED strips wich are rated at 12 volts. Sorry for my bad english!!!
I have tricky question and I'm hoping you could answer it for me. I am working on this project and I'm using 150+LEDs. I am remaking my tron themed deadmau5 head. The tron design will be lit up by blue LEDs. Here's the thing. I want the LEDs to fade in at POWER ON, starting from the back of the head and work it's self around the head to the eyes and mouth part. I want the LEDs to do the opposite when POWER OFF; have the LEDs fade out starting from the eyes and mouth and work it's self around to.
Hi i am looking for a sort of heart rate pulse small led, battery driven i want to use this in a resing craft idea i am working on can you help or advise
another way to control the rate of fading is getting a higher value capacitor and then connecting a variable resistor just before you connect everything else to the positive side of the capacitor.
I HAVE 470 uf capacitor and i have 2 of them is it possible by just simply adding them together like simple math and make it a 940 uf out of 2 capacitor???
Nice! I'll try to get all the parts and do it. Was wondering the lowest possible voltage for efficiency. The leds need at most 3.2v... and the transistor needs like .7v... what's the lowest voltage needed by the 555 chip? Thanks
I like it! I need this function for vacuum tubes fake filament led instead! When I switch on 12V it should light up just as slowly when you disconnect the voltage it should turn off just as slowly! Easy?
I have placed every thing just as you have and it still does not work for me I am new at this but on the side of my transistor it says 2n2222a338 it was all that I could find ,could that be my problem? Please help me!
Can I use this with a game show buzzer kit to light my podium when a contestant hits their buzzer? If so, can I attach LED Christmas lights? If not possible at all, is there anything I can do to achieve this? Thanks.
Could the circuit be modified so that the LED(s) ramps up and stays on, when I throw a switch? If so, where would I put the switch. I'm a rookie at this, so forgive me if the question seems elementary.
Hey. I want to make pulsing veins on my arms out of LEDs and silicone skin. I watched this video thinking it would tell me how to make LED strips fade in and out (how to program for that)....do you have any idea how i would make strips of blue LEDs fade in and out one after eachother?? To simulate blood being pumped through a vein
how to fade 12v led strip using external power supply 12v? I had try it using TIP31 mosfet but not sync fade time, must be decrease brightness led strip to sync it.
how much would all this cost? I want to stock a few over size foam skulls with fading red eyes... the whole rig of course needs to be able to be wired to a regular extention cord connected to a timer.
a single transistor, a single led, a single 555 timer, and a single capacitor wold all cost around 8-10 US dollars, you can buy them each seperately at radioshack or other electronics stores. a pack of resistors cost just a $1 or $2 depending on what you get, hope this helps
What ohms range potentiometer would I need if I wanted to adjust either the brightness and/or the rate of the pulse? If I added 2 mini- pots what size (range of max ohms) would I need so I could have the fastest pulse to the slowest pulse. I guess my cap would dictate my max range either my Maximum fastest and/or my Maximum slowest, but by adding pots I could adjust my LED to somewhere/anywhere in between those 2 max-range valies.... right? If I have a separate POT that would adjust the voltage going to the LED put inline just before the LED but after all the other components in this circuit, that would handle the brightness adjustment. A pot before the cap or before the 555 timer chip should adjust the pulse rate I'm hoping... yes? Thanks so much for posting this!! You've made me want to get some of those test punch down boards. So I can experiment around with stuff and be less apt to blow stuff up! 💥 🔥🔥 Thanks man!!!!
Your dialogue box at 0.07 secs says you modified this circuit a little. Wondering what is the modification. I've watched 3 times and hooked up your circuit but I'm not getting it to work. Can you tell me the modifications? Thanks
For anyone that is stuck with the led lit on, just remember that the pin layout for the 555 timer in the video is 8 7 6 5 O 1 2 3 4 (The O represents the circle on the actual 555 timer...) Hope this helps any beginners!
@Lazarus65 double check your transistor pinout, and use a potentiometer between pins 3 and the positive side of the capacitor, anything below 50k will do. You could also change your capacitor.
I tried to do this a few times with no success, until I realized that you're supposed to count the timer all the way around, not starting with 5 on the other side of the timer. (in other words, counting up and down like a column). Now that I figured out my mistake, I hooked it all up, but the LED just stays on. Is it possible I screwed up the 5555?
Question - Im trying to make a pulsing led for a Tardis prop from Dr.Who. The unit im making cant fit a 9 volt but it can fit a lithium watch battery. What would need to be changed, aside from the LED's resistor, for it to use a 3.7v circuit? Im assuming the capacitor. Is there a formula to figure out what mF I would need to switcu it with?
do you have a circuit diagram of the "I modified it a little" mods? I notice only 1 transistor in the video, but there are two in the diagram. rather than crawling through the video and transcribing it, that would be pretty helpful...
Hi, I would like to make something like this for my car. What i want to do is have around 50 led's light up around a raised logo in the carpet of a sub woofer box. I would like to have it turn one once i open the trunk. That is I would like the lights to slowly fade on once the trunk opens. Would this be possible? Thank you!
I cannot Make it work......... Can you publish the exact schematic that you use on the video, please? And not one "fidlled a little"? The thing is, I want a soft fade in and soft out as well, like you have here.
What if I had 2 LEDs and I wanted the power to flow to one or the other based on sound frequency? Basically any sound below 146.8Hz powers one LED and anything above powers the other. No sound = no power to either. Any thoughts where I might start looking to develop a solution?
makezine.com/projects/easy-led-color-organ/ I'd check out this video/schematic and then do some reading on filters so the leds activate at the frequency you want.
comment if there is another tutorial of this beacause im gonna build it without capacitors and transistors and can be the chip be looking any direction?
Fun project. I tried a 9V battery and found it was a little too much power and the circuit leaked a little -- the LED would fade slightly but not go completely out. I put a resistor on the negative lead from the battery (I think I used a 1000 ohm) to reduce the input voltage and it worked fine. Thanks for the tutorial.
can you make one on 12 white LED's that would fade like that? or a list of what would be needed? i need to make a 12 LED crown for a statue ( moms birthday present)
can this effect be done without a 555 somehow? Thanks! I'm trying to add a soothing dim on-hold-dim off effect into the inside of a battery operated LED flicker candles to supplement the flickering led flame effect. ...I think this would not only look awesome but might also help me fall asleep on those nights I can't sleep...
if I add a full wave rectifier to use ac power to a bunch of leds in series can I use just one circuit to make them all flicker? would they all flicker at the same rate? Thanks!
I looked for 222a transistor, but search results came up with "2222a" (with four 2s) in them. Is this the right one to use? Great tutorial btw. I was looking for something to work with a flower pot.
hi really interesting but a bit over my head I'm more mechanical. is it possible to design a pcb to involve 4 leds to light and fade consecutively? and can you do it for me? I would very gladly reimburse you for whatever you require. thx again paul
hi how can i make a Random pulse generator circuit with a 555 ic? say i want the pulses to be 10 mseconds long and to produce randomly between 2 to 10 pulses each second. how to do that? the circuit.
Amazing....wonderful!!!!....I was looking all over RUclips about this kind of circuit... I want to make a lighthouse for my son....is there any chance to list each component and Specs. usted to build this circuit?? Thank You so Much from argentina!!!
I am curious. I am into electronics also. But do others like the guy on this video get this circuit from some other source or did he just simply think up the circuit inside his head and then try it and it worked?
Show me how to build flicker effect (not) fade but i want to be able to control the amount of flicker in real time. I assume a potentiometer could be used for that?
Are there USB programmable chips one can buy that have multiple outputs. Outputs which could have different continuous voltages or different varying voltages?This way I can have varying effects to lights as programmed.
12 years later and it's still a good 9 volt fade circuit. Great instructions.
Finally! I have been searching for a video like this that would help me to understand how to create a fading LED for a lighthouse project I want to build. THANK YOU!
I wanted the light to appear to "rotate" as it shines in any direction. I will be adding a solar panel to this project though. Hopefully you might make that addition in the future?
Thanks again!
I messed up building this and accidentally used 1,200 ohm resistors for both, it actually turned out quite nicely using 2,500uF of capacitance instead (I have a feeling that the LED that I used was very low draw in comparison to the one in the demo). The fade is ultra smooth and cycles around 3 seconds up/down. Thanks for the great how-to video!
Nice to see someone do this the simplest way. These days Too many people would have said I can do that using an arduino
555 timers will take up to 14 volts, so an input of 12 volts could be used without harm. This will kick up the output voltage, as removing the 150 Ohm resistors shown in the schematic will also do. I've messed around with this circuit for a while, and I have had some trouble powering 12V 200 mA lighting strips. I'm not sure if the output voltage was quite enough, however. If you can't supply 14 Volts to the circuit to account for Voltage drop, there is a way to amplify it with a transistor.
This is exactly what I've been looking for to customize my turn signals. Thanks!
samerickson89 did you so it? Can u upload a video on how you did it?
I am quite impressed with the smoothness of the fading effect. There are a lot of other circuits out there that try and fail.
Hello, great work!
Is there a chance to build this or a similar circuit to be fed with 1.5v or 3v max?
Thanks.
Hi Neo. The 2222A Transister is a NPN, the Collector, Base and Emitter are all placed in different tracks. Hope this helps.
The transistor usage is NOT CORRECT. It's an NPN transistor, so the emitter should go AWAY from B+. Connect the collector to B+, and the emitter to the resistor to the LED. It is part of a specifically designed "emitter-follower" mode of the transistor. The voltage on the emitter tracks the voltage on the base which ramps up and down as the capacitor is cyclically charged and discharged through the high value resistor from the output of the 555.
Here is a link to the proper circuit:
www.555-timer-circuits.com/up-down-fading-led.html
It sort of works if you hook the transistor in backwards because transistors are somewhat symmetrical but you're damaging the transistor and not getting the proper functioning of the circuit.
You don't need a huge 1000uF capacitor, either. The gain of the transistor takes very little charge off the capacitor, so you can get away with a much smaller 100uF capacitor. Just use a proportionally smaller resistor on pin 3 of the 555 and adjust to get the desired cycle time.
Since the gain of the transistor is on the order of 100 so to run 10 or 20 mA through the LED, you'll only draw 100 or 200uA (microamps) through the base of the transistor. Blue LEDs are very bright by nature so you can use a higher value resistor, like 330 ohms or 470 ohms with a 5V source, or even 1K ohms with a 12V source.
Putting a PNP in that location completely ruins the circuit design. it's not only NOT an emitter-follower voltage-tracker any more, but it creates a forward-biased diode connected to B+ and the 555 won't discharge the capacitor, and wouldn't cycle, I would predict.
Thank you all. Will this work if I use 50 3mm (3v) leds in parallel?? Using a power supply
@@Custom3dPrinting4U only if you include 50 current limiting resistors, one in series with each of them, with the common tie point being at the emitter of the transistor. You can't put raw LEDs in parallel directly.
If you expand the output in this way, you will draw 50x rhe current through the transistor, and even if the power supply and transistor can take the current, remember that you're drawing 50x the base current which may require a larger capacitor (and corresponding adjustment of the resistor) because m ore charge will be bled off as current through the transistor base.
I had to reverse the transistor indeed. If I connected everything as instructed the led would just continuesly light up.
@@jrhaggis I put 5 LED's in parallel and it worked fine. I haven't tried it for blinking effects though.
You mean a slower fade rate by changing the input voltage? If you input, for example, 4 volts instead of 5 it should fade slower, but the LED won't be as bright.
You can change the fade rate by adding a potentiometer in the place of the resistor I point at at 5:20 if that's what you were asking for.
Hi, Someone7089. In your video, you didn't mention a potentiometer at 5:20. You indicated changing the resistor rating. Or, are you saying to replace the resistor with the potentiometer? Thanks so much!
Thanks for the video and link to schematic. Nice how the output pin 3 back-routed to pins 2 and 6 by a resistor, and how pin 7 is not used, capturing the output of the 'ramp' timing internal of the chip. Congratulations on yet another unique wiring of the amazing 555. The 555 can do so much, even voltage to frequency (via pin 5 modulation). One of the most versatile chips of all time and its been around for ages. I'm looking forward to bread-boarding this circuit soon. Thanks again.
@1AppleMaker Sure. I tried already but haven't managed to take a solid take yet. I'll try some more tonight.
Would you happen to know how to make and LED fade on with a duration of four seconds.
I'm attempting to make the LED's fade on while in the background sound emits for four seconds.
If you can help me out that would be awesome!
On your diagram what is tha PNP on the left (transistor?) and the LED that is connected directly above, will that LED blink as well or how does that work. i am just learning this stuff so my question may be lacking in a lot of background.
thank you so much for posting up this easy-to-follow tutorial! Great job, and keep up the good work.
I am totally new to the world of electronics, I have tried to follow your tutorial a few times but it cant get it to work...i think I may be wiring something wrong. I’ve got a feeling its the transistor im plugging in wrong. Can you please tell me, do the collector, emitter and base all go on the same track or does the emitter and collector go on the same one and the base on its own track...this is the only thing I must be getting confused with...cheers for the great step by step video :-)
Are you saying that 3 LEDs all connected to one output aren't fading? They should just fine, unless you don't have enough current to supply them
Please help me set this up with a 12v battery. I have been changing my circuit for more than a month (almost every day) now and still can't figure out how to make the led strip pulse with 12v. It seems to work fine with 9v, but it won't pulse with 12v. I added a 10k Ohm resistor for pin 8 + 4 directly from the 12v battery.
I can't find any good tutorials out there. Yours is the only one that works as I want! Would like your help in this thing :)
I purchased all of the components you used, and followed your video. However, it does not work. Could using 1/2 watt resistors instead of 1/4 watt resistors be the problem. Also, I am using a 9 volt power source, is that what you are using? Any thoughts?
what would happened if u unplug the batterie, when the led is at its brightest? would it just go off, or would it still dimm out?
Will this circuit work on a 3v? If not, can you make a 3v circuit. I need one for a project I'm doing.
@TheMegalucian Are you sure you have the leads of the transistor connected properly?
@Someone7089 looks like i have everything connected like in this video.... It was a really awfull feeling to see it fail... The led just stays on, not even flashing...
What is the voltage value of the capacitor you use?
How can I make 16 LED to pulse quickly, fade and go on slowly and shine constant, with one circuit and I can choose option with a button maybe or wireless?
hey man, f u don't mind can you please list all the matl's. needed for this? cause it makes me difficult to identify just in the video.. thanks man i do really appreciate your work.. :))
Hi.. could you do a video making one that is with out the push pins board and sardar the wires together? I want to build a working light for my full size TARDIS. Thanks.
Do you need 1 555 timer for every led if i were hooking the up to a picaxe 28x1?
nice project, but I want to make led strips of 75 cm do the same thing. any idea on how to do that?
Where to conNect? The 9v battery? I can't see it on your schematic. Sir..
Where to connect ? The
(-) & (+) wires of 9v battery?
And can i use 13001
Transistor?
Thank you.
Can you achieve the same effect, with having all of the wires connected in the exact arrangement, without having to wire everything to that board thingy? I'm totally new to wiring...
Question: You're using a single LED and probably powering with 4.5~6.0 V. What if I wanted to do this with a Tail-Light LED made for automobiles powered by 12V. What would be different in the circuit? Thanks for this video.
help needed .do you have any cicuits that make the led blink without ic using at votlage of 5 to 6 volts? thkls ,
What if I want it to fade out it only half and get back to 100% is it possible ?
Is there a way to adjust it so the led doesn’t completely dim to off, maybe by adding a constant small voltage to the led?
Can you tell me which transistors you have used ....???
If its an NPN transistor why did you connect the emitter to positive? I thought it was emitter to negative for a NPN transistor.
Hi, can i power this schematic with 12 volts power source? And the output voltage be the same.
Because i wanna power LED strips wich are rated at 12 volts.
Sorry for my bad english!!!
Is it possible to use N-Channel MOSFET instead of NPN transistor in this circuit ?
Hi !
Can you please add complete part list for this project?
Thanks before!
I have tricky question and I'm hoping you could answer it for me. I am working on this project and I'm using 150+LEDs. I am remaking my tron themed deadmau5 head. The tron design will be lit up by blue LEDs. Here's the thing. I want the LEDs to fade in at POWER ON, starting from the back of the head and work it's self around the head to the eyes and mouth part. I want the LEDs to do the opposite when POWER OFF; have the LEDs fade out starting from the eyes and mouth and work it's self around to.
Hi i am looking for a sort of heart rate pulse small led, battery driven i want to use this in a resing craft idea i am working on can you help or advise
another way to control the rate of fading is getting a higher value capacitor and then connecting a variable resistor just before you connect everything else to the positive side of the capacitor.
I HAVE 470 uf capacitor and i have 2 of them is it possible by just simply adding them together like simple math and make it a 940 uf out of 2 capacitor???
Nice! I'll try to get all the parts and do it. Was wondering the lowest possible voltage for efficiency.
The leds need at most 3.2v... and the transistor needs like .7v... what's the lowest voltage needed by the 555 chip?
Thanks
Cannot get hold of a 2N-222A transistor ..... is a 2N-2222 or 2N-2222A similar ?
I like it! I need this function for vacuum tubes fake filament led instead! When I switch on 12V it should light up just as slowly when you disconnect the voltage it should turn off just as slowly! Easy?
I have placed every thing just as you have and it still does not work for me I am new at this but on the side of my transistor it says 2n2222a338 it was all that I could find ,could that be my problem? Please help me!
Can I use this with a game show buzzer kit to light my podium when a contestant hits their buzzer? If so, can I attach LED Christmas lights? If not possible at all, is there anything I can do to achieve this? Thanks.
hmmmm mines not flashing only difference is that i'm using a a yellow LED. what kind are you using?
Can u make a circuit, where when led's power is cut off, it keeps light for 10-20 seconds, then it goes off(instantly, not fading).
Could the circuit be modified so that the LED(s) ramps up and stays on, when I throw a switch? If so, where would I put the switch. I'm a rookie at this, so forgive me if the question seems elementary.
Hey. I want to make pulsing veins on my arms out of LEDs and silicone skin. I watched this video thinking it would tell me how to make LED strips fade in and out (how to program for that)....do you have any idea how i would make strips of blue LEDs fade in and out one after eachother?? To simulate blood being pumped through a vein
The fading speed depends on the capacity of a capacitor, isn't that right?
i have one question, i want to bild this with a really bright LED and i'm wondering, what is the brightest i can use?
Thank you for putting this into basic terms. can you tell me if i could use thos for a car with about 12volts and a strip of LED's.
I got this to work fine with a 9 volt supply. How do I get it to work with a 12 volt supply?
how to fade 12v led strip using external power supply 12v? I had try it using TIP31 mosfet but not sync fade time, must be decrease brightness led strip to sync it.
how much would all this cost? I want to stock a few over size foam skulls with fading red eyes... the whole rig of course needs to be able to be wired to a regular extention cord connected to a timer.
a single transistor, a single led, a single 555 timer, and a single capacitor wold all cost around 8-10 US dollars, you can buy them each seperately at radioshack or other electronics stores. a pack of resistors cost just a $1 or $2 depending on what you get, hope this helps
What ohms range potentiometer would I need if I wanted to adjust either the brightness and/or the rate of the pulse?
If I added 2 mini- pots what size (range of max ohms) would I need so I could have the fastest pulse to the slowest pulse. I guess my cap would dictate my max range either my Maximum fastest and/or my Maximum slowest, but by adding pots I could adjust my LED to somewhere/anywhere in between those 2 max-range valies.... right?
If I have a separate POT that would adjust the voltage going to the LED put inline just before the LED but after all the other components in this circuit, that would handle the brightness adjustment. A pot before the cap or before the 555 timer chip should adjust the pulse rate I'm hoping... yes?
Thanks so much for posting this!!
You've made me want to get some of those test punch down boards. So I can experiment around with stuff and be less apt to blow stuff up! 💥 🔥🔥
Thanks man!!!!
I used a B500kohm linear pot and a 2.2uf capacitor
Your dialogue box at 0.07 secs says you modified this circuit a little.
Wondering what is the modification. I've watched 3 times and hooked up
your circuit but I'm not getting it to work. Can you tell me the modifications?
Thanks
For anyone that is stuck with the led lit on, just remember that the pin layout for the 555 timer in the video is
8 7 6 5
O 1 2 3 4
(The O represents the circle on the actual 555 timer...)
Hope this helps any beginners!
I'm not sure with a picaxe 28x1 is, but if all LEDs are pulsing at the same time, then no.
@Lazarus65 double check your transistor pinout, and use a potentiometer between pins 3 and the positive side of the capacitor, anything below 50k will do. You could also change your capacitor.
Are you just using one of the transistors shown in your schematic? You're just using the NPN in this case?
Yeah but what if I want more than One LED in my circuit?? How do you add more?
I tried to do this a few times with no success, until I realized that you're supposed to count the timer all the way around, not starting with 5 on the other side of the timer. (in other words, counting up and down like a column). Now that I figured out my mistake, I hooked it all up, but the LED just stays on. Is it possible I screwed up the 5555?
Question - Im trying to make a pulsing led for a Tardis prop from Dr.Who. The unit im making cant fit a 9 volt but it can fit a lithium watch battery. What would need to be changed, aside from the LED's resistor, for it to use a 3.7v circuit? Im assuming the capacitor. Is there a formula to figure out what mF I would need to switcu it with?
do you have a circuit diagram of the "I modified it a little" mods? I notice only 1 transistor in the video, but there are two in the diagram. rather than crawling through the video and transcribing it, that would be pretty helpful...
Hi,
I would like to make something like this for my car. What i want to do is have around 50 led's light up around a raised logo in the carpet of a sub woofer box.
I would like to have it turn one once i open the trunk. That is I would like the lights to slowly fade on once the trunk opens.
Would this be possible?
Thank you!
Can you please specify the materials needed for this circuit thanks! need ASAP!
I cannot Make it work......... Can you publish the exact schematic that you use on the video, please? And not one "fidlled a little"? The thing is, I want a soft fade in and soft out as well, like you have here.
i got the led to light up with this circuit, but it did not keep on flashing? where could i have gone wrong?
Mohamed Yamani Like John Haggis mentioned above, the transistor was wired up inproperly in the video. Take a look, he also mentioned how to fix it.
What if I had 2 LEDs and I wanted the power to flow to one or the other based on sound frequency? Basically any sound below 146.8Hz powers one LED and anything above powers the other. No sound = no power to either. Any thoughts where I might start looking to develop a solution?
makezine.com/projects/easy-led-color-organ/
I'd check out this video/schematic and then do some reading on filters so the leds activate at the frequency you want.
Awesome! Thanks!
comment if there is another tutorial of this beacause im gonna build it without capacitors and transistors and can be the chip be looking any direction?
Fun project. I tried a 9V battery and found it was a little too much power and the circuit leaked a little -- the LED would fade slightly but not go completely out. I put a resistor on the negative lead from the battery (I think I used a 1000 ohm) to reduce the input voltage and it worked fine. Thanks for the tutorial.
can you make one on 12 white LED's that would fade like that? or a list of what would be needed? i need to make a 12 LED crown for a statue ( moms birthday present)
can this effect be done without a 555 somehow? Thanks!
I'm trying to add a soothing dim on-hold-dim off effect into the inside of a battery operated LED flicker candles to supplement the flickering led flame effect. ...I think this would not only look awesome but might also help me fall asleep on those nights I can't sleep...
if I add a full wave rectifier to use ac power to a bunch of leds in series can I use just one circuit to make them all flicker? would they all flicker at the same rate?
Thanks!
I looked for 222a transistor, but search results came up with "2222a" (with four 2s) in them. Is this the right one to use? Great tutorial btw. I was looking for something to work with a flower pot.
hi really interesting but a bit over my head I'm more mechanical.
is it possible to design a pcb to involve 4 leds to light and fade consecutively?
and can you do it for me?
I would very gladly reimburse you for whatever you require.
thx again
paul
hi how can i make a Random pulse generator circuit with a 555 ic?
say i want the pulses to be 10 mseconds long and to produce randomly between 2 to 10 pulses each second. how to do that? the circuit.
Hey what if i wanted to implement this with an on/off switch? where exactly would you recommend introducing this into the circuit?
Simple. Attach a switch of your choice between the positive lead from the battery to the first connecting item.
Would it be possible to set this up as a string? Like the LED fades into another one next to it turning on? I wanna make a wave-ish effect.
Just what I was looking for, a simple DIY auto on-off switch for grounding. Thank you.
Amazing....wonderful!!!!....I was looking all over RUclips about this kind of circuit...
I want to make a lighthouse for my son....is there any chance to list each component and Specs. usted to build this circuit??
Thank You so Much from argentina!!!
Can you break down the disposable flash camera circuit?I would like to know how to replicate that!
I can make it light up but it's not pulsing; how can I troubleshoot this?
Will it work if the input voltage is the same as the forward voltage of the LED?
is there a way to make fading pulse time change with voltage change?
im really interested in one since i can`t find it in market
I am curious. I am into electronics also. But do others like the guy on this video get this circuit from some other source or did he just simply think up the circuit inside his head and then try it and it worked?
I need to make a circuit that makes a light blink and the light runs on 9v what do I do and i need it to be on a breadboard
Hope you are still responding. Now do you make a sequential version of this circuit? Say, three LEDs that pulsate in sequence.... TIA
In your schematic on this page, it looks like you have two leds in the modified circuit.
Show me how to build flicker effect (not) fade but i want to be able to control the amount of flicker in real time. I assume a potentiometer could be used for that?
yes...
clarkson-uk.com/downloads/555-Timer.zip
Are there USB programmable chips one can buy that have multiple outputs. Outputs which could have different continuous voltages or different varying voltages?This way I can have varying effects to lights as programmed.
CaptTambo you need a microcontroller such as an Arduino then you can have multiple outputs custom on/off times and fade rates and much more.
Can you make the Fade Stop at its 100% brightness with a switch or push button and the opposite with the same ?
hi, could you tell me if this would work with say 100 led's all in the circuit. or would you need a 555 and resistor etc. for each led?
put them in parallel with resistor for each.
You only need one Resistor.
can i use this wìth led strip (about 2 meters of led strip)
or will it not work?