This may be a dumb question, but I can't find the anyswer. How would I go about making one single LED blink at a steady pace? Is there any simple way? Thanks.
Thanks for your help. I know the are available to purchse, but I have many LEDs on hand and was wondering if there was any simple way to make them flash. If anyone has any ideas I would appriciate it.
The simplest way would be to program a PIC, but can be expensive. The other way is to get a cristal and a registor (or make one with logic curcits) and make a counter with the LED on the last bit.
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you snooze you lose!
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power => resister=> capacitor => LED
a 555 timer circuit is the simplest way, that is if you want to build one.
runs at 6 volts so you will need a resistor in line with the power supply. thing should draw like 25 mA at most.
capacitor size determines how fast it flashes, 10uF is quick
you can find a schematic online
14.82 @ 97 mph
more simple, but more expensive than the 555 circuit is to get 2 "on delay" timers and have the output of each one set the input of the other. One timer sets the amount of time the leds are on and the other sets the time they are off.
they make blinking LEDs at radioshack
It's cheaper and easier to just go and buy a flashing led, than to build a circuit to make it flash.
Unless you happen to have that stuff laying around already and time to kill.
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power => resister=> capacitor => LED
ah yes the simplest way to do it is that way, but unless you get right size capacitor and resistor it will probably blink to fast to see, or just appear dimm. IIRC ... R*C = time constant and it takes 5 time constants to charge / discahrge capacitor figure it out so its on and off for long enough time for you actualy see it blink. Pretty unrealistic meathod since the capacitor and rsistor needed might be odd values thet arent available.
555 will work but if you are going to buy one of them might as well buy a flashing led.
Crystals are a bit unpractical also they are usualy in mhz range LED will just appear always on because it will flash so fast, not to mention that you need capacitors and resistor to finish the timing circuit with a crystal.
To add to a few already unprectical meathods I'll offer another one. Find a pulsing power source and filter out a harmonic that is the right frequancy for the led to blink. This is by far the least practical, but probably most unique approach.
Unless you have a lot of electronics components laying around it just isnt worth trying to make this just buy one it will be neater, cheaper, easier and more reliable.
Look
HERE
Enter the on and off time range and it'll give a part number. Should be reasonably cheap.
