World's Simplest LED Flasher / Strobe Circuit (9.5V -14V)

Рет қаралды 35,207

6 жыл бұрын

Learn how to make a very simple, frequency adjustable, higher current LED flasher / strobe circuit in this highly detailed video. The circuit shown in this video is a modified version of a commonly used circuit that was intended to drive a single LED at low current. Enjoy the video!
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Пікірлер: 107

@Strykelife 2 жыл бұрын

Watched a bunch of tutorials that show how to make these kinds of set ups. But not one ever explained how it worked. You explained it and explained it very well. Now that I understand it, I feel like I can play with it and do some cool things with it Thank you!

@electronicsNmore Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@maxxxhelll Жыл бұрын

KZfaq listed crappy videos without proper explanation from indians way above this gem and wasted my hours. And then luckily found this incredible tutorial which explains the details to design a proper strobe light according to my needs and requirements. Thanks for your time and efforts for this informative tutorial/video.

@warmachine5835 Жыл бұрын

I ended up looking into strobe circuits like this after seeing some model LED kits that produce strobe effects and wondering how they work. The explanation was excellent for someone with a surface-level understanding of electronics and electrical principles. I'll probably try a project like this on my own at some point now that I understand how it works! Thanks!

@WTBDude 5 жыл бұрын

I was searching for this kind of detailed information! THANKS!!!

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video! I have a lot of excellent videos on my channel that cover many different subjects, so be sure to check out my extensive video playlists for other videos of interest to you, rate thumbs up, and share my channel with others. Thank You

@udhi_gn3893 4 жыл бұрын

Well, it's not a true pulse strobe but what's nice about this is the initial charging glow that mimics a rotating beacon!

@electronicsNmore 4 жыл бұрын

Yes

@dang25272549 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much .This circuit property is what I'm looking for quite a while.

@electronicsNmore 3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome!

@Colorado8300 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! Very interesting and well presented.

@vishnuprasad8352 5 жыл бұрын

Great tutorial....well explained...i'm a newbie trying to make something and this helped me to understand better....thankz

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

@vishnuprasad8352 5 жыл бұрын

@@electronicsNmore definitely.....

@vishnuprasad8352 5 жыл бұрын

@@electronicsNmore hey...can you help me with something....i'm trying to make a circuit for my motorcycle tail lamp.... basically the idea is that under braking, the led lights up as usual... but when the parking light is turned on, i want the led to perform a strobe function....i have googled enough to understand that i could use the circuit in the video or use a ic 555... the problem is that i want the led to flash 3 times, then wait for one second before repeating the strobe cycle....also i want the brake light to function as such even if the parking light is turned on i.e. priority is given to the braking light function. so, at night, the strobe function would not work when braking, and once brake is released, the led strobes... hope you understood what i meant....thank you

@robertmartinezakatrebor6408 4 жыл бұрын

On the circuit board for the housing project

@robertmartinezakatrebor6408 4 жыл бұрын

Use low voltage for LED lighting. And low frequency sound waves in Wi-Fi and blue tooth accessories

@what-werd 3 жыл бұрын

This is so simple!!! I have some questions. 1. What component could you add to turn the saw tooth signal into more square to get a more distinct on/off? 2. What frequency could you get the LED to flash? Could you get it to flash to 60hz or more?

@ifell3 2 жыл бұрын

Great video!

@electronicsNmore 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@audiodood 3 жыл бұрын

Cool!

@electronicsNmore 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Timmy! Be sure to look over my extensive video playlists below for many other videos of interest to you, and share links to my videos with many others on social networking sites. kzfaq.infoplaylists

@annajdivakar6683 4 жыл бұрын

how to integrate with more leds or more powerful led? can i use two 5w led in parallel

@RifaiAL 5 жыл бұрын

Why didn't you use variable resistor or potentiometer?

@robertmartinezakatrebor6408 4 жыл бұрын

On what

@oldwrench4213 4 жыл бұрын

@@robertmartinezakatrebor6408 On the first resistor. He provided the specification range so a potentiometer would work.

@kuldeepthakre8725 5 жыл бұрын

What are those two transistors you used in here? I want to use it as an oscillator can I generate pulses around 100Hz? How?

@kaisersose5549 3 жыл бұрын

A blocking oscillator with a capacitor... You change the frequency by changing the value of the capacitor. That's what you're looking for. Just about any NPN transistor used for switching can be used. One transistor, one toroidal choke, one capacitor, and one resistor.

@rahulghosh4289 4 жыл бұрын

Thankyou you are best...can I flash 2 LEDs one after other with that circuit?

@electronicsNmore 4 жыл бұрын

No, only one at a time.

@beaconmania 5 жыл бұрын

Great ! I like the vintage rotating beacon effect, is it possible to add another Led for a wig-wag effect (i mean aircraft beacon effect, one on the upper fuselage & another on the belly)) ?

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

You'd need two circuits in operation.

@kaisersose5549 3 жыл бұрын

@M Lyons The transistor connected to the capacitor in his circuit is configured to function in a reverse voltage cascade. Watch where he points when he says "emitter" and "collector" they're reversed. The other clue to this is cutting off the base pin. It's not switching anything without it, so what's it's function? To make sure only a bright flash is created, while suppressing anything that might create a dim flash. In a reverse voltage cascade, a transistor works like a higher voltage zener diode. A minimum voltage must be reached before electricity will pass through it. If yours is the same, you have a few choices... #1 Get rid of it. Use a blocking oscillator circuit with the same kind of frequency adjustment (resistor and capacitor) in place of the transistor causing your problem. The brightness of the LED flashing will depend on the overall power of your batteries. #2 Add to it. Use a slightly different oscillator circuit to drive that transistor. Look for a video showing how to make a joule thief. A joule thief will oscillate through a transformer, increasing the voltage by repeatedly switching on & off with only an inductor in the circuit, creating a voltage spike in the transformer windings (which it uses as an inductor) which are capacitively coupled to the other side of the oscillator until enough voltage is present to drive the device it's powering. Connect the joule thief to the transistor in reverse voltage cascade. Voltage provided to the joule thief will control frequency of the flash, so a potentiometer would be useful in finding what value of resistor is needed It's a noisy bugger though, so don't forget a blocking diode between it & the power source. #3 replace it Get a zener diode or two that are rated to handle the wattage, and have a lower reverse voltage cascade. Put them in place of the resistor. The flash won't be as bright, but it's a single component workaround. There's no reason why this circuit won't run on as little as .6 volts (yes, six tenths of a volt). You just have to think about it like that's all you have to work with.

@fo727 3 жыл бұрын

I’m looking for information on how to create a lightweight strobe light that can be Velcroed on to a drone (quad copter). It has to be extremely bright. Visible up to 3 miles at night. Flash at a rate of twice per second, have its own rechargeable power supply and come in at a weight of approximately 6 grams or less. The aerial drone laws in the USA have recently changed allowing for drone flights at night, and now there is a huge demand for a strobe light attachment to comply with the regulations of night flight. The preferred color is white. There has been such a run on these lights, that they are hard to find, and they are about $30 per light. Ideally it would be great if the design allowed for a system that had an ability to run a second light on a lead that could be placed underneath the drone, so the main unit would be on top and an extension light underneath. Not sure if this is in your wheelhouse of expertise, but it would be in high demand if someone could produce a kit that could be assembled for a few dollars less than a manufactured one. Thanks

@electronicsNmore 3 жыл бұрын

This should work for what you're looking for, it's the best I could find. Thanks for watching Mike! bit.ly/33yC7qu (Affiliate Link)

@fo727 3 жыл бұрын

So I just plug it into a power supply and it flashes? I don’t mean to sound dumb, but I’m just not savvy on this stuff....

@yousefali4166 3 жыл бұрын

Hi! First of all thank you for that beautiful video!🌹,, i want to build a strobe system for my paramotor, i need a very strong strobe i think its about 120w with 5×18V/24 watts led chips, but which ic conponents should i use, i dont get it,,?

@electronicsNmore 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome. For what you are looking to do, I suggest what I show below. They work really great, very bright. More than enough light output for a paramotor. Thanks for watching! amzn.to/3126oNC (Amazon Affiliate Link)

@ooglek 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome! You're losing a fair amount of power while the LED ramps up in brightness. How much power are you using? Is there a more efficient way to use the power? I'm thinking battery powered.

@robertmartinezakatrebor6408 4 жыл бұрын

The circuit board hooked up to the AC thermostat

@tejaskansara2276 5 жыл бұрын

Sir how to make double strobe in single led

@worried2727 5 жыл бұрын

I want to do this to get a LED to flash at 1MhZ any advice. When I play around with the components at all the LED just stays bright. any advice about how to maintain strobe effect?

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Why bother? Your eyes won't see any flashing above 75-100 Hz.

@randalllindeman6819 5 жыл бұрын

I have a question. What would I need to do to make 2 leds flash with one on, the other off?

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Randall. For what you're looking for, try the link below. Thanks! www.instructables.com/id/simple-alternate-LED-flashing-using-555-timer/

@joverstreet24 6 жыл бұрын

Extremely well done. Love the faucet -cup analogy. Subscribing!

@saxoon1 5 жыл бұрын

how much watt/current can this circuit handle? I planning to use up to 6 * 10w LEDs

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

60W way too high. You can experiment using a higher current NPN transistor that's connected to the LED, or use a small relay in place of the LED in the schematic and have the relay (NO) contacts flash the high current LED's. Be sure to use a 1N4148 or 1N4003 in reverse across the relay coil to protect the transistor from back EMF. Thanks for watching!

@deslomeslager 6 жыл бұрын

I have a small Chinese fabric thing, 2 wires in and 2 out, and it has push buttons. It can flash in different rates, do no flashing but dim, and it can flash smoothly. Just 2 digital buttons, very small size. But to actually build it with this few components is very cool as well. I never thought of using the NPN backwards. I see a very cool application for that now! I needed exactly just that. A switch (no comperators) which triggers (round) a high enough voltage. It will trigger and supply power to a relay. If you slowly increase the voltage to a relay it will not switch properly. It needs to snap. Now I have a nice challenge, testing out some of the rescued transistors for their break voltage.

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

deslomeslager Thanks for watching!

@tupai62 4 жыл бұрын

hi, how to calculate base resistor for bd139 transistor?

@electronicsNmore 4 жыл бұрын

Test it out. If it doesn't work correctly, try different values lower or higher.

@joelaut12 6 жыл бұрын

Nice simple circuit keep it up.

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

Joel Albinowski Be sure to check out my extensive video playlists for other great circuits and share. Thanks!

@beautifulworld1491 6 жыл бұрын

Can we connect this circuit to transformerless power supply?

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

For the simplified version or the higher current version up to 100mA, no problem using it, but make sure the output uses a zener regulator as shown in the video below. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mtSVaciYzsWroHk.html

@beautifulworld1491 6 жыл бұрын

electronicsNmore - you mean to say I have to add 12 volts zener diode across bridge rectifier?

@Edmorbus 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching. :-)

@tectalabyss 6 жыл бұрын

Hi Doug. Very well done has always. All my best. Bobby

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

Bobby Tectalabyss Thanks Bobby!

@jackevans2386 3 жыл бұрын

Needs to be 'snap action' on/off, so that LED current can be maximized for full brightness and minimum heat generation.

@electronicsNmore 3 жыл бұрын

Can't be too picky for such a simple circuit. :-)

@johnangel1512 3 жыл бұрын

can I use TIP31c instead of BC547?, any advantage?, and can I run 8 leds instead strip?,

@electronicsNmore 3 жыл бұрын

You need to experiment on a breadboard. The TIP31c may require too much base current to trigger.

@johnangel1512 3 жыл бұрын

@@electronicsNmore ok so its 547's then, its only a strobe to mount on roof to scare the pigeons away to stop them from nestimg

@maxxiang8746 5 жыл бұрын

This is also called an esaki oscillator

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Yes! Thanks for watching! Please share my channel with others.

@thaynecearrachkerr8497 5 жыл бұрын

Excellent tutorial. RIP: Radio Shack. I could easily bring that company back. What a waste. No doubt someone's ego was involved in that. Probably a lot of "told you so"'s were said as it crashed and burned.

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

@pastexpiry2013B 5 жыл бұрын

I tried simulating this in LTspice and it does not seem to work. (Yes, my transistors's emitters are pointing the right way, and the polarized cap is connected as shown)

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Clearly it works, I don't upload bogus videos. Thanks for watching

@pastexpiry2013B 5 жыл бұрын

I can SEE that it works. What I am saying is that I am unable to get it to work in the LTspice Simulator. What are the characteristics of the LED that you are using?

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Once you try it on a breadboard, if you still have problems, let me know.

@pastexpiry2013B 5 жыл бұрын

Problem ended up being the model for the transistor in LTspice. The model did not simulate avalanche mode of the resistor.

@LonganLee 4 жыл бұрын

I tried. It does not work for me. I checked the cap is working , resistor working, led working, battery OK. I used 2N4401 in the first stage Transistor and bc547b in the second stage transistor. My led is a simple low power LED. It only turns on when I touch the base of any of the transistor. I used low resistance value of the suggested range

@electronicsNmore 4 жыл бұрын

It's a very simple circuit, you must've connected something wrong or have a faulty component. Thanks for watching!

@LonganLee 4 жыл бұрын

@@electronicsNmore OK, I will try again

@33skyhorse 6 жыл бұрын

Hi, Thanks for Sharing. Using this setup is it possible to make a 36 watt led flasher using 12 volts?

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

You can try triggering a 3A rated mosfet instead of the NPN transistor.

@33skyhorse 6 жыл бұрын

Thank You

@00Skyfox 6 жыл бұрын

Is it at all bad on transistors to force the reverse breakdown voltage through them? Or does that not affect their lifespan at all?

@migsvensurfing6310 6 жыл бұрын

00Skyfox No problem when current limited.

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

As long as the current isn't excessive, the transistor will be fine. Thanks for watching!

@beautifulworld1491 6 жыл бұрын

electronicsNmore - How much current BC547 can bear?

@LonganLee 4 жыл бұрын

How about just one transistor?

@electronicsNmore 4 жыл бұрын

Yes, but only for very low current, one ultrabright LED.

@LonganLee 4 жыл бұрын

@@electronicsNmore Good Job!

@Jaki3007 5 жыл бұрын

Nice project, but can I use 10W high power LED, it's forward current is 1000mA. Thank you

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Possibly. Try using a TO-220 NPN transistor on the right side(maybe a mje3055). You need to experiment.

@Jaki3007 5 жыл бұрын

@@electronicsNmore Should I replace the right transistor but leave the left one or? I'll expiriment hope it is going to work. Thank you for the answer :)

@tipstricksss1453 5 жыл бұрын

It be interesting to stick a mains transformer in reverse instead of the L.E.D with a 50Hz speed and see what voltage you get out the other end. Mains transformers work on alternating current at 50Hz, for example if you have a transformer and the input is 110volts AC and the output is 9volts but if you use it in reverse you can get 110 volts output from 9 volts input. If you your using batteries they be direct current so a circuit like the one in your video would be useful for converting DC into AC and then you could make a little taser but of course it wouldn't be as powerful as a real taser but enough to give you a shock.

@AteuCu 5 жыл бұрын

Pulses.

@electronicsNmore 5 жыл бұрын

Correct, very short pulses. :-) Thanks for watching!

@Xyz-77 6 жыл бұрын

4:14 That transistor can be replaced with a zener diode right?

@electronicsNmore 6 жыл бұрын

Xyz77 Though a zener acts similar, it won't work in this circuit. Thanks for watching!

@Xyz-77 6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your answer! Could you please explain why?

@maxxiang8746 5 жыл бұрын

@@Xyz-77 im guessing its too fast? idk because im guessing that in this circuit the transistor has to have a recovery time thats relatively long, and a zener would be too fast, so it would just be a constant brightness. that was just a guess though