This project series will be split into 4 parts, presenting 3 circuits each.
A few comments before we dive in:
- All of these circuits use discrete components. No MCU required. Perfect for beginners.
- If you wish to take the LEDs offboard, jumper wires is the best option.
- A 6V DC supply provided by x4 AA batteries (minus the diode drop for reverse polarity protection) is used.
- The resistors are calculated to deliver 10mA to the LEDs. This is assuming a 3V drop. In reality different LEDs have different forward voltages. E.g. for red and yellow LEDs its 1.6V whilst for green and blue its 3.5V.
- The BOM will be omitted. It can be inferred from the schematic.
Part 1
Circuit 1 – LED Chaser This circuit uses a 555 and a 4017 Decade Counter…
Part 2
Circuit 4 – RGB LED Controller Schematic This circuit uses a 4040 Binary Counter IC…
Part 3
Circuit 7 – Emergency Lights Schematic Don’t be alarmed, this circuit isn’t as complicated as…
Part 4
Circuit 10 – Music-activated strobe Premise: An electret mic + transistor preamp triggers a 555…