In this tutorial we will learn how to make LED flasher, which is the simplest,cheapest yet the professional one around us. This might be a first electronic project for some so im taking extra care of the assembly process. A High Schooler Engineer or simply a Hobbyst whatever you are, this is a fully furnished project and at the end you will make a efficient 555 controlled Single LED flasher. We are just using few resistances, a capacitor and finally a 555 IC ( which is the basic of all integrated clock circuits or triggers )all connected to a 9V DC power supply source.
Dual LED flasher
555 IC makes the led flasher simple enough to build
The heart of the circuit is a 555 IC which you can get easily from the RadioShack near to you for just a few cents.We are using two 3V LED’s for flashing. The capacitor value can be changed accordingly to get high flash rates. I recommend assembling the Circuit on the bread board for the first time. Then you can think of possible design structures and can solder them on to a PCB. So that the overall size of the flasher will be same as that of the battery, and thus easily portable.
Schematic and Assembly
The wiring should be done exactly as shown in the diagram. The variable resistance VR1 is used to control the speed of flashing Interval of the two LED’s. The voltage source can be from 5v up to 15v. Always double-check the LED rating before connecting to high voltage DC sources.
PCB Layout and Soldering
The bottom copper artwork of the PCB is as shown n the Diagram below. Carefully assemble the parts in the designed PCB layout and your Prototype is ready.
Very clear schematic for the LED flasher. I put this together today and only one of the LED’s flashed, the other just produced a constant light. Both LED’s flashed when left in the breadboard singly. I tried various combinations of Capacitor and resistors but still the same result, only one LED flashed. I did use all the components as shown on the schematic, the only variation was the power source, mine being 9V as opposed to the 5V shown, but I doubt if this is the reason. Can you advise me where I may have gone wrong? The description mentions a single LED flasher but the schematic shows 2 LED’s. Thanks for any help.
Check that you properly grounded Both the LED’s
And go to your nearest Radio Shack and just make a PCB accordingly. It might be because of some carelessness in assembling