The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay BLINKING L.E.D.'s?!

I couldn't get help at three 'Radio Shack's'.....
I want to put a couple small 12v. LED's in my 12v. 52. I found the lights,but I want them to blink. (phony alarm lights...big city...lots O' joy ridin' punks...gonna do other things too...)
Is there some kind of widgit to put inline to make them BLINK?
I found blinking diodes,but there all 2.8 volts!
Thanks!!

I wonder if you could copy an electrical equivilent to a blinker system and use a flasher to achieve what you need?

When wiring up LEDs to power, you need to run a resistor in line with the LED or it'll burn up. You also need to find one made for 12V and pick the resistor based on its maximum amperage...

Here's the easy way (courtesy of Google):

http://www.elexp.com/opt_6bid.htm

-Boyo

The 2.8V diodes will work fine with a resistor. Here's how you do it:
Subtract 2.8V from 12V.

12V - 2.8V = 9.2

Divide voltage by the current. Lets assume as an example that the led draws 20Ma (20 milliamps). That's .02 amps.

9.2 / .02 = 460

The nearest common resistor value is 470 ohms, 1/4 or 1/2 watt will do.

Solder the resistor to the long (positive) lead of the led. Led's are sensitive to heat so use a heat sink between the solder point and the led to keep from damaging it.

One particularly good application for Leds in AD trucks is replacing the high beam indicator light. Often the colored lens has been melted by too hot of a bulb having been used in the past. A led works nicely as a replacement. Some leds are two color, so for the high beam application the second color can be used as a turn signal indicator in a position that will be more easily seen without trashing up your dash.

Thanks,
I'll give it a try...I want to run two diodes,do I need two resistors? or will one do?
I can just SEE some more math comin' my way.
I might as well run face first into a block wall,than to try and figure electrics...

Here is a site with a lot of led stuff/info.

http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/ledleft.htm

"Radio Shack... you've got questions, we've got BATTERIES!"

I've been told to use a seperate resistor with each led. They're not pricey and come five on a card at the Radio Shack.

When at the store check for flashing LED's. I bought some for turn indicators. Saved on running extra wire in my case. They take the same 470 ohm resistors. And yes, one resistor per LED. I ended up using standerd Green LED's along with a little "thing" the guy next door gave me. He installs car alarms and these little moduals power the flashing light you are wanting. You might check out a alarm company for information. I know they sell fake alarm systems. Also the flashing LEDS were not bright enough for my use. Keep checking around. Joe

Here is a circuit that uses a regular LED. They give component values for anyone wanting to use it on a 6 or 12 volt system.

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/2qflash.htm

Here is a nice little plip-plop for two LEDs.

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/flash2.htm

On the bottom of either of these pages is a "Circuits Page" link that will take you to a number of interesting and useful circuits such as this third brake light. It uses only a ground and one connection to each brake light.

http://www.uoguelph.ca/~antoon/circ/3brake.htm

Hi,

First off, I just left Radio Shack 01-9111 Chalmette LA. after 13 years, Loved almost every day of it, made super easy money. If you would please call the store and logde a complaint with the MRG it will get explained to the worker. Also this is something that most folks do not know; all sales assoc. are sent to a classes and must past a testing manual on small parts/lights/rest. etc. with a 90% or after 90 days you're out of there. There are 13 different certification manuals that are MANDATORY TO PASS check with the Mgr and see if the kids you asked have gotten it yet.

Here are two different stock numbers that you can use

470 ohm......271-1115
560 ohm......271-1116

I've used both on 12 volt dc power supplies and put them on 1.5 volt minitronics light for our models we build for customers.

Also, in my time i've heard it all,like the following.....

CUST: I need to bring back this radio it's not working right!

RS: What seems to ne the problem with it?

CUST: It's not playing any songs I like!

RS: What did you say?
:confused: :confused: :confused:
(I swear this happen to me on 4/15/92, I will always remember the date)

Modelman I understand your loyalty, but they no longer have the electronic supplies that they had years ago. I don't buy anything from the one about 3/4 mile from here. I go in there, but they never have what I need so I drive 15 miles to a real store.
That 59 cent 470 ohm resister is really annoying.
Yes, I have the change.
Sir, I need your phone number, photo ID, birth certificate and your first born child.
Burrrrn...some appropriate lanquage.....and the major transaction is completed.

Where you at Richard?! It sounds like we go to the same store!!!! PITA!!!!!!

Here is why the name and address is asked at the ring out.

Tandy Corp has the worlds largest database of customers on the planet, and was offered $45,000,000 by Sears in 1995 for the customer data base, so Sears could send they flyer to them also but Tandy/Radioshack refused to sell because we told our customers that we would never sell there name. It's true, In all my years working for them I did not agree with the name requirements and the company has a 85% rule on name infomation which I never met. How did I work for them this long and get away with it, you ask?

(I wear hearing aids and was once written up by the Districk Mgr. for not meeting the qouta and took my time to write him a note explaining that I have a hearing problem, they backed off quickly, it's the only time I used the ADA to my liking!) Also having to ask customer several time to get the info. correctly PO more than a few over the years, so they dropped MY requirement.

(Here is the bad part) RS keep an ongoing list of what you buy for ten years to prove your warrenty and to track consumers trends. From now on just say CASH SALE to stop the questions, and BTW look at your reciept and see if the sale persons typed another name to keep up the qouta, pull his/her asdie and let them know you know!!! :p they will automatically think the Dm sent you in and S**t a brick

I once went into a radio shack when I was working on a low-pass filter circuit for a robot project. I asked if they had any trimmable (adjustable value) capacitors. The guy takes me over to the rack and selects a bag of caps with long leads:
"You can probably trim the leads on these."

I looked around for the "Candid Camera"
I couldn't believe it.

RS should have an 8-pin chip that is a "LED Blink driver" You wire up the resistor and the LED, and select the speed of the blink with an external capacitor value. Ask 'em for a trimmable capacitor.

Chip

What gripes me about the name thing is that they seem to be irritated that I don't want to respell both my first and last names a couple of times to buy some solder. I tell them I am already on the maining list, but they all act like they NEED this data. I make it a point of NEVER giving them my data just because it is not any of their business, and If I want to be tracked they can have a sign up sheet for the slaughter, fine.

If you use a 680 OHM resistor, it will not fry almost any LED, it's a good starting point. I by convention, always use the resistor on the negative side, and you can ground maybe 7 standard led's without any noticable change.