My Ultra-Bright LED chasers

[audioguru]

I have 7 ultra-bright chasers always running. I change the 2 AA alkaline cells in the red and orange ones and the 4 AA alkaline cells in the blue and bright green ones when they get dim.

Recently my blue and bright green chasers slowed down. I thought maybe because they are at the window where it is cold and maybe they are affected by the low temperature.
So I moved them to where it is warm but they are still chasing very slowly. The PWM brightness control was always bright and would not dim the LEDs anymore.
Today I measured the battery and each AA alkaline cell is only 0.66V!
The LEDs are still pretty bright.

I think the old battery cells have been running the chasers for 6 months or more. I changed them and the PWM brightness controls work perfectly and I nearly burned my eyes out.

 

[HarveyH42]

My red one is on a 4.8 volt rechargeable battery pack and 6V solar panel, been running for a couple of years now, pretty much all night. My white one uses 4 AA rechargeable, think it doesn't get enough sun, only get a few hours.

 

[audioguru]

My solar garden lights use a single 1.25V Ni-Cad rechargeable cell. It drives a stepup voltage converter for the white and multi-colour LEDs. They light for maybe only 1 hour after a bright sunny day in winter but shine brightly all night long in summer.

 

[transistor495]

My solar garden lights!

Actually what's the purpose of these solar garden lights, who's going to see it all night long, or in Canada nobody sleeps during night

Just out of curiosity is this you mean
**broken link removed**

I usually install stars and tree chasers(not monkeys) during only Christmas

'Automatic bulb' -we call it in school period for a little bulb with thermostat inside, which makes alternate switching over in between two incandescent bulbs put inside stars.

Dey you've automatic bulb, dey what about you..

 

[audioguru]

In Canada we party all night long.
It is nice to party in the glow of solar garden lights.

 

[Roff]

In Canada we party all night long.
It is nice to party in the glow of solar garden lights.

Do you have Darkness Emitting Arsenide Diodes which are powered up in the daytime, so you can sleep?

 

[audioguru]

We don't sleep.
We party all night long then play all day long.

The last time I looked, the sun shines in daytime.

 

[Mike_2545]

audioguru, do you have a picture or video of your led chaser? I just put one together...here is mine

 

[audioguru]

Your chaser has more LEDs than mine and does nice patterns. But it has a mains power supply.

Mine blink each LED brightly for a very short duration and have a pause after chasing around a few times. Then the AA cells battery lasts for months.

 

[Mike_2545]

Nice use of an old CD...

 

[audioguru]

I used old CD ROMs from America On Line (dial-up internet) programs.
I made about 20 of those chasers. I gave some away, sold some and kept 7.

 

[HarveyH42]

Just finishing up a lighthouse project. Only need to glue it back together. Should have used warm white, but went with 10 mm, 12 degree white. Looks okay, but think the yellowish light would have been nicer. Got another resin lighthouse, and now that I know how to take it apart, will try the warm whites. Need to get some silicone goo tomorrow, damn tube I had is solid, only used once...

 

[Vizier87]

What's the secret in keeping the system as efficient as the one you're having?

 

[Dragon Tamer]

I love LEDs, they are so amusing! Can I ask what IC you used? I would have used a 4017 with a 555. I have a circuit that I accidentally created that uses multiple 4017's to run even more LEDs. the circuit can run any number of LEDs as long as the number is a multiple of 2 or 5. when I finish the schematic I'll post it (I'm only using 50 LEDs as an example).

 

[audioguru]

What's the secret in keeping the system as efficient as the one you're having?

I use a 74HC4017 that draws almost no operating current and has plenty of output current. It works with a supply voltage down to 1.4V (the datasheet guarantees 2V).
Ordinary 4017 circuits always have one LED turned on but mine blink for only 25ms for each LED then after chasing around a few time they pause for two seconds before chasing again. I use a 74HC14 Schmitt trigger inverter IC for the 3V ones and a 74C14 for the 6V ones for the oscillator and monostables.

 

[audioguru]

I have a circuit that I accidentally created that uses multiple 4017's to run even more LEDs. the circuit can run any number of LEDs as long as the number is a multiple of 2 or 5.

Many datasheets for the CD4017 show how to cascade 9, 8 and 8 outputs from each CD4017 with no limit to the number of ICs used. Bill Bowden also shows how to cascade them.

 

[transistor495]

Just noted that speaker in the corner..

I think it's everywhere in AG's house **broken link removed**

 

[audioguru]

I have 5 speakers in my living room, 4 speakers in my family room and 4 speakers in my computer room. The rooms are not connected together.

 

[Dragon Tamer]

Many datasheets for the CD4017 show how to cascade 9, 8 and 8 outputs from each CD4017 with no limit to the number of ICs used. Bill Bowden also shows how to cascade them.

i could not find an example that you were talking about but i do believe you, you have never given me a reason not to trust you. how about i post mi circuit when i find it and you can tell me if it is similar?

 

[audioguru]

i could not find an example that you were talking about but i do believe you, you have never given me a reason not to trust you. how about i post mi circuit when i find it and you can tell me if it is similar?

This example is from Texas Instruments but ON Semi and National Semi have the same one. Bill Bowden (look for his circuits in Google) uses diodes and resistors for the AND gates.

Go to www.datasheetarchive.com where you can select datasheets for nearly everything from many different manufacturers.