How to make a LED Blink...

[republik]

hey guys i'm new, and i'm on a mission to make a Blinking LED for my car to add to my security system.. i went to radio shack and bought a blue LED 276-311

and then the guy said i'll need a timer....
so then i bought a 555 276-1723

but i dont understand the scematic at all...
i know pin # 1 is the neg/ground pin and i can conect it to another pin to make the led light up but theres no Blinking going on...

Also theres too many Volts going through and the LED gets super duper hot... i'm useing a 9volt battery as my power as i dont want to tap in to the power just gona use a off on switch...

so what i need to know is how to use the timer thingy properly and what type of resistor to use...

thanks for the info guys

PS i did a search for the last 90 weeks on Blinking LED and found nothing like this post so i dont think i'm doubble posting if i am i'm sorry...

JC

 

[WildRice]

I sent you a mail with the 555 basics from the engineers notebook.
Jeff

 

[WildRice]

better yet, follow the KISS method (Keep It Simple Stupid). You want a LED to blink. Go to RS and get a blinling LED (any color). Go from battery +, to 470 ohm resistor, to + on flasher, - on flasher to + on blue LED, - on blue LED to battery -. one series circuit, the flashing LED will also cause the blue one to flash.
Simple nuf.
Jeff

 

[republik]

Thanks for the email i replyed back but decided to come back here and i saw your next post now that's what i'm talking abou t:) !! Good stuff that's exactly what i wanted .... now should i measure the voltage after i put the new resistor on?

heres my plan

Batter + conected to wire then conected to resister then conected to Flashing LED then conected to wire then Conected to the Blue LED for my light then conected to wire then to switch then to battery -

how's that ? figure that will work? thanks i always belive in the KISS method !! thanks Fantastic IDEA

JC

 

[reviewum]

I did something like this. Here is my first prototype:

http://www.nifty-stuff.com/car-alarm.php

 

[SKYWLKR]

Well I just happened to have made that exact circuit today. and yes a blinking diode would be much simpler....

Wildrice could I get that E-mail you sent to Republik?

 

[Doug Owen]

Youse guys are workin' too hard.

A couple of cars (and a lot of years) back, I lived in Oakland and drove a Rabbit, a model of car that seemed to fascinate folks who support themselves breaking into cars. After replacing the same wind wing for the third time I got smart and put the above described flashing light in.

I used the Radio Shack self flasher and put it between battery (plus lead) and 'the other side of the ignition switch'. IIRC I used the two fused lines to the radio (one always on for the memory, the other switched with the key). Even with the radio off, there was enough of a load to *automatically* flash the light whenever the engine wasn't on. Nothing to turn on and off (it's automatic), trivial load on the battery. If for whatever reason there wasn't enough of a load there when off, a modest value resistor (say 100 ohms) to ground should do the trick. That resistor will, of course, use a very small bit of power (under 1/5 Watt) when the car is running (really a very small fraction of time).

Anyway, the flashing LED and connection to 'the right spots' and it takes care of itself. OK, maybe a resistor too....

Doug Owen