Here's a project that I worked on for a little bit. I wanted to design a circuit that blinks a row of 20 or so LED's (third brake light for a car).

Legality (no local laws or regulations against this issue) and practicality (I want to build it, not go to the store and buy a box), here are the project requirements

Blink x number of times, then switch to constant ON

It would also be nice to have the ability for this to be wired "inline" - that is, have the module installed in such a fashion so I only need to clip one wire and insert the module "inline" to that one wire.

I have only 2 classes of EE experience in college, nothing complex, class 1 was basic intro (this is a resistor, this is a diode, etc...) and class 2 was some less-simple stuff (this is a RC network, this is an op amp, this is a transistor)

I was playing with a simple java based circuit simulator which provided pretty much all I needed and this was what I came up with:

It is based on a 555 timer, counter, some logic, and a MOSFET switching transistor. Nothing too complex.

I'm looking for critiques, comments, and ideas for improvement. This will be mounted on a PCB and put into a box; or, if I can get it small enough and get it working "inline", epoxied, jammed into a heatshrink tube, and spliced inline.

Thanks for looking!

 

Perhaps a .1uF or .01uF Ceramic cap from pin 5(Ctrl Vol) to ground.

 

The are many ordinary drivers (little old ladies?) who will be extremely confused when the rear lights on your car are blinking.
Everybody knows that sudden continuously bright red lights on the rear of a car, truck or bus mean that the brakes are on.

I hope you never drive your modified car in my country. If you do, then maybe you will be jailed.

 

Hello,

We do not allow changes to the lighting.
Read this thread:
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=40361

Bertus