LED flasher help needed

Thread Starter

elwilliams

Joined Dec 29, 2008
12
hey i need some help if someone could help me it would be greatly appreciated, i work for the local law enforcement and they have this light bar but all the lights and flashers have been removed and im going to put LEDs which are supper bright and i need help if someone could email me a schematic diagram on how to build a flasher, if i could change different flasher it would be greatly appreciated, if you would email the schematic to thatsthestuff6@yahoo.com thanks

Note to elwilliams - we will post the schematic in this thread. The forum is public in nature, and more persons than you may benefit from the circuit.
 
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hgmjr

Joined Jan 28, 2005
9,027
Greetings elwilliams,

Here at AAC we encourage those seeking assistance to post their requests in their own threads so that the advice given can be targeted to their specific needs.

hgmjr
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
hey i need some help if someone could help me it would be greatly appreciated, i work for the local law enforcement and they have this light bar but all the lights and flashers have been removed and im going to put LEDs which are supper bright and i need help if someone could email me a schematic diagram on how to build a flasher, if i could change different flasher it would be greatly appreciated, if you would email the schematic to ************@gmail.com thanks
It is an incredibly bad idea to put your email address out for public view, unless you plan on dumping it soon. Bot harvesters collect such addresses and feed them back to spammers. If I were you I'd remove that email address as soon as possible.

As to the question, there are so many different ways of doing this it is outrageous. Here was a thread I participated in for something similar...

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=16484

If you need specific help please feel free to ask, I like drawing schematics, and there are a lot of knowledgable people here. The first thing you need to decide on is the LEDs themselves, they can go from pretty cheap to expensive, and can draw from 10ma to over an amp. One you've decided on the pattern and LEDs we can work from there. It is entirely possible someone knows a kit you can buy, or a different method than what I used.
 
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Thread Starter

elwilliams

Joined Dec 29, 2008
12
oh thanks so much i wasnt thinking about that but thanks a lot Bill, i can tell your into electronics, im getting into it but if you will and i would greatly appreciate it, draw me a schematic on how to build a flasher where i could hook up like 4 or more LEDs and they would not flash at the same time, like police blue lights were one LED flashes 2 times fast then the other flashes 2 times fast and keeps going around like that or something, thanks alot
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Like I said, the first thing is parts. Whatever you get will determine the rest of the design. If you could sketch up a rough draft of the rack I can help there. Are you planning on grill or rear window lights?

If you go through the thread I recommended (especially the back half) I think you will find a lot of the work has been done. Did you understand the sequence chart I drew?

You sound like my home town, a small town police force. There the officers had to provide their own police cars, and I assume, most of the equipment.
 

Thread Starter

elwilliams

Joined Dec 29, 2008
12
im sry i didnt really understand it but im about to go out of town for an hour and ill check over it again and get back to you
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
I've been a little slow on the uptake, so have patience. Pesky cold and antihistamines.

I think most of the old hands here could also recommend much better LEDs, both in parts and in sources. Depending on where you live (city, state) you might even have a local outlet.

The picture I saw on your link was flashing headlights, not blue LEDs. Those kinds of images are also pretty changable, so what you saw and what I saw might not be the same, and I'm not willing to give those folks my personal information to get into their site.

I've sketched out a hypothetical arrangement, if you have problems understanding the sequence chart I drew out let me know. I'm figuring that each step is ¼ seconds. It goes through 10 steps, then repeats.



Where I show a single LED can be an array for brightness. At this point we're working on layout, the above is a proposal, but can be change easily. You can use M/S Paint to make changes and upload the picture on the forum.

Just curious, have you priced what a commericial model would cost. Unless you are handy, or know someone else who is and willing to work cheap, it will probably be cheaper to buy a kit. I like doing this, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention the possibility.
 

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Thread Starter

elwilliams

Joined Dec 29, 2008
12
it was flashing headlights but thats kind of what i want the LEDs to do but if possible i want to be able to change the flash pattern, im gonna build the board and all but can you send me a list of stuff i will need to be able to try http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showthread.php?t=16484 that one you did, i would like to try that one so if you can send me a list of parts and all i had no problem readingthe schematic just need to know like what kind of timer and what kind of LEDs and capacitors and such
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Do you mean this post?

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showpost.php?p=101927&postcount=12

The basic parts list is included, BUT...

You will need to modify it for a vehicle, single LEDs aren't going to do it.

Still need definitions, there is no such thing as too much information.

Maybe you were talking about this one?

http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/showpost.php?p=101536&postcount=2

It is an extremely simple blinker. the pattern is <blink><blink><pause><blink><blink><pause>...

but only for one set of lights, no alternation between them.
 

Thread Starter

elwilliams

Joined Dec 29, 2008
12
im not woried about the headlights flashing i have wigwags, im trying to use LEDs to create a foot long blue LED bar to fit in the grill, it just needs to flash kind of fast, and if possible allow me to change the flash patterns using a switch or something inside the car(if that is not possible then just flashing will be fine) it will be running from 12v dc and will have about 15 LEDs, what else do you need and it will be using those LEDs is emailed you the link to, i have already ordered some of those exact kind, im sry but im new at the whole deal and i know im getting on your nerves but i dont know exactly what all you need to know to make the schematic, i wont it where each LED will not flash the same as the other, but the 2 end ones can flash the same, like the Light Bar on top of police cars, the end ones flash then the next two then the end 2, do you kind of understand, its kind of hard to explain, im a constable in Arkansas and we have to get our own cars and lights and etc, if thats enough info if u will make me a schematic and make a list of what i will need to make it. thanks
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
Police in Arkansas use their own cars and equip them with their own lights? Really?
I don't believe it.

Police in my part of Canada are paid almost as well as well paid politicians and drive brand new police department cars equipped with the latest electronics.
EDIT: To catch the American criminals who sneak across the border.
EDIT again: With their guns.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
I do, I'm from Oklahoma, where it is also the norm. Different part of the world, different ways. We are talking small towns, where there isn't much money, and property taxes are mostly for schools. AGuru, I think a lot of things in the States would surprise you. Some areas are dirt poor, but you never hear about them because they are hard working folks who don't complain much (and are usually greatful for their blessings). It is interesting, where you have obscene wealth you have obscene poverty. Where everyone is mostly poor you don't have the homeless problem, they take care of our own there and are willing to give to help a neighbor.

Back to elwilliams, designing is usually more than schematics. I think I know what you want mostly, but I could use a template of what you're wanting. We'll lay out an LED pattern from there. I'll send you a PM.

You're not getting on my nerves, you're no worse than most people new to electronics. It is a joke around here than people ask what is the matter with their project without including a schematic. :rolleyes: :D

BTW, I'm one of the draftsmen around here, as you may have noticed. You can access my blog here at AAC by clicking on the number next to the blogs entry. I will be sketching up examples and posting them as we approach what your after.
 
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Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
OK, think LEDs press fitted into plywood. Are you wanting a 1' X 6" piece of wood? How about Red/Blue alternating in the wood? I'm picking wood because it gives us a reference, it could also be metal (but I've used wood for stadium circuits with good results before).
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Here is a preliminary LED pattern. It is only preliminary, have fun, we can do a lot with this concerning patterns.



While we are working on this think mounting holes.

If you can describe alternate patterns we can incorporate those too.
 

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Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
elwilliams said:
hey did you get my other messages, can you make me a schematic that double flashes one LED then goes to another LED and double flashes
Sure.

Question, do you want other flash patterns or not? It makes a difference as to the circuit I use. A simple double flash is easy, add other patterns and it gets a little harder (managable, but it's not something you can change midstream).

Here is the new LED layout. I changed it to allow 12 LEDs per side, a magic number as it happens.



Is this more what you were thinking of? Color scheme is variable too. If we need more LEDs (which will increase brightness) I can add them too. Right now it is 12, it could be 21 (another magic number) per side.

Something like this...



or

 

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Thread Starter

elwilliams

Joined Dec 29, 2008
12
sry but we can use this public forum instead of the private one, thats pretty much what i want and the 12 i think will be enough and if its not to much harder to make it change flash patterns and all the LEDs will be Blue. thanks
 
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