Not necessarily....there are high intensity, low current LEDs.

I may not have been looking very hard, but the brightest colored LEDs I've found for 2mA are about 80-90mcd (not to mention that there aren't symbols for any of them in my design software), and I preferably want higher. The LEDs I've been looking at do have a diffuser.

250ms? is that between flashes?
Be aware that if you choose 3V supply, then a NE555 won't work. You'll have to use a CMOS timer.

250ms between flashes, yes.
My current design has 2 3v CR2032s (in series for 6V), and I am using an LMC555 rather than an NE555.

 

I may not have been looking very hard, but the brightest colored LEDs I've found for 2mA are about 80-90mcd (not to mention that there aren't symbols for any of them in my design software), and I preferably want higher.

Don't let your design software drive your design.

The LEDs I've been looking at do have a diffuser.

But does the whole "tree" have a diffused, or clear, cover?

250ms between flashes, yes.
My current design has 2 3v CR2032s (in series for 6V), and I am using an LMC555 rather than an NE555.

Ok....then 250ms is the period, so frequency is 1/0.250 = 4 Hz

If we assume (I hate that word) that 2 LEDs, at 10mA each, will be on while the tree is on, then the (2)CR2032 batteries will be completely drained in about 12.5 hours of constant use, and the "tree" will probably be unusable before then.

 

Don't let your design software drive your design.

Good point.

But does the whole "tree" have a diffused, or clear, cover?

Diffused. Here's an example of one

Ok....then 250ms is the period, so frequency is 1/0.250 = 4 Hz

Correct. It's supposed to switch the LED every quarter of a second.

If we assume (I hate that word) that 2 LEDs, at 10mA each, will be on while the tree is on, then the (2)CR2032 batteries will be completely drained in about 12.5 hours of constant use, and the "tree" will probably be unusable before then.

I found some LEDs that I'll use that are 2mA. They aren't the brightest, unfortunately, but they'll make do. It isn't really meant to be an "on all the time" sort of device, I guess? It's still a good point, though.

 

I found some LEDs that I'll use that are 2mA. They aren't the brightest, unfortunately, but they'll make do. It isn't really meant to be an "on all the time" sort of device, I guess? It's still a good point, though.

2 LEDs, at 2mA each, will be on while the tree is on, then the (2)CR2032 batteries will be completely drained in about 125 hours of constant use.

 

For longer battery life you can use a larger coin-cell such as the CR2450 which has about three times the capacity of the CR2032.

 

This is my latest schematic. Does it look how it should? I switched to the 2 CR2450's, and a different set of LEDs which are now 2mA. I ended up making symbols for them because they weren't in the library I had. I'm glad I figured out how to, though. They are just clear (but colored) LEDs, no longer diffused ones.

 

This is my latest schematic. Does it look how it should? I switched to the 2 CR2450's, and a different set of LEDs which are now 2mA.

R2 and R3 seem way to low at 200 ohms for 2ma of LED current. More like between 1 and 2K.

 

Shoot. I forgot to update those after changing the LEDs. Besides that, does everything look good?

 

I think so, have you tested the circuit on a breadboard?

 

Breadboard this first before making the PCB, you will thank me later.

 

This is my latest schematic. Does it look how it should? I switched to the 2 CR2450's, and a different set of LEDs which are now 2mA. I ended up making symbols for them because they weren't in the library I had. I'm glad I figured out how to, though. They are just clear (but colored) LEDs, no longer diffused ones.
View attachment 334062

If you really want the LEDs to switch every 1/4 second (on for 1/8 second), then, if C1=1uF, R1 should be ~180k = 4Hz, not 3Mhz.
For a supply of 6v, LED resistor should be about 1.5k-1.6k for 2.65v@2mA, but you'll probably need to adjust.

 

I'm not exactly sure why the schematic says 3Mhz, whoever made the symbol for my software put that. I'm wanting it to switch every 1/4 sec, but also be high for that whole time.. not 1/8th.

 

I'm wanting it to switch every 1/4 sec, but also be high for that whole time.. not 1/8th.

Ok, that's different then what you wrote earlier. Then the period is actually 1/2 second (for 50% duty cycle, on/off for 1/4 second each), so the frequency now becomes 1/0.5 = 2Hz, so R1 should be about 360k.

 

Sorry for not being specific. Thank you!

 

Sorry for not being specific. Thank you!

no worries....