I was looking through the internet and I came across a model done by Thomas Sasser of ThomasModels. It was a model of the destroyed engineering hull of the TOS version constitution class USS Kongo. Some of you may know of this model. Anyway, there is a video that shows the model in all its glory. From inside the model, there are LED's placed throughout the damaged sections that are blinking in a seemingly random order. I emailed Thomas asking how he did this and if he could share the electric schematics, but he replied and said that the lighting was done by someone else. Does anyone here know of any circuit diagrams that will allow a series of LED's to flash "randomly"?? For any curious, the link to the video is...
http://www.thomasmodels.com/kongosec.html
Click on the last picture on the page to load the vid.
Random flashing circuits?
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USS Atlantis
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Watching the clip, it looks to be several blinking circuits on separate timing
Each LED, or pair of LEDs is set to blink at different rates
Ergo: Port engine rear has two circuits, one with a single LED blinking at one rate, the other with two LEDs blinking at a different rate
It would require at least 10 separate blinking circuits (that I could see), each one with a different resistor/capacitor/diode setup feeding either a 555 timer or an Op Amp to level out the timing. I noticed that most of the blinkers were off more than they were on, this means a diode loaded res/cap timing to get the <50% duty cycle
Not difficult, just very involved.
A sample of a single blink circuit with a <50% duty cycle is Here, and a demo of that same circuit Here
Another option is to control the blinks with a PIC chip - but having never worked with them, I don't know how many LEDs each PIC can control, nor the programing setup to do this with them
Atlantis
Each LED, or pair of LEDs is set to blink at different rates
Ergo: Port engine rear has two circuits, one with a single LED blinking at one rate, the other with two LEDs blinking at a different rate
It would require at least 10 separate blinking circuits (that I could see), each one with a different resistor/capacitor/diode setup feeding either a 555 timer or an Op Amp to level out the timing. I noticed that most of the blinkers were off more than they were on, this means a diode loaded res/cap timing to get the <50% duty cycle
Not difficult, just very involved.
A sample of a single blink circuit with a <50% duty cycle is Here, and a demo of that same circuit Here
Another option is to control the blinks with a PIC chip - but having never worked with them, I don't know how many LEDs each PIC can control, nor the programing setup to do this with them
Atlantis
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en'til Zog
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Dudes! The simplest way to get a bunch'a random blinkificating LEDs is to use a bunch'a SELF BLINKING LEDs - each LED has its own blinking chip built into the LED bubble o' plastic. ALL ( www.allelectronics.com ) has 'em in 3 colors and two sizes of each.
Need two LEDs 'randomly' blinking together? Wire one SB LED in SERIES with a non-SB LED and they'll blink together.
Or use a 4060 chip. Look in " LEDs and Other Low voltage, Low power lighting "
Need two LEDs 'randomly' blinking together? Wire one SB LED in SERIES with a non-SB LED and they'll blink together.
Or use a 4060 chip. Look in " LEDs and Other Low voltage, Low power lighting "