Simple LED Strobe Light Circuit

This article teaches how to make a flashing LED strobe light using a popular chip known as the IC 555.

A few knobs and resistors are used to control the lights brightness and flashing flow.

Another resistor regulates the power supply that gets to the LEDs.

This project makes use of a special switch that has a large power control capacity.

If at all possible one can also use identical switches.

One resistors value can be easily changed to create a number of LED colors and numbers with this circuit.

For example three rows of twelve white LEDs should be used.

Confirming that the voltage from the power supply is sufficient to run every LED that is connected together is important.

What is a LED Strobe Light Circuit:

A LED strobe light circuit is an electronic circuit that controls the flashing or strobing of Light Emitting Diodes LEDs.

Strobe lights are used in many different kinds of industries such as special effects, entertainment and warning systems and can be detected by their quick random flashes of light.

Circuit Diagram:

Parts List:

How to Build:

The construction of Simple LED Strobe Light Circuit is made to understand through the following connection points:-

Connect the 555 IC:

• Ground the IC 555 to pin 1 and connect the power supply to pin 8.
• Pins 2 and 6 should be connected of IC1

Set the Components:

• A capacitor C1 should be connected between pins 2 and 6 of IC1.
• A resistor R2 should be connected between pins 7 and 6.
• A second resistor R1 should be connected between pins 6 and 2.
• Pin 6 should be connected to ground through a variable resistor P1.
• From pin 7 connect a resistor R3 to the LED positive side.

Connect the LEDs:

• The LED negative side should be connected to ground.
• Through the power switch connect the LEDs positive side to pin 3 of the 555 IC.

Connection to the Power Switch:

• Connect the positive power source to the MOSFETs drain pin.
• Connect the MOSFETs source pin to pin 3 of the 555 integrated circuit.

Adjustable Circuit Parts:

• To select the right strobe frequency one needs to adjust P1.
• To regulate how long the light flash continues adjust R1.
• To control the amount of current sent to the LEDs adjust R3.

Testing:

• Turn on the circuit and watch as the LEDs flash.
• The voltage drops between the LEDs connected in series should be within the required range.

Formulas:

Below are the formulas for Simple LED Strobe Light Circuit:

LED Current Calculation:

The current flowing through the LEDs is calculated by the resistor R3.

Use ohms Law to calculate the current I_LED​

I_LED = V_R3 / R3

where,

• V_R3​ is the voltage across R3 which is calculated by:

V_R3 = V_supply − V_LED

where,

• V_supply is the supply voltage and
• V_LED is the combined voltage drop across the series connected LEDs.

LED Series Voltage Calculation:

• Ensure that the sum of the voltage drops across the series connected LEDs V_LED is always less than the supply voltage V_supply.

Important Notes:

• As previously mentioned be careful when it comes to the possible health risks that small flashes of light may be present.
• One can modify the circuit to fit other LED kinds, colors and amounts by changing the value of R3.
• Verify that the power supply voltage  which satisfies the needs of the component.

Conclusion:

Safety measures should be taken seriously if anyone wants to build or experiment with an LED strobe light circuit particularly when working with high intensity LEDs or connecting the circuit to a power source.

Also knowing the particular needs of the application and the properties of the LEDs one is using will help to build a strobe light circuit that is safe and efficient.

References:

LED strobe lighting for machine vision inspection

Strobe light