LED Strobe Light Circuit

This article show how to make one LED Strobe Light Circuit which uses famous chip named IC 555.

Some knobs and resistors are used to control how much light and how fast it blink.

One resistor also control the power which connects to LED.

This project uses one special switch and this switch can handle big power.

If possible same type of switch also can be used.

One resistor value is easy to change and then LED can be of many color or more LED can be added if required.

For example use three row with twelve white LED.

Must check proper power supply which gives enough voltage for all LED together which is very important.

What is a LED Strobe Light Circuit:

A LED strobe light circuit is one electronic circuit which makes LED light blink or flash fast.

Strobe lights are used in many place like for special effects, fun shows and also warning signal.

We can know strobe light by its fast and random flashing.

Circuit Diagram:

Parts List:

How to Build:

Making LED Strobe Light Circuit is easy if we follow these steps:

Connect the 555 IC:

• Put pin 1 of IC 555 to ground.
• Give power to pin 8.
• Connect pin 2 and pin 6 together.

Set the Parts:

• Put one capacitor C1 between pin 2 and 6.
• Connect resistor R2 between pin 7 and 6.
• Connect another resistor R1 between pin 6 and 2.
• From pin 6 connect one variable resistor P1 to ground.
• From pin 7 connect resistor R3 to LED positive leg.

Connect the LEDs:

• LED negative leg connects to ground.
• LED positive leg connects to pin 3 of IC 555 through power switch.

Connect Power Switch:

• Positive power wire connects to MOSFET drain pin.
• MOSFET source pin connect to pin 3 of IC 555.

Adjust the Circuit:

• Change P1 to make strobe speed fast or slow.
• Change R1 to make LED flash long or short time.
• Change R3 to control how much power connects to LEDs.

Test the Circuit:

• Turn ON the power and see LEDs will start flashing.
• Be sure voltage for all LEDs in series is okay and are not too high or low.

Formulas:

Here are easy formulas for LED Strobe Light Circuit:

LED Current Calculation:

LED current is controlled by resistor R3.

Use ohms law to find LED current which is called ILED:

ILED = VR3 / R3

where:

• VR3 is voltage across R3.

We can find VR3 like this:

VR3 = Vsupply − VLED

where:

• Vsupply is the power supply voltage.
• VLED is total voltage drop of all LEDs connected in series.

LED Series Voltage Check:

Be sure VLED the total LED voltage is less than the Vsupply.

So power can go through all LEDs properly.

Important Notes:

• Like said before be careful, small flashing lights can cause health problem for some people.
• We can change R3 to use different type, color or number of LEDs.
• Also always check power supply as it must match what all parts need.

Conclusion:

Be safe while making or testing LED Strobe Light Circuit especially with bright LEDs or big power.

Also know what we need for our project and what kind of LEDs we are using.

This will help make our circuit safe and to work well.

References:

LED strobe lighting for machine vision inspection

Strobe light