Timer project using 555-type circuit...

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ryanm

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In interest of full disclosure, I'm not an EE and only have a small amount of practical experience with electronics. I get the concept and can read a schematic pretty well, and I've put together a number of projects from schematics successfully, but when it comes to building a circuit from scratch, I know my limitations and ask for help.

The project is a 555-type circuit that triggers both a piezo and a bank of LEDs on a variable time delay. I'm building a reusable flashbang device for military/law enforcement training exercises, so it needs to be both loud and bright, but within safety requirements for repeated exposure. The LEDs I have in mind are something like these:

RL5-W18030 Super White LED specs

They need to be as bright as possible. The piezo needs to be capable of producing ~90db at 1 meter. Power source should be common AAA, AA, or 9v type (depending on power requirements). The whole circuit will be mounted in a cylindrical body with an adjustable resistor (to adjust delay time) and a push-to-break switch (to start the timer) at one end, and the piezo at the other end to allow it to sound unimpeded by the housing. The housing will be ~1.5" in diameter, with holes drilled in a configuration of 5 rows x 10 LEDs/row and the LEDs mounted flush with the surface of the housing (so that they are not damaged when the unit is thrown/rolled on concrete). The housing will be rubberized to reduce shock, and the circuit may need to be mounted in such a way as to resist shock. I'll worry about the mechanical details of the switch release, appropriate mounting, etc, it's the electronics I need help with. I don't want to breadboard it, I want to wire and bundle this circuit in as small an inline package as possible, to be mounted to the inside of the housing.

I've found a couple of timer circuit diagrams online, like this one (Adjustable 1-10 Minute Timer Project), but I want a shorter timer (1-10 seconds, instead of minutes, and with only a half-second or shorter pulse time), lose the "off" LED, and use a bank of "on" LEDs, make sure the power requirements are there for the number and rating of the LEDs and for the piezo. What I don't know, due to lack of experience, is the best way to approach this. Most of the common timer circuits are meant to behave very differently, and I don't know if starting from one of those and tweaking to my requirements is a good way to go, or if there is an entirely different approach that would be better.

I'm willing to pay (a reasonable price) for a schematic and parts numbers if someone can put together something that meets my requirements. Email me to discuss it before putting the work in, though.

ryanm
ryanm@horsefish.net
 
I see your question has been hanging around with no replies for a while now so I thought I'd put forward a few suggestions.

Yes, 555s are good for timing applications like this. But it seems to me that you have a few other functions in there that would require more control than a single 555 could give.

So, you are then looking at multiple 555s (e.g., one for the timing period, one to deliver a pulse of fixed duration, etc etc). This starts to look more complicated than it has to be already.

I would suggest that what you need is a micontroller. These days such parts are ludicrously cheap and one single 8-pin microcontroller like a PIC device (for example - it's one of many) can replace a lot of 555s and associated discrete support components. This makes everything smaller / potentially consume less power etc., but it has the disadvantage from your point of view that it requires software to make it work. The software in this case would be quite simple, I'm sure.

What you're really looking for is an electronics design and build company. I do operate such an enterprise, if you want me to look into it you will have to PM me.

-CF
 
You will need a pretty big and heavy battery to drive 50 LEDs for more than a few 0.5A flashes. Maybe 10 rechargeable AAA or AA cells making 12V.
 
An AA is good for roughly 1Ah of charge IIRC.. Red LEDs draw 10mA @ 1.5V, so 50 will be a 0.5A draw.. Therefore each AA should add ~2hrs of on-time to the LED panel..
Adjusting the time to shorter interval is super simple, merely swapping out resistors for smaller values..
Basic 555 circuits though have the annoyance that without a diode in the mix, the duty cycle cannot be <50%.. eg if your interval is 10s, then it would go high for 'atleast' 5s..
Why do you want adjustability? Wouldn't it suffice if these things worked the same way each time?
 
Red LEDs draw 10mA @ 1.5V, so 50 will be a 0.5A draw.. Therefore each AA should add ~2hrs of on-time to the LED panel.
No.
The white LEDs are 3.4V and in the daytime should be driven with 25mA to be bright.
Two LEDs in series makes 6.8V. A Ni-MH battery drops its voltage as it runs down so its voltage should be about 12V when operating and 9V when dead. A 12V Ni-MH battery is 10 cells.
The current is 25 x 25mA= 0.625A.

If each LED has its own current-limiting resistor then a 6V battery made with 5 Ni-MH cells can be used. The LED current will be 1.25A.
But a piezo beeper will not be loud enough when driven from 6V. A bridge amplifier might make it loud enough.

The LEDs are pulsed so their average current is fairly low and AAA cells will last for a long time.
 
Sorry, overlooked the white aspect.. Those puppies do draw alot more..
No.
Ordinary white LEDs draw the same 25mA of current as ordinary red ones.
You decided on only 10mA but the OP wanted them to be as bright as possible (in sunlight?).
 
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