3D Printed Breathing IC555 LED Trophy

JustForFun

PCBway:  only $5 for 10 pcbs from  https://www.pcbway.com/?from=CZcouple PCBway 11th anniversary event: https://www.pcbway.com/activity/anniversary11th.html   This video details how to create a "Mortal Kombat" trophy using a custom 3D printed shell and a NE555 IC timer circuit. This circuit creates a smooth breathing LED effect, mimicking a gentle pulse of living light. Watch for step-by-step instructions to build this circuit and blend retro gaming charm with modern electronics.  Thanks ------------ Thanks again for checking my post. I hope it helps you. If you want to support me subscribe to my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CrazyCoupleDIY  Video: https://youtu.be/Q4CRfxDFBEk Full Blog Post:   References ------------------- GitHub:  Gerber:  STL:  LED Fader Using 555 Timer IC: https://youtu.be/30wGujPnupw  Support My Work ------------------------------ BTC: 1Hrr83W2zu2hmDcmYqZMhgPQ71oLj5b7v5 LTC: LPh69qxUqaHKYuFPJVJsNQjpBHWK7hZ9TZ DOGE: DEU2Wz3TK95119HMNZv2kpU7PkWbGNs9K3 ETH: 0xD64fb51C74E0206cB6702aB922C765c68B97dCD4 BAT: 0x9D9E77cA360b53cD89cc01dC37A5314C0113FFc3 BNB: 0xD64fb51C74E0206cB6702aB922C765c68B97dCD4 POL: 0xD64fb51C74E0206cB6702aB922C765c68B97dCD4 LBC: bZ8ANEJFsd2MNFfpoxBhtFNPboh7PmD7M2 COS: bnb136ns6lfw4zs5hg4n85vdthaad7hq5m4gtkgf23 Memo: 572187879  Thanks, ca again in my next tutorial.

Transcript

00:00This project features a custom 3D printed Mortal Kombat Trophy shell paired with a basic NE555

00:07timer circuit in A-Stable mode producing a smooth breathing LED effect mimicking the

00:13gentle pulse of a living light. Watch this video for detailed step-by-step instructions

00:19on how to build this circuit and to know how this circuit works. You will discover how

00:24to blend retro gaming charm with modern electronics to create a stunning, attention-grabbing masterpiece.

00:40This video is sponsored by PCBWay. PCBWay specializes in manufacturing of very high quality,

00:46low volume colored PCBs at a very budgetary price. In addition to standard PCBs, you can also order

00:53advanced PCBs, aluminum PCBs, rigid flex PCBs. They also provide PCB assembly and other related

01:00services which can meet your need to the greatest extent.

01:08I designed this project's 3D model using Blender. You can either create your own model or download my

01:14STL files from platforms like Thingiverse, Printables or Curls3D and then print it using PLA or any other

01:22filament of your choice. 3D printing is a highly addictive hobby. There are so many things you can

01:28do using a 3D printer. From designing 3D models to printing them using 3D printer has now become my new

01:34hobby. I have been a maker since I was 10 years old and have always constructed and made my own stuff.

01:413D printing for me is a blessing. I am totally lost in the 3D printing's heaven. 3D printing has changed my

01:48electronics workshop life forever. Before when I used to order parts, I always used to wonder

01:54if this part would fit into my project resource or not. But after I got my 3D printer, it does not

02:01matter at all. Because if it doesn't fit, I could design and print it myself. The 3D printer was

02:07definitely the missing piece from my electronics workshop. To achieve gentle diffused lighting for

02:14this project, I repurposed the semi-transparent plastic of a milk bottle to evenly scatter light

02:20and to eliminate glare. Using acrylic colors, I painted the body of the trophy. The trophy's

02:25antique character came to life through strategic dry brushing with earthy browns and muted blues.

02:32Once dry, I will superglue the plastic cutouts to the back of the front bit.

02:36For this tutorial, you need one 555 timer IC, one 47 kilo ohm resistor, one 220 ohm resistor,

02:46one BC548 NPN transistor, one 33 microfiber capacitor and few blue LEDs.

02:54The heart of this circuit is the 555 timer IC. Pin number 1 of the IC is connected to ground. By

03:00connecting pin number 2 and 6 of the 555 timer IC, we put the IC in A-stable mode. In A-stable mode,

03:06the 555 timer IC acts as an oscillator re-triggering itself, generating square waves from output pin,

03:13pin number 3. Three other components connect to this junction. First one is the 33 microfiber capacitor.

03:19The positive pin of the capacitor connects to this junction and the negative pin is grounded. Second

03:24one is the 47 kilo ohm resistor. One of its legs connects to this junction and the other leg is

03:29connected to the output pin, pin number 3 of the IC. Third one is the base of the BC548 NPN

03:35transistor. The collector of the transistor along with pin number 8 and 4 of the IC connects to the

03:41positive terminal of the battery. The LED along with its current limiting resistor is connected to

03:46the emitter of the transistor. That's it. As simple as that. Alright, now I am going to demonstrate how

03:52this circuit works with the help of an animation. When pin number 2 of the IC detects voltage less than

04:00one-third of the supply voltage, it turns on the output on pin number 3. And when pin number 6 detects

04:06voltage more than two-third of the supply voltage, it turns off the output. This is how the trigger

04:11pin pin number 2 and the threshold pin pin number 6 of the 555 timer IC senses voltage and controls the

04:18output at pin number 3. The capacitor attached to the circuit will be in discharge state immediately

04:23after firing up the circuit. So, the voltage at pin number 2 will be 0V which is less than one-third

04:29of the supply voltage. This will turn on the output on pin number 3. Since pin number 3 is looped back

04:35to pin number 2, it will start charging the capacitor via the 47kΩ resistor. At the same time, the base

04:42current of the transistor will also increase causing the LED to slowly fade in. Once the voltage across the

04:48two-third of the supply voltage, pin number 6 turns off the output. This causes the capacitor to slowly

04:55discharge causing the base current to fall and hence the LED starts fading out. Once the voltage across

05:01the capacitor falls below one-third of the supply voltage, pin number 2 turns on the output and the

05:07above cycle continues. You can hook up a multimeter to the circuit to measure the charging and discharging of

05:13the capacitor. So, here is a quick demo on a breadboard. In the current setup, I have a 33mF capacitor

05:21and a blue LED on the breadboard. Replacing the 33mF capacitor with a 100mF capacitor makes the LED fade

05:28in and out slower as the 100mF capacitor charges and discharges slower than the 33mF capacitor.

05:36Also, by replacing the blue LED with a red LED, we can make the LED to stay on longer than the blue

05:42one with the same value of capacitor. This is because the forward voltage of the blue LED is higher than

05:48that of the red LED. Forward voltage is the minimum amount of voltage that is required to allow an

05:54electrical component to turn on. The red, green and yellow LEDs have relatively low forward voltage

06:00ranging from 1.6 to 2.2 volts and hence stay on longer when the capacitor slowly charges or discharges.

06:08However, blue and white LEDs start conducting from 2.5 to 4 volts and hence when the discharging

06:14capacitor voltage hits the threshold, the LED turns off faster than the other colors. I have provided

06:19a link of how the forward voltage works in the description below. If you connect few LEDs in series,

06:25the forward voltage adds up and hence it will require more voltage to turn on the LEDs. You need

06:31to add a current limiting resistor between the emitter of the transistor and the LED to avoid an

06:36internal short circuit inside the LED. To make it easy for you guys, I have created this tiny little

06:44555 LED fader module. After assembling the components, you just need to power this module by providing a

06:50voltage between 5 volt to 15 volts to fade the LED. So, this is how my board looks like in 2D and 3D.

06:57There are 16 breakout boards in this 100 centimeter by 100 centimeter assembly. You can download the Gerber

07:03file from the link provided in the description below and order it from PCBWay. Let me quickly show you

07:10guys how to assemble the components to this custom made board. Let's start by soldering the IC base to

07:16the board. Then let's solder the two resistors to the board. Next, let's solder the capacitor followed by

07:22the transistor to the board. Then let's solder the LED socket and power socket to the board. You can either

07:27solder a pair of female pin header or male pin header or solder a pair of wires directly to the board to

07:34power this module. Once done, let's insert the 555 timer IC to the IC base. Cool, so this is how the

07:40module finally looks like. You can install female pin headers in place of the LED or capacitor if you want

07:47to use this as a development or testing board instead of a module. Alright, it's time for me to put

07:55everything together. First, let's glue the plastic cutouts to the back of the front bit. Once that's done,

08:02I am adding aluminium foil to the back section to boost reflection inside the box. Next, let's solder a

08:09wire from the breakout board to the USB-C charging port. Then let's attach all the five LEDs to the circuit

08:17board including a red LED on the 5V input for the Dragon's Eye. Once everything is in place, I

08:24carefully hot glued each LED to the back of the unit. Once that was all set, I super glued the top

08:31part to the bottom part. Finally, I mounted the whole assembly on a wooden base to complete my setup.

08:45So, this is how my final setup looks like. Feel free to leave a feedback or suggestion in the comments

08:51if you see any room for improvement.

09:03Thanks again for watching this video. I hope it helps you. If you want to support me,

09:07you can subscribe to my channel and watch my other videos. Thanks. See you again in my next video.

09:12Bye now.

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