GENERALINTEREST

A Star for Christmas

Design by A. Rossius

This circuit acts as a simple light The first LED to light is the centre one. Then timer is configured as an astable mul-
effects generator. With the LEDs follow the LEDs in the inner ring (D3-D19), fol- tivibrator clocking a decimal counter
suitably arranged, it will produce the lowed by the next ring, and so on, right up to (IC2). After a reset, output Q0 is acti-
impression of a star and so makes an the outer ring (D43-D50). The sequence is vated. The next output on the
ideal Christmas ornament or decora- then started again. The speed of the light counter, Q1, is activated on the next
tive element. As you can see from effect depends on the setting of P1. clock pulse, and so on. The counter
the board layout, the LEDs have The operation of the circuit is just as sample outputs control the LEDs via buffer
been arranged in the shape of a star. as the light effect produced. A 555-based transistors. The seventh clock pulse
causes a reset pulse and so forces
the counting to start at Q0 again.
Apart from a functional circuit, an
+9V
all-electronic Christmas decoration
D6 D10 D14 D18 D22 D26 D30 D34 D38 D42 D46 D50
requires a suitable overall design.
D2 D5 D9 D13 D17 D21 D25 D29 D33 D37 D41 D45 D49
That’s why we’ve designed a PCB
layout with the LEDs suitably
D3 D8 D11 D16 D19 D24 D27 D32 D35 D40 D43 D48 arranged in straight lines.
(020040-1)
D4 D7 D12 D15 D20 D23 D28 D31 D36 D39 D44 D47

R4 R7 R8 R10 R11 R13 R14 R16 R17 R19 R20 R22 R23
390Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

100Ω

COMPONENTS LIST
T5 T1 T2 T3 T4 T6 T7
Resistors:
R6 R5 R9 R12 R15 R18 R21
R1 = 2kΩ2
R2 = 10kΩ
1k

1k

1k

1k

1k

1k

1k

R3 = 33kΩ
R4 = 390Ω
T1...T7 = BC547 R5,R6,R9,R12,R15,R18,R21 = 1kΩ
+9V R7,R8,R10,R11,R13,R14,R16,R17,R
19,R20,R22,R23 = 100Ω
P1
C4 C3 P1 = 25 kΩ preset
25k
100n 100n
R1
16 Capacitors:
2k2

3
0 C1,C3,C4 = 100nF
CTRDIV10/ 1 2
DEC
4 8
2
4 C2 = 2µF2 16V radial
7 R IC2 7
R2 DIS 3
4017 10
IC1 4
10k

OUT
3 14
& 5
1 Semiconductors:
6 555 5
THR + 6 +9V D1 = 1N4148
2 13 6
TR 7
CV
8
9
D1
D2-D50 = LED, red
5 1 15 11
C2 C1
CT=0 9
12
BT1 T1-T7 = BC547
CT 5 1N4148
IC1 = 555
2µ2 100n 8 R3
16V
IC2 = 4017
33k

Miscellaneous:
020040 - 11
9V battery with clip-on connector
Figure 1.

110 Elector Electronics 12/2002

GENERALINTEREST

111
(c) ELEKTOR
020040-1
T4
HOEK4

R22 R19 D45

HOEK1
T1

R15
T3
D46
D36
R16

D44 D37

R12
D30
D38
R13

R10

D29
R7

R5
T5
D28

D22
020040-1

R6
D21 R21
D20 C3

D14

IC2

D1
R4
D12 T7

R3
D13
R9
D4 R11
D5 D6

Elector Electronics
R14 T2
D43 D35 D27 D19 D11 R17 R20
D3 D2 D7 D15

R23
D10 D9 D8 D23 D31 D39 D47 T6
R8
C2
D18 D17 D16
R2
R1
R18
P1
D26 D25 D24
1-040020
C1 ROTKELE )c(

IC1
D33 D32
D34
BT1
D42 D41 D40

Figure 2.
C4
D48

12/2002
D49

HOEK2
D50
HOEK3