AVR-Chat

Tom,

	I do this type of design work although normally at higher costs
than what you are looking for.

	I suggest you use an incandescent lamp instead of an LED if you
are looking for the best effects.  A simple random voltage generator
circuit with two or three voltage levels should do a good job.

	Try calling Chicago Miniature Lamp Company http://www.chml.com/
to see if you can get someone to help you find a lamp with a nice look.
The original "fireflies" on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at
Disneyland used one of their bulbs and sockets.

	Run the lamp well below the rated voltage to get a nice warm
flame color.

	I have worked with products that were so realistic that I swear
they were actual flames (at a distance) but I was told they were not.
I'm still not sure if I believe them.

Barry

 

-----Original Message-----
From: tom@kobo.com [mailto:tom@kobo.com] 
Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2004 12:36 PM
Subject: [AVR-Chat] RFP - can someone design an LED candle for me?

I know just enough about this stuff to be dangerous, so please bear with
me if 
my question is laughably misplaced.

I would like a circuit designed for an LED candle. I'll be producing
about 100 
of them, possibly many more, more, for my haunted house. Requirements:

- Flickers realistically
- Works off standard 9v batteries (or 6v battery packs if necessary) for
at 
least 30 hours
- On-off switch
- Costs no more than $12 (and preferably less) to build total, including

populated circuit board & LED(s). In my fevered imagination, I hope that
the 
Atmel processors have pretty much all you need except for a couple of 
transistors, resistors, and an external switch
- LED doesn't have to be exact candle color (I can supply colored
cellophane or 
whatever it it's a white LED)

And ideally but not necessarily:
- Fits without the power source in a candle
- Would have an option to plug many of them into a chandelier and power
from a 
single source
- Uses a bright LED
- Has some sort of user adjustability for auto-off for power saving,
and/or 
randomness setting, and/or flicker speed

Would love to know if this is even close to doable in my price range,
how much 
you'd charge to design it, and where I should go to get it manufactured.
Feel 
free to contact me offline or to jeer at me publically.

Thanks!

Tom Campbell


 
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