Homebrew PCBs

>
> By strange co-incidence, I was only this morning thinking that I need to brush up on LED duty cycles and 555 timers and all that: I have the very vaguest memory of these things, but as the days get shorter in this hemisphere I'm thinking the flashing tail light on my bike is crying out for a tech makeover. It's too dim and power hungry and the on/off switch is worn out.
> 
> Rather than googling and maybe spending much time up the wrong tree, I just thought I'd ask if there were any "trusted" online resources/primers on this topic?
> 
>  I basically want as bright a light as possible with the longest battery life as well as the circa 1Hz perceptible flash. (And maybe graduate to a gratuitous pulsing effect if I don't have too much trouble with the basic system). And low part count and simplicity are always my mantra.
> 
> TIA
> 
> PG
>

>
> Please ask electronics questions on lists such as Electronics_101.
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Electronics_101
> 
> Your friendly neighborhood moderator,
> Steve Greenfield
> 
> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "piersgoodhew" <piers@> wrote:
> >
> > By strange co-incidence, I was only this morning thinking that I need to brush up on LED duty cycles and 555 timers and all that: I have the very vaguest memory of these things, but as the days get shorter in this hemisphere I'm thinking the flashing tail light on my bike is crying out for a tech makeover. It's too dim and power hungry and the on/off switch is worn out.
> > 
> > Rather than googling and maybe spending much time up the wrong tree, I just thought I'd ask if there were any "trusted" online resources/primers on this topic?
> > 
> >  I basically want as bright a light as possible with the longest battery life as well as the circa 1Hz perceptible flash. (And maybe graduate to a gratuitous pulsing effect if I don't have too much trouble with the basic system). And low part count and simplicity are always my mantra.
> > 
> > TIA
> > 
> > PG
> >
>