Gargoyle LED eyes

[cruizer]

You guys are awesome at electronics! Was wondering if you could help me.

We have to stoe pillars that this year are going to get gargoyles set on top of them. These gargoyles we got from target, nothing really special about them. Well I want to add small LED eyes to them that run off of a 9 volt battery. But there are some specifics. I don't want the lights blazing bright like you see on all these cheap toys. They need to be, well nice and not take away from the overall gargoyle. Also I want them to automatically turn on at night, and off in the light. Is this something hard to accomplish?

[Macrosill]

it should be doable easily. The brightness of the leds will be determined by the value of the current limiting resistor and the supply voltage combined. The auto on and off could probably be done by using a small photo-sensitive transistor or the like. But with using leds and limiting the current the 9v battery should last longer than you need it for, just leave it on all the time, you wont notice them on in the daytime if they are dim enough.

Keep it simple.

[wjohn]

Try this

http://www.neonixie.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=99

[Josh]

john isnt that a bit overkil just to run some LEDS? no need for a big relay for that... like Brian said, its easy 3 component setup, can do it on a solderless bredboard or get a protoboard from radioshack and solder the traces using small wires or you dont even HAVE to use a board at all

[sigtaulightning]

Kind of a neat idea I think but they are out of stock. Nothing like getting mouths watering and then dropping the steak on the floor.

[ErnieHorning]

If time wasn’t so close to Christmas, this would be a cool use for one of those chip PIC10F micros. The LED’s can sense the light as well as produce it. You wouldn’t need anything more than a battery, micro and the LED’s. It would actually run for a few months.

[P. Short]

A phototransistor, 555 and a few resistors and caps should also do it.

--

Phil

[wjohn]

try these

nice and simple, LM339 based

http://home.cogeco.ca/~rpaisley4/PhotoDetectors.html

[tconley]

you could just go here are buy the light kit ready made for blinking eyes

http://www.cowlacious.com/LightProd.htm

[P. Short]

Cruizer,

Do you want blinking eyes, or not? I assumed that you did, but I'm not sure that I was right.

--

Phil

[cruizer]

Prefer not. Just want a low glow red eye setup.
Would prefer it comes on at dark and off at night. but leaving them on all the time is an option.