Over the last week I've been building my own dashlight flasher using schematics I found on 555-timer-circuits.com, there is a video that will guide you.

Its a relatively easy circuit to build on a breadboard if you know your way around electronics and you'd appreciate the end result if you don't see chance to buy a dashlight.

My circuit is about 70% complete at this stage but functions perfectly so far, the only difference between my circuit and the schematic is the amount of LEDs.

Here is my circuit as well as a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqgiB8phO8o

I'm still in need of another 15 LEDs to complete it and even it out.

Edited May 5, 201213 yr by KevinDV

One more thing to do! Add 'em to your Bakkieeee!

wow that looks really cool!

Wow, that's really neat. Sounds like a tedious amount of work, but the end result looks fantastic.

Nice! You should make me one xD

warning, some what illegal in some states

warning, some what illegal in some states

Indeed, only depending on the colours you use though. My current layout would be considered illegal in SA if I mounted it in a vehicle.

http://www.stangtv.com/news/man-arrested-for-modifying-mustang-to-look-like-police-car/ i will stay being a cop in gta iv. this guy is in jail for about 10 years and lost his ride.

http://www.stangtv.c...ike-police-car/ i will stay being a cop in gta iv. this guy is in jail for about 10 years and lost his ride.

Yeah, going down for officer impersonation is a rough way to go. Yellow lights, in some states, are allowed though.

I think yellow lights are allowed everywhere, because they only mean "notice this vehicle" (because it's driving slowly, it's a construction vehicle, it's stopped on the side of the road, etc.). Yellow never means emergency.

White lights are allowed in my current state and the one I lived in before which I find unbelievable because white LEDs have a blue tint at a distance, and white is used on police cars to accompany the blue. I got pulled over once in my first car for having green (and I'm talking deep green) lights on my green rice racer car. They didn't blink, and I didn't have underglow either, so I wasn't stopped for that. There were two dots on the center of the hood, below the windshield washer fluid dispensers. The officer said they were "too close to blue", so I had to disable them. The next day I asked an officer I knew in the next town over. He said there is no such law against green, so he was full of crap and he told me to re-enable them. lol

Edited May 6, 201213 yr by unr3al

I think yellow lights are allowed everywhere, because they only mean "notice this vehicle" (because it's driving slowly, it's a construction vehicle, it's stopped on the side of the road, etc.). Yellow never means emergency.

no in some states like louisiana you have to have a permanent to have any color lights like towtrucks and stuff like that and thay give you a sticker that goes on your window of that vehicle.

I would be cautious about putting any flashing lights in your car. Laws vary state to state and what may be legal in one state may be illegal in other states. Some states don't care if you have lights in your car as long as you don't use them; in other states it is illegal to even have lights in your car regardless if you are using them or not. Different states have different laws on what color lights are acceptable too. For example, in my state (Florida) purple lights are for funeral processions only. In my opinion putting lights in your car is pointless because the majority of the time people have no practical use for them, it is just a waste of money. Also I've seen too many people who start out by putting legal lights in their car and they slowly graduate to using them inappropriately or illegally and/or putting illegal lights in their car. Just in my opinion I think it is pointless and a bad idea, but bottom line is if your going to do it make sure you do a lot of research on what is legal in your state on reliable websites (preferably run by the government) or even better call your local sheriff's office or state police and they should be able to tell you.

awesome work. my dad has one in his ca b/c he is a volunteer firemen

Well, you don't HAVE to put it in your vehicle, you could always just build it up and keep it inside your home.

I'm sure the best choice of colour would be amber, its not considered illegal in many countries and many average people use amber lights.

What about red? Allowed here if I am correct.

Prohibited in most, if not all, US states. Red is pretty much the only color that is *always* emergency vehicles (even blue is sometimes volly FFs).

Again, I'd double check with the laws in your area. Amber isn't illegal where I live, but I don't want somebody to go out get a bunch of amber lights and then get in trouble because it is illegal where they live. And sure you don't have to put them in your car but then what is the point of having a bunch of lights sitting in your house. That's just my opinion, not trying to discourage people from anything just making sure people don't get stupid with them because I've seen a lot of stupid people out there that really pissed me off when they fucked around with lights in their car.

Again, I'd double check with the laws in your area. Amber isn't illegal where I live, but I don't want somebody to go out get a bunch of amber lights and then get in trouble because it is illegal where they live. And sure you don't have to put them in your car but then what is the point of having a bunch of lights sitting in your house. That's just my opinion, not trying to discourage people from anything just making sure people don't get stupid with them because I've seen a lot of stupid people out there that really pissed me off when they fucked around with lights in their car.

Also true. Well, you could also just build the circuit on breadboard and have fun with it like I did, I just took it a step further by building the dashlight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nxvOmoh1wY

There are a lot of fun things to do with emergency-style lights that don't involve cars. For example, the student system administrators at my school are putting red and blue beacons in the server room, to go off if the server is high load or broken.