Looking for help

NUclearBunnie

New Member
So I'm working on building a M8 Avenger from Mass Effect and I'm hitting a snag. I have LEDs in my build both for the red lights on the sides and to light up the barrels. The thing is I have my trigger rigged up to turn the lights on in the barrels (so it looks like they are flashing.) The issues I'm running into is everything works fine until I pull the trigger. When I do the lights on the side turn off, and then the barrel lights turn on. If anyone know how to fix this that would be great.
 
So I'm working on building a M8 Avenger from Mass Effect and I'm hitting a snag. I have LEDs in my build both for the red lights on the sides and to light up the barrels. The thing is I have my trigger rigged up to turn the lights on in the barrels (so it looks like they are flashing.) The issues I'm running into is everything works fine until I pull the trigger. When I do the lights on the side turn off, and then the barrel lights turn on. If anyone know how to fix this that would be great.

What leds are you using? What voltage are you supplying? Are you using any resistors. Basically we need to understand your circuit to begin helping you. Also is your switch momentary?
 
What leds are you using? What voltage are you supplying? Are you using any resistors. Basically we need to understand your circuit to begin helping you. Also is your switch momentary?

I'm using a 9v, and I have a total of 6 red 5mm leds and 6 blue 5mm leds, and I have a total of 320 resitance (200 and a 120) the main switch is on/off and the trigger is a momentary switch.
 
I'm using a 9v, and I have a total of 6 red 5mm leds and 6 blue 5mm leds, and I have a total of 320 resitance (200 and a 120) the main switch is on/off and the trigger is a momentary switch.

So it sounds like your not burning out the leds. What is involved with getting them to turn back on after they all shut off? And is there any type of controller involved to achieve the flashing? Or is it just a simple pull trigger and lights come on. Let go of trigger they turn off?


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So the main switch runs to the resistors, then spits from there, one line goes to red leds, and the other to a momentary switch in the trigger. The red leds the connect back to negative on battery and the trigger switch runs to the blue leds then back to negative. each separate group of leds are run in sequence (so 2 red groups and 3 blue groups.
 
So it sounds like your not burning out the leds. What is involved with getting them to turn back on after they all shut off? And is there any type of controller involved to achieve the flashing? Or is it just a simple pull trigger and lights come on. Let go of trigger they turn off?


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So the main switch runs to the resistors, then spits from there, one line goes to red leds, and the other to a momentary switch in the trigger. The red leds the connect back to negative on battery and the trigger switch runs to the blue leds then back to negative. each separate group of leds are run in sequence (so 2 red groups and 3 blue groups.
 
It's a little hard to understand your wiring just reading it so I tried drawing it out and still you loose me a little. Someone else chime here but the way I'd run the wiring would be starting at the 9v you run the positive to each led with their respective resistors inline. Then take your Negative running from the 9v and run that to one pole on the on/off then out of the other pole you split into 2 wires. One to the blue leds and one to the momentary then from the other pole of the momentary send that to the red leds.
Does that make sense?

In a circuit typically you run your switches on the ground/negative line as a safety measure since switches often are the cause of a circuit failure and you wouldn't wanna have voltage at a failure point.

I really hope that helps...


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It's a little hard to understand your wiring just reading it so I tried drawing it out and still you loose me a little. Someone else chime here but the way I'd run the wiring would be starting at the 9v you run the positive to each led with their respective resistors inline. Then take your Negative running from the 9v and run that to one pole on the on/off then out of the other pole you split into 2 wires. One to the blue leds and one to the momentary then from the other pole of the momentary send that to the red leds.
Does that make sense?

In a circuit typically you run your switches on the ground/negative line as a safety measure since switches often are the cause of a circuit failure and you wouldn't wanna have voltage at a failure point.

I really hope that helps...


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So add additional wiring from the momentary to the red leds as well?
 
So add additional wiring from the momentary to the red leds as well?

If I understand your system you want the blues to be on constant from the on/off and the reds only on when trigger is pulled? If so then in my circuit you have your powers ran to the leds constant and the switches in the negative side. You need everything coming through the on/off to start to kill everything. Then secondary wiring on the momentary to control that led individually.
Make sense? Do with that what you will but it's a simple setup and it should get the job done using all the components you have.


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Hey NUclearBunnie,

Pictures speak a thousand words (video even better). Is it possible for you to take a few close up pictures and/or video of your set-up?
It would make things a bit easier to understand your dilemma to get this solved and it might help others as well :) .

It sounds like you have a 9v battery running though a main power switch then through a 320ohm resistance, feeding all of your LEDs?
You also say you have 6 Blue and 6 Red all running on the 9v?.

I hate to say this, but the best thing would be to have resisters for each of the LED's.
Then add your power at the top feeding the circuit and ground at the bottom.
The Blue LEDs require more current to light up, which may be turning off the Red led's.

In your current setup, you may be loosing current to the Red led's because it is all going to the Blue ones.
You seem to have a series/parallel thing going on.
How are your LEDs wired together in the block diagram?

attachment.php


propmaster2000

NOTE:
Check andrew25rs post above:
<snip>
It's a little hard to understand your wiring just reading it so I tried drawing it out and still you loose me a little. Someone else chime here but the way I'd run the wiring would be starting at the 9v you run the positive to each led with their respective resistors inline. Then take your Negative running from the 9v and run that to one pole on the on/off then out of the other pole you split into 2 wires. One to the blue leds and one to the momentary then from the other pole of the momentary send that to the red leds.
Does that make sense?
<snap>

.
 
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View attachment 20170421_094431.jpg so this is the wiring, everything works until i include the momentary switch. The resistance is good for all the leds. Once I add the momentary switch, when the switch is activated to turn on the blue leds, the red ones turn off. Then when it is released the blues turn off and the reds turn back on.
 
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Its all about proper voltage and current distribution.
With one resistor (320ohm) in series (in line) with all the LEDs, the path of current goes one way or the other (there is no controlled distribution).
You need more resistive control over all the LEDs individually. You are asking a lot of the little 320ohm. .
How are the LED's wired in the 3 LED blocks? In series?
 
I feel like your issue in in the resistor. Like previously said it would be better if each or at the very least each series should have its own resistor. I also am sticking with the idea that your switches should be on the negative side of the circuit.
 
Well NUclearBunnie,

It seems that you are limited in the number of resister values you have and quantity, since you are creating a 320ohm resistance with 2 values
200 and 120 (are you sure you have a 200ohm and not 220ohm?).

Your RED circuit seems to work well with the 320ohm resistance by itself.
As soon as you ADD the Blue LEDs to that circuit, it changes everything and the BLUE LED's come on excluding the RED LED's
because the current takes a new path.
You need to block some of that current flow with resistance and allow some of the current to flow through the RED LED's as well.

Actually, the best way would be to have lower value resisters for every LED you have (12 resisters).

Since the Red and Blue LED lines seem to work individually and adequately at 320ohm,
you at the very least need to put resistance in line with the first and second groups of RED LED's
as well as resistance in line with the first and second groups of BLUE LED's.
That would allow current to have two paths with there own 320ohm resistance.
NEVER connect your LED's straight to the 9v without the proper resistance!
.
 
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Hi NUclearBunnie,

Since it seems that your Red and Blue LED's work well individually (as a set of 6 each) with the 320ohm resistance, try adding a 320ohm resistance to the set of blue LED's as well. This might help spread the load. But always use caution when working with LED resistance.

try this.jpg
 
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