Arc Welder Simulator

[Robert Byrne]

Hi guys
I'm just wondering if anyone has done a circuit using the 555 chip to simulate an arc welder. I'm a modeller and I was hoping to make a circuit for an engine shed to make it look like there was welding or cutting taking place inside.
Thanks
Robert

 

[Harald Kapp]

A 555 will give you a much too regular blinking instead of the irregular flickering of an arc welder. Googling "arc welder led simulation model" turns up a few hits, e.g. this one. The PCB for this circuit is no longer avaliable, but protoboard will be fine for its construction.
Or try this site which seems to offer kits, even including sound

 

[Martaine2005]

Colins' Talkingelectronics has a circuit.
http://www.talkingelectronics.com/te_interactive_index.html

EDIT: Scroll the left side for train circuits.

Martin

 

[Harald Kapp]

2 minutes slow, Martin

 

[Robert Byrne]

Thank you guys, I was hoping to build one rather than buy, just for the challenge, I had ordered some 555 chips as I thought they might work. Is there any other chip I might use? I thought if I were to change around the capacitor and resistors I could speed up or slow down the flickering. I could be wrong tho.

 

[Harald Kapp]

Thank you guys, I was hoping to build one rather than buy,

Link #1 in post #2 shows a circuit you not only can but have to build as the PCB is no longer available.

 

[Martaine2005]

You can speed it up and slow it down!.
But only on / off faster or slower.
Check out the web site Talkingelectronics.com and look at rail road electronics.

Martin

 

[Martaine2005]

Lol, only 1 minute slower that time Mr H!

Martin

 

[Martaine2005]

 

[Robert Byrne]

Thanks very much guys, that one does some extremely hard and difficult, I don't know if I could do it, I do have some strip board but I wouldn't know where to start.

 

[Bluejets]

Here's another approach......purchase item though....($6.00) ...other options available as well

http://www.modeltrainsoftware.com/welding.html

 

[Robert Byrne]

Brilliant guys thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.

 

[Colin Mitchell]

The $6.00 kit is very unrealistic.

You can buy a flickering LED for $1.00 and drive another super bright white LED via a transistor to get a much better effect.

This very simple circuit replaces a very complex circuit because all the random flashing is done via a microscopic microcontroller inside the flickering LED.
These LEDs can be purchased on eBay and you can contact Colin Mitchell for the link.
The super-bright white LED flashes much more than the flickering LED because the transistor and the 1u electrolytic picks up the pulses (the waveform) across the 470R resistor and only the main changes are transferred to the white LED.

 

[Robert Byrne]

The $6.00 kit is very unrealistic.

You can buy a flickering LED for $1.00 and drive another super bright white LED via a transistor to get a much better effect.

Would you put it in parallel? What resistor would you use?

 

[Robert Byrne]

I was going to buy some of the flashing led but I was unsure if I'd be able to adjust how fast it flashes. It's a great idea tho

 

[Colin Mitchell]

It's not a flashing LED but a flickering LED.

 

[Robert Byrne]

Oh I thought it was the flashing ones, do you think the flickering would work? I thought they might be like those tea cup candle lights(battery operated) and not fast enough

 

[Bluejets]

You can buy a flickering LED for $1.00 and drive another super bright white LED via a transistor to get a much better effect.
These LEDs can be purchased on eBay and you can contact Colin Mitchell for the link.
View attachment 23078

Does one strip the LED out of the candle fittings as I cannot see any seperate flickering LED's shown on Ebay.

 

[Robert Byrne]

Brilliant Colin thank you, which type is that transitor? PNP or NPN

 

[Harald Kapp]

BC547 is NPN, as shown in the diagram. If you want to bild circuits from scratch, you need to know at least the basic symbols.

Oh I thought it was the flashing ones, do you think the flickering would work? I thought they might be like those tea cup candle lights(battery operated) and not fast enough

Give it a try. Using a white LED may make the effect look entirely different from what the yellow LED in teh canlde let's you assume.

Does one strip the LED out of the candle fittings as I cannot see any seperate flickering LED's shown on Ebay.

Yes, that is a possibility. And given the price for a complete "tealight" probably not much more expensive.