One second PAUSE in 18 Stage LED Sequencer?

I was looking at Bill Bowden's 18 Stage LED Sequencer circuit at:

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/page5.htm

(using cascaded 4017 decade counters) and I had a question about its
operation - actually, about the SMOOTHNESS of its operation.

It looks like we would have a smooth blink rate from LED 1 through LED
9, a pause during second #10, then, starting at second #11, LEDs 10
through 18 would light up.

Is that correct or am I looking at this wrong?

I was trying to find a circuit that would give me:
1. A smooth 16 LED sequence blink rate,
2. For one 16 LED one-way sequence,
3. And then STOP after the 16th LED was done.

Will Bill Bowden' s circuit do that - or does anyone know a better
circuit?

Thanks,

Keith

 

There is indeed a very small pause during second 10, but it is (way) less
than a microsec (I haven't looked up the 4017 datasheet). The main clock
advances the right counter which activates pin 11. When this pin goes high
it enables the clock for the left counter. If at this moment the clock is
still active (high) the left counter will (almost) immediately see a rising
edge on its clock input and advance one step. So there will be no visible
pause if the clock high-time is a bit longer than the propagation delay of
the right counter (from clock to pin 11). In Bill Bowden's circuit this
condition is largely met.

For your application you could use pin 9 of the left counter to block the
clock by connecting it through a diode to pin 2 of the 555 (anode to pin 9).
This will stop the oscillator. To get things going again you could toggle
the power or add a reset switch (4017 pins 15 to gnd).

--DF

 

The OP said "STOP after the 16th LED was done" so I suppose this means off.

--DF