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Anyone know how to make Dynamite sticks?

Oh ok apollard. Correct me if I'm wrong, I'll be good getting a mounting kit and the compound and then screwing the mosfet to the mounting kit? Or does the compound adhere the mosfet to the kit? Sorry for soo many questions, I'm just tired of getting the wrong stuff. Also, will the compound adhere the mounting kit to the circuit board as well?
 
The mounting kit is just an insulator and bolt to hold it on. You still need the compound - it's function is to help the heat transfer. For this, I'd just use a small peice of aluminum with the mounting kit and compound. The compou8nd you buy is not an adhesive (although those type compounds are available).

Check this out for more detail. It talks about manufactured heatsinks, but you can make on easily with .060 aluminum. If you don't have some faily thick alum sheet already, buying on is probably cheaper.

http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/components/heatsink.htm
 
I just ordered 10 STP12PF06 MOSFETS and 10 of those black heatsinks from Newark..getting the thermal compound and mounting kit from RS soon too. Thanks for all your help apollard, and I will post pics of finished product.
 
Well after looking through my parts I have at home, I came across two P channel MOSFETS I bought awhile back when I first started this circuit. The circuit works perfectly now with those inserted where the n channels were!! :yah
 
Good to hear. What was tough (at least for me) was getting them adjusted to timing I liked, and then getting both sides the same. Once you get them where you want them, lock the pots with a small drop of touch-up paint (or fingernail poish, just don't tell your girl).
 
I'll have to use that trick to hold em in place..Is it difficult to modify the flasher to give a long enough pulse to display all the sequences?? I heard something about changing some of the resistors inside the flasher or near the flasher, but I'm not sure.
 
Yes, I had to change a resistor in the flasher. Finding out which one is the trick, and it's small. If your electronic flasher uses surface mount resistors (ir, no wires), you can prettty much give that up also. OTOH, they are cheap, so messing one up isn't the end of the world.
 
oh ok sounds no harder than what i've already went through with this circuit board..changing a resistor should be pretty easy if it's not surface mounted like you said..What resistor did you replace, and what reistor did you replace it with? That way I'll have a ballpark of which resistors i should start experimenting with.
 
The one I used had several resistors, and you have to trace the circuit somewhat to find the correct one. It is the resistor that charges or discharges the large capacitor (depending on how the circuit is setup). It's a high resistance - 500k IIRC, so it's a small wattage. I replaced mine with a 1 mohm unit, which slowed the timer as much as it would - larger values didn't change it. I got mine down to just under 60 flashes per minute (the low end of the US spec). Note that the two terminal flashers MUST have a regular bulb in the circuit - all LEDs won't pull enough current. However, in my case, the indicator bulb on the dash did the trick, and everything else is now LED.

Here's a post about modifying a Ford 3 terminal flasher. Mine (an Autozone cheapy elec unit) was significantly different, but the article might help. gofastforless.com also has one you can make.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Automotive-electronic-flasher-rate-modification./
 
Apollard, I see you have diodes running at the bottom of your circuit board, and I'm curious as to what exactly they are connected to?? Are they necessary?
 
My circuit board includes the timer for the lights and the circuit necessary to make my homemade LED arrays operate as both running lights and turn/brake lights. The diodes are used for isolation between the turn/brake (using the timer) and the running lights. If you're running bulbs or store bought LED Bulbs, you won't need anything but the timer circuit (and two extra sockets).
 
So I was directed to this thread alittle while back and after a few set backs some trial and error along with some "slight" modification of my tail light socket plus last but not least a bad Mosfet. I have come to trying to dial in the timing perfectly...

The only thing is it seems my flasher on my 1999 mustang keeps flashing "double time" if I don't have one light set to blink at the same time as light 1. (In order for the blinker to flash the correct speed light 1+(2 or 3) needs to be set to blink at the same rate. This as you can probably tell defeats the look of sequential tail lights alittle.

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem but if there are any tips or suggestions I'd be greatful. :wor


P.S. once I get a set working there might be some actual PCB's created if anyone would be interested. (make things alittle more plug and "solder")
 
"Killerstang" said:
So I was directed to this thread alittle while back and after a few set backs some trial and error along with some "slight" modification of my tail light socket plus last but not least a bad Mosfet. I have come to trying to dial in the timing perfectly...

The only thing is it seems my flasher on my 1999 mustang keeps flashing "double time" if I don't have one light set to blink at the same time as light 1. (In order for the blinker to flash the correct speed light 1+(2 or 3) needs to be set to blink at the same rate. This as you can probably tell defeats the look of sequential tail lights alittle.

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this problem but if there are any tips or suggestions I'd be greatful. :wor


P.S. once I get a set working there might be some actual PCB's created if anyone would be interested. (make things alittle more plug and "solder")
Click to expand...

Flashers are made to flash double time when they see a low load - it is a built in indication that your bulb may be burned out. All new cars use these flashers, and even some of the new flashers for older cars do this. You will need to get a flasher that does not do this - likely one of the LED capable flashers will work. See here:
http://www.ledlight.com/electronic-led-flasher-ep27.aspx
Search for Ford flasher modification, I seem to recall a modification article somewhere, maybe on instructables.com.

Afraid that is about the limit of my help, as mine were for an older stang with a two terminal flasher, and I modified an electronic one to get the timing I needed.
 
As a "quick fix" for now I'm using a 10 Watt 10ohm resistor to simulate a load of a bulb. Although it does get kinda hot when on for awhile I have it strapped out of the way attached to the car body. This has stopped the double time flashing.

The new problem I'm having is I can only get 1 bulb to be delayed. 1 & 2 blink the same and 3 is delayed. When I try to delay bulb 2, bulb 3 goes off or glows very dim and you can hear a buzzing like its trying to light (like a floresent light on a dimmer switch). When I turn bulb 3 up it then blinks with 1. So only 1 bulb is delayed otherwise they are both off.

I was going to attribute this to possibly a bad Pot but both sets are doing this so I possibly have things hooked up wrong? I had originally attached pin 1 to power pin 3 to the chip and cap. Realised this was wrong so i found it easier to switch power to pin 2 and I got resistance change. I'm kind of baffled right now..
 
Definately got something wired wrong. From you description, I'm not able to tell what. The buzzing you are hearing is a rapid ocsillation. This is usually due to a problem on the trigger or threshold pins. Pins 3&11 must be only bypassed with the .01 cap to ground, anything else will mess up the timing. Leaving them floating (unconnected) will mess up the timing in a noisy environment like a car.

At this point, I'd trace every connection, check for solder bridges (possible even on two boards due to layout). You've got something crossed on both. I can sometimes be very hard to tell what - I've looked at circuits multiple times before finding the problem. Also, work on just one of them at a time, don't switch back & forth. It's easier on your mental process to eliminate the small difference between boards.
 
I found one of the boards trigger pins wasnt completely soldered I'm now running it off a computer power supply I had laying around. 2 and 3 are blinking back and forth, the pots will control how fast they blink back and forth. I'm assuming my chip isnt hooked up right, I know someone else on here had the same issue. Also I ended up soldering pins 1 & 2 as well as 12 & 13 together with a big wire because it seemed easier and made sense at the time? Everything else is hooked up exactly like the diagram.
 
Using a big wire to solder the pins won't make any difference, provided they are connected well. Double check, because these pins not being connected could cause something like what you describe. Other than that, you'll have to check through everything.
 
I ment I was using a big wire soldering both pins together and using the big wire to connect to inbetween the pot and cap. I discovered by attaching the reset pins to V+ it causes it to blink back and forth. Yet if I attached them with some resistance it seems to work just fine now?
 
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