Blinking eyes with LEDs

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

Hey!

I am a puppeteer from Ghent, Belgium,and want to make a small robot-puppet. I am;using an old photocamera and want to create the illusion of blinking eyes using two LEDs.

I can do a tiny bit of programming, but thats where my skills end. Can anyone get me on the right direction in terms of parts needed? I think I understand the code (tutorial on this website) but have no idea what parts I need :smiley:

(The LEDs will be mounted behind two small viewfinderwindows so I’ll need to have them connected to wires instead of directly to the arduino-module)

Thx for the help!

Jakob

2

If a normal* LED is bright enough, just use that soldered to wires with a resistor. Depending on the led (color) and the desired brightness you can go as low as +-220Ω (might even 100). Lower = brighter.

  • Normal led led with max current of 20mA like standard 5mm or 3mm leds.
3

What is it exactly what you want to do?
Make an LED flash on command? A single push button is enough for that, no need for an Arduino.

4

You can buy leds with a flasher unit built in, no larger than normal ones.

5

Hey all, thx for the answers already.
What I want is for the leds to simultaniously (like eyes would) blink but in a series with variable time in between the blinking (this looks more natural than for example a fixed 5sec between the blinks)
A series of 10 blinks could then be looped?

Does this sound feasible?

6

So do you want these

Or these much simpler ones?

7

You could put leds, resistor and battery on wires and leave 2 ends unconnected. When the metal ends (cause you stripped the insulation off the ends) are touched together, the leds light. Put the ends in something you can squeeze together and they light when you squeeze. Or put them in something that you squeeze to pull them apart and squeeze makes lights off. A little spring clothespin might do?
It's all about the path through metal and the components the metal connects. All that a switch does is break or make the path.

8

Thx for all the tips!

Looks like I’ll be using arduino for more complicated things in the future, but for now
I’ll be using a simple setup of an uno, two leds, resistors and battery and my brother will code it so that the leds go on and off in a natural blinking fashion. Or at least this is the plan :slight_smile:

Greetings!

9

Then one thing to remind your brother is to not blink on/off, but to make it fade in/out quickly (from fully on to fully off or vice versa in 0.2-0.5 second or so). That'd be a bit similar to eyelids closing/opening. As it are LEDs they don't have any afterglow.

10