Flicker Amplifier Board—Mini

I’ve written previously (here) about the Flicker LED Amplifier Circuit. Basically, the circuit uses the flickering pattern of a small cheap LED to drive that same flickering pattern in a much brighter LED. If you’d like to build your own, the schematic is posted in my original blog post (linked above). This new board allows you to assemble the circuit in a much more compact form factor. To assemble, you need, the mini-flicker LED board, a flicker LED, two 470 ohm resistors, a N-channel Logic MOSFET (I recommend the FQP30N06), and a couple wires. 

This is a great starter soldering project, and an experienced hand should be able to fully assemble the board in less than 5 minutes. I even put together a video showing the process.

It can easily handle the current for several larger automotive LEDs when they are wired in parallel. For spot lights I like the Eagle Eye LED’s. Perfect for lighting a scene or tombstone. They come in great colors and project a lot of light. They are advertised as 9W, but actually draw about 0.7W at 12vDC.

For a more diffuse lighting solution, I like the LED dome light replacements. They come in a variety of different brands, but essentially are five 5050 LED’s mounted on a 194/T10 bulb base. These cast light in all directions and use 0.6W at 12vDC. Perfect for inside a pumpkin. 

Here’s a demo of the board in action—