smoothing out voltage spikes and dips?

[budm]

Start a new thread. And hopefully we can finalize this thread when you get it running.

[scampo77]

i dont know what has gone wrong but i have spent around 6 hours trying to understand why my prototype is not working and i dont even know how to describe the symptoms. i had to make a youtube video. if i disconnect the pin 9 voltage it works by just using one bulb at a time. if i try to use it like i want to then it does like what is shown in the video. it was working beautifully and i dont know what has changed. i have even pulled everytthing off of the board and stuck it to a new breadboard. i have changed all the components including the LEDs and the IC

meausements between pins.....

ohms

2-4. 0 ohm
2-3 80 ohm
2-5 0-90 ohm
3-9 0 ohm
7-8 1200
6-7 0
7-2 1700

power

3 10v
2 0v
4 0v
5 0-3v
6 5.8
8 5.8
9 10v

i think my problem is ref high on pin 6 and 7 i need to be around 400 ohms on R3 to get the desired 3v. but when i do it still doesnt change the effect im getting on the bar graph.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UM_Az...ature=youtu.be

[budm]

Which diagram are you using? Rev 2 is the correct one. The way it is acting in the video, it looks like the LED connections are crossed some where. It has to be your wirng or your bread board has internal short some where.

[scampo77]

yes rev2, and it was working i dont know what went wrong.

i am using rev2 but with the damping circuit

[scampo77]

if my resistors i used for the prototype are too small (1/8th watt) will this cause these symptoms. it seems that when i only have one or two bulbs on it goes crazy. my logic was that when the circuit is turning a lot of current into heat it seems i am having problems.

is this possible?

[budm]

Only the 200 Ohms will have to be 1/2W or more.

[scampo77]

do you have any idea to help me diagnose this? ben7 seems to have disappeard

i have stopped the PCB design until i figure out what is wrong with this.

[budm]

I don't know since you were able to build the prototype and it works, so I would say, start from scratch again and verify all the connections one by one WITHOUT the damping ciruits for now.

[scampo77]

I don't know what I have done but I completely disassembeled and reassembeled and it is working again. Atleast now I can go back to the pcb designi will post the image before I build it.

One more question I have is. Is it possible to add a dimmer to the LEDs? I think I did it with one of my originaldesigns by accident.

[scampo77]

If it is too difficult to use a dimmer to dim the bulbs. would it be possible to disengauge pin 9 when i turn on the head lights? using something like a TO-92 case transistor?

also I plan to drive 20 bulbs off of 2 LM3914. do I need a second PSU? 2x LM317?

[scampo77]

Everything is looking very good here is my work so far on the printed circuit board. i used express pcb because it was free and seemed very basic.

the only thing i cant figure out is how to invert one side so i can transfer the image to the circuitboard.