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lightnb
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I am the Lighting Designer for a production of 'As You Like It' and have been asked to find a way to create a realistic firefly effect.
From my research, Fireflys have a dominant wavelength of 570 nanometers. They fade on quickly, pulse (a very fast fade on and off) at a rate between 2.5 and 3.5 Hz (varying from firefly to firefly), and then fade out. The on cycle should last between 1.5 and 3 seconds, and the off cycle should be 4 to 7 seconds.
They make LEDs with a dominant wavelength of 570 nanometers and I was considering using (2) 555 IC Timer chips, one to control the flicker within the on cycle, and one to control the on and off cycle itself.
My question is, is this the most effective way to achieve this effect? If not, what would you recommend?
If so, how can I make the pulses fast-fade instead of blink? How do I determine the values of the resistors and capacitors to get the desired rates? And finally, how do I get the 'firefly' to fade out at the end of it's on cycle instead of blinking off?
I would greatly appreciate any insight you could offer on this project.
Thanks,
Nick
From my research, Fireflys have a dominant wavelength of 570 nanometers. They fade on quickly, pulse (a very fast fade on and off) at a rate between 2.5 and 3.5 Hz (varying from firefly to firefly), and then fade out. The on cycle should last between 1.5 and 3 seconds, and the off cycle should be 4 to 7 seconds.
They make LEDs with a dominant wavelength of 570 nanometers and I was considering using (2) 555 IC Timer chips, one to control the flicker within the on cycle, and one to control the on and off cycle itself.
My question is, is this the most effective way to achieve this effect? If not, what would you recommend?
If so, how can I make the pulses fast-fade instead of blink? How do I determine the values of the resistors and capacitors to get the desired rates? And finally, how do I get the 'firefly' to fade out at the end of it's on cycle instead of blinking off?
I would greatly appreciate any insight you could offer on this project.
Thanks,
Nick