SparkFun Forums

[rosco]

Hi All!

I'm wanting to find a very small but bright blinky light to attach onto my hawk at night so i can follow him as he flies around. (I use him for work to drive off pest birds).

I attached one that is 4+grams to a leg using a leather strap and it was much too heavy and big. it was pretty cool as it alternated colors. but just one color blinking is fine. I'd think something around a gram would work.

also, the light i bought is about 1.25" long, maybe 3/4"thick and 3/4" wide. half of it was hollow so i know if the casing were minimized the light of the size i desire is possible.

Curt

[rosco]

the ones i have are something like this but wider: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Mini-Brig ... 2a581d5cb3

[Kamiquasi]

the ones i have are something like this but wider: http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Mini-Brig ... 2a581d5cb3

Does that 'blink', though?

To OP: There are LEDs that have an internal blinking circuit - come in all major colors - you'd only have to add a battery. E-bay is a good source for these. I think that would at least be the lightest solution, though you'd have to take care that e.g. the legs of the LED don't poke out and hurt your bird.

[rosco]

the ones i have now are called rainbow strobee's. they come on a key ring. it weighs 8g which is muuuuch to heavy. the bell he uses is 3-4g.

oh, they are cool lights though. they blink and alternate colors across the light spectrum (rainbow).

Kamiquasi, i have scoured ebay and the rainbow strobees are the closest thing i can find. if you happen to be on ebay and see a blinky light 3-4g please let me know. And Thank You for your reply.

[DanV]

Radio Shack has this $4.25 (kinda pricey):
http://www.radioshack.com/5mm-red-blink ... 60036.html

another ($0.60):
https://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinf ... aQodJ9UKdA

I put 'blinking led' into Google and got ALOT of results..

[Kamiquasi]

Yeah, what DanV said - if you want to try ebay or aliexpress (beware shipping times there though), try: led 5mm (blink,flash,strobe)
( or even 3mm )
Prices are like $5 for 100 - they're really dirt, dirt cheap. I'm not even sure why they make them as I can't think of any product that uses them except for the fake security alarms/cameras - you typically won't find many of them in catalogs like digikey either

The LEDs themselves are really very light - the battery to power them (a button cell) is typically heavier.

[rosco]

the lights must be self contained battery operated blinky lights. petsmart has one that is purportedly extremely unreliable and junky that i can order online.

surely there is something out there or that can be made.

if i were to but the light bulbs you guys suggested who do i power it and then seal it so it is smooth and water resistant? and somewhat shock proof?

Thank you for your assistance!

[lyndon]

Of course it can be made. How badly do you want it and how much will you pay for it is what everything comes down to?

A simple solution would be an 0805 SMT LED and a small MCU like an AVR Tiny6 to flash it. I don't know what the mass is, but it will be pretty damn small. Likely smaller than the battery you power it with.

Or these: http://hkharvatek.en.made-in-china.com/ ... O-10-.html surface mount blinking LEDs. Only problem is you have to buy a minimum of 5,000 units. But it's by far the smallest and lightest solution.

HTH

Honestly, it sounds like a vaguely fun project. If I have time maybe I'll solder up a Tiny12 and an LED to see how small a blinking light I can make.

[rosco]

Right on, Lydon! i'll pass your information onto a guy who can prolly build this. I"ll buy one or a few from you if you make some. if it works i'll sell them as a falconry item and buy a quantity depending on price. it works if: battery lasts, blinky can be seen from a good distance, is smooth so it won't scratch my hawk's tarsi (shins) and has a place to slide a cable tie through (in falconry talk i'd say, "a place to affix a bewit").

we use these lights when we fly our birds (hawks) at night. it allows us to follow them. colors that planes use would be great.

Of course it can be made. How badly do you want it and how much will you pay for it is what everything comes down to?

A simple solution would be an 0805 SMT LED and a small MCU like an AVR Tiny6 to flash it. I don't know what the mass is, but it will be pretty damn small. Likely smaller than the battery you power it with.

Or these: http://hkharvatek.en.made-in-china.com/ ... O-10-.html surface mount blinking LEDs. Only problem is you have to buy a minimum of 5,000 units. But it's by far the smallest and lightest solution.

HTH

Honestly, it sounds like a vaguely fun project. If I have time maybe I'll solder up a Tiny12 and an LED to see how small a blinking light I can make.