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Holiday Circuits
Holiday (Fun Circuits)

Christmas Circuits         Halloween Circuits
 

Last Updated: June 02, 2021 01:45 PM


Links to electronic circuits, electronic schematics and designs for engineers, hobbyists, students & inventors:

"I See Dead Pumpkins" -  11-Oct-04 -Design News:   There's no better Halloween prop than a carved pumpkin.  But Mark didn't like the idea of leaving burning candles unattended in his squash, so he built a battery-powered light source instead.  For a realistic effect, he used a timer circuit that produces a pseudo-random timer pattern that makes two __   Gadget Freak

230 Volts Flashing Lamps -  This circuit is intended as a reliable replacement to thermally-activated switches used for Christmas tree lamp-flashing. The device formed by Q1, Q2 and related resistors triggers the SCR.___ Flavio Dellepiane, fladello @ tin.it

25 Light Sequencer using Xmas Lamps -  This circuit above can drive 25 small Xmas lights.  The lights operate at about 200mA and 3 volts.  The supply voltage is set to 5 volts and the 4017 counter output will drop about a volt using the 2N3053 transistors.  The voltage on the emitters of the rows transistors will be about 0.7 volts less than the base so the lamp voltage will be about 3 volts.  You can __ Designed by Bill Bowden

3 Channel-Color Organ -  An old ideabut I've had numerous requests for a good design for this __ Designed by G.L. Chemelec

555 Christmas Lights -  This 555 flasher project is an exception.  This is a take-off on the previous Firefly Lights Circuit posting.  I had a strip of four tiny PCB’s remaining, so I built them up before __ Designed by Jim Keith

Alien Projector -  Send those trick or treaters screaming! __ Contact: Jameco Electronics

Anti-Flicker for LED Christmas Lights -  I like the idea of LED light strings that rarely need new bulbs but the flicker drives me crazy! Here's the solution for single strings of LEDs all in series __ Contact: Charles Wenzel of Wenzel Associates, Inc.

Audio Controlled Christmas Lights -  Here is a simple circuit to control 110VAC things such as Christmas Lights with low voltage audio.  Be careful, high voltage AC can kill you.    The basic Idea was to have Christmas lights flash with the music.  In my design I use an ordinary amplified computer speaker, a diode bridge, and a ‘CRYDOM’ SSR   (Solid State Relay).  In order to increase the time that the lights were on as well as protect the SSR I used a Diode Bridge to rectify the signal from the amplifier circuit.   __ Designed by Written byAlan Parekh

Audio Easter Egg -  Chirping treasure container makes for fun hunts any time of the year. __ Contact: Jameco Electronics

Bad-bulb finder fixes Christmas lights -  EDN-Design Ideas 12/01/2014     15 years later, here’s a new take on one of our most popular Design Ideasever!   A long, long time ago there was a great Design Idea for a simple gadget to find a bad bulb in a series-connected string of Christmas lights:  This is really simple and works great, but it exposes the user to potentially lethal line voltages.  The PROBE in the figure above is inserted into the light bulb bases, so there is  a good chance that you could be touching a part of the probe, while the probe is touching line voltage.   This Design Idea is a modernized LED version of that one.  The light string is still plugged into an outlet, but that outlet is connected to a 9V battery, not the AC line.  Otherwise, the operation is the same as the neon bulb version: you use the probe to search for the open bulb in the string.  On one side of a dead bulb, the red LED will glow, and on the other side, the green LED will glow.  By probing your way back and forth, you can quickly get to the bad bulb.__ Circuit Design by Dan Meeks

Bells ring Generator -  Three circuit options; Can be synchronized to Christmas tree flashing lights __ Contact: Flavio Dellepiane, fladello @ tin.it

Christmas Decoration -  This project flashes 18 LEDs at three different rates and you can use these to create a Christmas decoration of your choice.  The circuit is kept simple (and cheap!) by using the 4060B IC which is a counter and oscillator (clock) in one package.  The circuit requires a 9V supply, such as a PP3 battery __ Designed by John Hewes

Christmas Lights Tester -  Like every year around the same time, I hurried to get my Christmas tree all set up and the first thing we do when the tree is 'standing' we like to hang the lights in the tree.  Okay, better first test them before putting all 50 of them in the tree.  Yep! Working beautifully.  I started a carefully planned organization of the lights so they would be evenly divided over the branches.  Now the second string of lights, tested, yep working.  In the tree with them.  Putting the plugs into the receptacle andoh no-- one series of them are on in full glory, all the others are out.  Annoyed I tried to 'fix them' by trying to push each bulb further into their sockets.  Still no go __ Designed by Jan Hamer

Christmas-Tree Lights Tester -  12/23/99 EDN-Design Ideas Why is it that you always test 48 bulbs before you find the bad one in a 50-light string? This simple circuit allows you to divide and conquer, greatly reducing the time it takes to find the bad bulb.__ Circuit Design by William Dias, Brown & Sharpe, North Kingstown, RI

Christmas Star -  Christmas just would not be Christmas if you do not put a flashing star on your Christmas tree.  Here is the circuit of such a flashing star.Fig.1 shows the circuit...___ Electronics Projects for You

Christmas Star -  This project started just before last Christmas when my daughters asked "why don’t we have any flashing Christmas tree lights?" So, while they were out shopping, my son and I grabbed a dozen LEDs, some ribbon cable and a microcontroller.  While my son wired up the LEDs, I wrote some simple software.  It was all installed and running when they came home after spending all my money (that’s why we didn’t have lights before) ! The smiles on their faces made it all worth while! __ Designed by © Grantronics Pty Ltd

Christmas Tree Moisture Monitor -  Originally intended to monitor the moisture in a potted plant, this moisture monitor really shines as a Christmas tree stand water level monitor! A fresh Christmas tree drinks water an annoying rate and bending down under the __ Contact: Charles Wenzel of Wenzel Associates, Inc.

Circuit to enable cycling a string of Christmas lights -  This circuit will enable you to cycle a string of Christmas lights , a beacon, or any other high or low voltage components when use with a relay of the proper rating.   __

Clap Relay -  Clap sensitive on-off Relay.3V Battery operated, small portable unit,  __ Contact: Flavio Dellepiane, fladello @ tin.it

Control Your Holiday Lights with a Magic Wand -  12/16/11  EDN-Design Ideas A magnet waved past a Hall-effect sensor does the trick.  This circuit allows you to turn on your holiday bulbs with a wave of the magic wand.  The strings flash in sequence.  At the heart of the idea is the magnetic wand.  It gives the appearance of real magic.  The main part of the circuit is a digital magnito-resistive sensor IC4 (Figure 1).  Typical Hall-effect sensors are not suitable for this design because they do not work over an extended sensing distance.  They also do not switch when excited by either magnetic pole.  The Honeywell 2SS52 sensor works from either the north or south pole.  It has good sensitivity to a magnetic field.  __ Circuit Design by Vladimir Rentyuk

Controller for Christmas Light Shows, Pt.2 -  Everyone who has seen this has been pretty impressed and no wonder! While we originally intended it to make your Christmas Lights display the best in your suburb, with up to 32 channels and total power limited only by your power outlets, it's capable of controlling just about any lighting sequencing task you want to throw at it.  Now we get on with the good stuff: putting it all together!___ SiliconChip

Controller for Christmas Light Shows, Pt.2 -  Christmas is just about here! Have you got your Digital Lighting Controller ready yet? In the first two articles we explained how the Digital Lighting Controller works and how to build it.  This third article explains how to use the softwareprimarily the Windows-based sequencing program.___ SiliconChip

Courtesy Light -  Two LED-eyes follow the rhythm of music or speech; 3V Battery-operated device suitable for pins or badges __ Contact: Flavio Dellepiane, fladello @ tin.it

Dancing LEDs -  LED sequencer: follows the rhythm of music or speech; 9V Battery-operated portable unit __ Contact: Flavio Dellepiane, fladello @ tin.it

Dick Had a Cameo Role in Scream 2 -  23-Oct-06 -Design News:   Give the little witches and warlocks a real trick when they come clamoring for treats on Halloween with this doorbell-activated soundtrack.  All that's required to build this spooky sound generator is a moderate hack of a cassette player, which involves opening the case and rewiring the motor for __   Gadget Freak-Case #102

Digital LED Lighting Controller for Chrismas Lights -  It's that time of year again when all those Christmas lighting devotees start planning and building their displays for the festive season.  They might have dozensif not hundredsof different light arrays and they will be thinking about buying even more.  Is this you? Have you thought about controlling lots of your lights in time to music? Well now you can!___ SiliconChip

Digital Lighting Controller for Christmas Light Shows, Pt.2 -  Everyone who has seen this has been pretty impressed and no wonder! While we originally intended it to make your Christmas Lights display the best in your suburb, with up to 32 channels and total power limited only by your power outlets, it's capable of controlling just about any lighting sequencing task you want to throw at it.  Now we get on with the good stuff: putting it all together!___ SiliconChip

Digital Lighting Controller for Christmas Light Shows, Pt.3 -  Christmas is just about here! Have you got your Digital Lighting Controller ready yet? In the first two articles we explained how the Digital Lighting Controller works and how to build it.  This third article explains how to use the softwareprimarily the Windows-based sequencing program.___ SiliconChip

Digital Logic Based LED Christmas Tree with 64 LEDs -  The Holidays are once again upon us and we wanted to give our readers the edge in decorating this year.  Continuing our all-digital-hardware theme to coincide with our Kickstarter for a Digital Electronics Course at PyroEDU, we have created an LED Christmas tree controlled entirely by digital logic __ Designed by PyroElectro

Eight LEDs Random Flasher -  This project uses a 4026 counter and display driver IC to flash eight LEDs in an apparently random manner.  It can be used to create a display of your choice.   __ Designed by John Hewes

Electronic Christmas Tree -  Schematic + Info + pictures __ Designed by Lennie Zink

Fading Red Eyes -  can be used to slowly illuminate and fade a pair of red LEDs __ Designed by Bill Bowden

Flashing Birthday Heart -  This circuit was made for my wife's birthday.  It is capable of flashing five strings of LED's with different frequencies.  It also has a connector for an 8 Ohm loudspeaker and two connectors for the small PCB's that are contained in musical greeting cards.  In this way the circuit will play alternatingly two room filling tunes at regular time intervals.  After a w __ Designed by Michel Van den Bergh On Electronics

Flashing Neon Christmas Lights -  One of the bummers of Christmas is trying to get the strings of lights to work.  The biggest culprit are the strings that are connected in series.  These are usually the strings of so-called miniature Christmas lights with the push-in bulbs.  You've probably read on the box that when one light goes out the rest stay lit.  True, the light bulbs have an internal "shunting device" so that if one burns out, it doesn't break the circuit and the rest of the lights do stay lit.  But the problem is that if the circuit should become broken at any other point, the whole string goes out.  The usual place this happens is between the lamp and the socket, especially if the string is used outdoors.  This is because water in the socket causes the thin copper lamp wires to oxidize, which prevents them from conducting electricity.   Sometimes the wires on the lamp can become completely eaten away.  At any rate, it breaks the circuit and the string doesn't work. __ Designed by Colin Pringle   colin @ wild-bohemian.com

Flicker Lamp -  Having bought a cute little ‘paraffin lamp’ from a cut price shop, I decided to make it a little more interesting.  Its battery powered of course but its continuous shine and simple on / off ‘wick control’ did not make for anything like a close simulation of the real thing.  So, I replaced the on / off control with a variable potentiometer and I added flicker! __ Contact: Karen's Microprocessor Projects

Flickering Fire Effect -  This simple circuit uses four low-Wattage colored bulbs and four fluorescent lamp starters to make nice flickering flame effect __

Flickering Lights -  Halloween flickering lights __ Designed by Wolf Stone

Fogger Smoke Machine -  Foggers used to generate fog and smoke effects operate by heating a special fogger fluid.  They consist of a heting element which is kept in the right temperature using a thermostat.  When the operator want to generate smoke, he/she presses the controller button which starts the pump which pumps fog fluid to the heating element.  When smoke fluid enters the heating element, in starts to evaporate and produce smoke.   __ Designed by Tomi Engdahl

General purpose 8031 board -  I was building one project after another with 8031 microcontrollers, and wanted to introduce my brother Matthias to the wonders of these things, so I built him this really nice development board for Christmas.  It didn't capture his interest and the board eventually came back to me.  I used it as the development platform for a couple of my own projects, most notably the MP3 jukebox head unit. __ Designed by Markus Wandel

GrantronICs Projects Christmas Tree flashes LEDs mounted to Christmas tree shape PCB, kit from kitsrus.  com __ Designed by © Grantronics Pty Ltd

Halloween Flashing-Eyes Badge -  Two LED-eyes follow the rhythm of music or speech; 3V Battery-operated device suitable for pins or badges __ Contact: Flavio Dellepiane, fladello @ tin.it

Halloween Pumpkin with Colorful LED Candles -  Extensive tutorial on putting blinking LEDs and different colored LEDs into jack-o-lanterns.  Includes schematics, solderless breadboard photos, and three movies (the blue pulsing LED is my favorite).  Great way of getting started in electronics! Although this was written for Halloween, the techniques are applicable for Christmas votive candles as well.   __ Contact: David Cook

Haunted House Effects -  Descriptions of my home-built Halloween haunted house special effects with pictures and spooky links: Light Beam Sensor.   __

Heart of LEDs -  Here is a fun project that you can give to that "someone special".  How about Mother's Day or did you forget St Valentine's Day?.   __ Designed by © Grantronics Pty Ltd

Heart-shaped Badge -  The badge consists of eight LEDs arranged in the shape of a heart.  One LED is lit at a time and this 'chases' round the shape.  It would be easy to adapt this project to create other shapes with the eight LEDs.   __ Designed by John Hewes

Homegrown Holiday Lights with Homemade Control -  24-Jan-11 -Design News:   Vince Cappellano wanted to put up some holiday lights that wouldn't cost a fortune but would dance smart.  He did some research with the dream of building a display that would go YouTube viralwithout the familiar disaster of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." He embarked on a system that __   Gadget Freak-Case #179

How to Make Chase Lights -  This example shows3 track chase lights built from3-Christmas light sets and1-light chaser controller __

Jazzy Heart Electronic Jewellery -  Want to be the life of the party? Build the Jazzy Heart LED display!___ SiliconChip

LED Christmas Tree with 64 LEDs -  The Holidays are once again upon us and we wanted to give our readers the edge in decorating this year.  Continuing our all-digital-hardware theme to coincide with our Kickstarter for a Digital Electronics Course at PyroEDU, we have created an LED Christmas tree controlled entirely by digital logic __ Designed by PyroElectro

LED Flashing sweetheart kit -  LED Flashing sweetheart kit __ Contact: Velleman USA

LED Lighting for Christmas -  Using light effects for decoration on festive occasions is a normal practice.  Designers are coming up with varieties of electronic circuits to fill the imagination of users.  Here is an easy-to-assemble circuit...___ Electronics Projects for You

LED Mood Light -  This circuit makes a nice lamp that consumes little power, runs cool, and has an incredibly long lifetime.  The lamp puts out a warm yellow shade of light, the color may be adjusted by changing the number of red or green LED strings.   __ Designed by Forrest Cook

Les Wears His Silicon On His Sleeve -  27-Feb-06 -Design News:   Looking for cool way of wowing that special someone on Valentines Day/birthday/whatever? Build her a flashing heart made from LEDs driven by a programmable microcontroller.  Les' gadget is simple to build and made from easily-obtainable parts.  The unique thing about this design is the LEDs are in an __   Gadget Freak-Case #73

Les Wears His Silicon On His Sleeve (UPDATED) -  30-Jan-07 -Design News:   Looking for cool way of wowing that special someone on Valentines Day/birthday/whatever? Build her a flashing heart made from LEDs driven by a programmable microcontroller.  Les' gadget is simple to build and made from easily-obtainable parts.  The unique thing about this design is the LEDs are in an __   Gadget Freak-Case #73

Line Powered Flashers -  Scroll to find this one.  Here is an unusual flasher circuit for 120VAC loads.  The circuit is similar to the two-transistor flasher seen in several circuits in techlib.  com except that an SCR is used __ Contact: Charles Wenzel of Wenzel Associates, Inc.

Multi-Colour LED Christmas Tree -  A low-cost microcontroller chip that produces multiple colours and multiple patterns.___ SiliconChip

PICAXE the Red-Nosed Reindeer -  It's based on the new PICAXE-08M chip, flashes its nose and eyes and plays popular Christmas tunes and mobile phone ring tones!___ SiliconChip

Plant Moisture Monitor -  Originally intended to monitor the moisture in a potted plant, this moisture monitor really shines as a Christmas tree stand water level monitor! A fresh Christmas tree drinks water an annoying rate and bending down under the __ Contact: Charles Wenzel of Wenzel Associates, Inc.

Random' Flasher for 8 LEDs -  This project uses a 4026 counter and display driver IC to flash eight LEDs in an apparently random manner.  It can be used to create a display of your choice.   __ Designed by John Hewes

Rotating light bulb beacon -  Where I live in the suburbs, there is no street lighting, but every house has a light out front consisting of pole with a light bulb in a plastic globe.  I had the idea of turning this into a weird looking rotating beacon as a halloween gag.  Thus this lightweight construction made out of just tinfoil and masking tape __ Designed by Markus Wandel

Santa & Rudolph Chrissie Display -  It is huge...It has colour...It has light...It has movement...It is the ultimate___ SiliconChip

Save String Light Situation -  12/16/04 EDN on Components   As you enter the holiday season with strings of ac-line-powered lights hanging everywhere, do you ever wonder how bulb vendors overcame the frustrating problem of having an entire string go dark when just one of th__ Circuit Design by Bill Schweber

Sequential Bar Graph Turn Light Indicator for Car -  The article illustrates a simple yet innovative, fancy car turn signal light circuit which produces a rising bar graph sequence effect when switched ON. __ Designed by Swagatam Majumdar

Sequential Flasher -  Scroll to find this one.  Here is an unusual flasher circuit for 120VAC loads.  The circuit is similar to the two-transistor flasher seen in several circuits in techlib.  com except that an SCR is used __ Contact: Charles Wenzel of Wenzel Associates, Inc.

Simple Circuit scheme saves string-light situation -  12/16/04 EDN on Components   As you enter the holiday season with strings of ac-line-powered lights hanging everywhere, do you ever wonder how bulb vendors overcame the frustrating problem of having an entire string go dark when just one of th__ Circuit Design by Bill Schweber

Simple Circuit Tester Checks Christmas-Tree Lights -  12/23/99 EDN-Design Ideas Why is it that you always test 48 bulbs before you find the bad one in a 50-light string? This simple circuit allows you to divide and conquer, greatly reducing the time it takes to find the bad bulb.__ Circuit Design by William Dias, Brown & Sharpe, North Kingstown, RI

Singing Christmas tree based on Microchip PIC16F84 -  Microcontroller based electronic circuit __ Designed by Aleksander Stare

Tester Checks Christmas-Tree Lights -  12/23/99 EDN-Design Ideas Why is it that you always test 48 bulbs before you find the bad one in a 50-light string? This simple circuit allows you to divide and conquer, greatly reducing the time it takes to find the bad bulb.__ Circuit Design by William Dias, Brown & Sharpe, North Kingstown, RI

The LED Flashing Sweetheart Kit -  When was the last time you gave a gift you made yourself? Elementary school? Get off the consumerist fast track and quit copping out with inferior gifts like candy and flowers.  The LED Flashing Sweetheart Kit contains a circuit board, 28 LEDs __

Twinkle Twinkle X’mas Star -  Christmas just would not be Christmas if you do not put a flashing star on your Christmas tree.  Here is the circuit of such a flashing star.Fig.1 shows the circuit...___ Electronics Projects for You

Valentine Heart -  18 LEDs flash at three different rates and you can use these to create an eye-catching Valentine Heart for that special person! A template for the heart shape can be downloaded.  The circuit is kept simple (and low cost) by using the 4060B IC which is a counter and oscillator (clock) in one package.  The circuit requires a 9V supply, such as a PP3 battery __ Designed by John Hewes

Xmas Lights Tester -  Like every year around the same time, I hurried to get my Christmas tree all set up and the first thing we do when the tree is 'standing' we like to hang the lights in the tree.  Okay, better first test them before putting all 50 of them in the tree.  Yep! Working beautifully.  I started a carefully planned organization of the lights so they would be evenly divided over the branches.  Now the second string of lights, tested, yep working.  In the tree with them.  Putting the plugs into the receptacle andoh no-- one series of them are on in full glory, all the others are out.  Annoyed I tried to 'fix them' by trying to push each bulb further into their sockets.  Still no go __ Designed by Jan Hamer


Holiday (Fun) Circuits


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