(Jay) wrote in message . com...
I'd modify the circuit like this...



|----serial LEDs(3?)----Resistor----+12V
|----serial LEDs(3?)----Resistor----+12V
|
| repeat as necessary...
|
|----serial LEDs(3?)----Resistor----+12V
--------- |----serial LEDs(3?)----Resistor----+12V
| | |
| LM555 |------|
| | |-----gnd
--------- IRF2804

By putting the LEDs in series instead of parallel you'll cut the
current drain by 2/3 (in the case of 3 leds series). Also with each
leg having its own resistor the LEDs don't have to be matched by
forward voltage.

Regards

yes, individual resistors make sense. i did switch to this scheme.

turns out, for the six leds that i used in the tail strobe, the
forward voltages match well enough to allow parallel connection. but
i still used individual resitors.

the white luxeons have a forward voltage too high to allow series
conncetion of the leds (with a 12 v system).

-Jeff