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Power MOSFETs, DIY
Biotech, Pocket-Sized Altair
The so-called chaser or sequencer is one of the most popular types of LED-
Computer, High Voltage
driving circuit and is widely used in advertising displays and in running-light Halloween
‘rope’ displays in small discos, etc.
Power MOSFETs
It consists — in essence — of a clocked IC or other electronic unit that drives an array of
LEDs in such a way that individual LEDs (or small groups of LEDs) turn on and off in a DIY Biotech: Harnessing
predetermined and repeating sequence, thus producing a visually attractive display in Bacteria for Fermentation
which one or more ripples of light seem to repeatedly run through a chain or around a
ring of LEDs. Build a Pocket-Sized Altair
Computer
The 4017B CMOS IC is probably the best known and most widely used LED-driving IC
A High Voltage Halloween
used in chaser/sequencer applications. This article looks at a variety of practical circuits
based on this particular IC.

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4017B BASICS
The 4017B is a member of the popular ‘4000B’ family of CMOS digital ICs and can use
FROM THE Q&A
any DC supply voltage in the 3V to 15V range. It is actually a clocked decade
counter/divider IC with 10 fully decoded short-circuit-proof outputs that can each be
Selected questions from
used to directly drive a simple LED display. If desired, various outputs can be coupled
past Q&A columns.
back to the IC control terminals to make the device count to (or divide by) any number
from two to nine and then either stop or re-start another counting cycle.
Attic Fan Controller
Numbers of 4017B ICs can be cascaded to give either multi-decade division or to make
Stepper Motor Overview
counters with any desired number of decoded outputs. The 4017B is thus an
exceptionally versatile device that can easily be used to chase or sequence a basic LED Winding Single-Layer Air Coils
display of virtually any desired length.
Wide-Range Current
Figure 1 shows the outline, pin notations, and basic functional diagram of the 4017B, and Regulator
Figure 2 shows the waveform timing diagrams of the IC, which incorporates a �ve-stage
Sawtooth Generator
Johnson counter and has CLOCK, RESET, and CLOCK INHIBIT input terminals.

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