Simple LED Chaser Circuits: 10 LED Running Light Designs Discussed

In this article I have compiled 10 interesting yet simple LED chaser circuits, which not only create beautiful running light effect but are also easy to build.

These primarily incorporate LEDs as well as mains operated bulbs through triacs. The proposed circuit is transformerless and is thus a lot compact and light weight.

What is a Light Chaser

An LED light chaser circuit is a device which is designed to turn ON and OFF a string of LED lamps so that it creates a "running" light kind of effect.

These look very interesting and are surely eye catching and that’s why these types of lighting arrangement have gained immense popularity in today’s world.

1) Simple LED Chaser Circuit using IC 555 and IC 4017

This is a very simple LED chaser circuit, good for beginners who want to try their first electronics project. It uses just a few common parts, so building it is not very difficult for you.

The 555 IC works as an oscillator and sends clock pulses to the CD4017 IC.

The 4017 then lights up the 10 LEDs one after another, giving us the running light effect.

You can also adjust the chasing speed by turning the 100k pot, either faster or slower as you like.

2) 18 LED Light Chaser Circuit Using Two IC 4017 and IC 555

Normally, one IC 4017 can run only 10 LEDs in sequence. But if we want to run more LEDs, we can connect two 4017 ICs together. Here a 555 IC is used to generate the clock pulses, which makes the 18 LEDs light up one after another.

Cascading Two IC 4017 Johnsons Counters for the 18 LED Effect

Here we can see how two 4017 ICs are connected together to run 18 LEDs. A few diodes are used between the two ICs so that when the first IC completes its counting, the second IC starts counting next.

In this way, the LEDs keep running one after another across all 18 LEDs. The circuit can work with any 6V to 12V DC supply.

3) 100 to 200 LED Reverse Forward Chaser Circuit for Diwali, Christmas Decorations

A normal LED chaser is good for small projects but for Diwali or Christmas decoration we may want to run more LEDs and get some different effects.

In this circuit we will see how to make the LEDs move forward and then come back in reverse direction, giving a nice to and fro running light effect.

We can also increase the number of LEDs up to 200 for bigger decoration work.

4) LED Chaser Circuit with Blinker Effect

One of my blog readers Joe, asked if it is possible to make an LED chaser circuit which can also work like a normal LED blinker. That means in one mode the LEDs should keep running one after another, and in the other mode all the LEDs should blink together at the same time.

So here we have a simple circuit arrangement where a small toggle switch can be used to select between these two effects. When the switch is kept in one position, then LEDs keep chasing one after another as usual. But when we change the switch to the other position, then all the LEDs start flashing together instead of running in sequence.

This way we can get both effects from the same circuit, without having to build two separate circuits for the two functions.

5) Outward Chasing LED Circuit

This circuit gives a different type of LED chasing effect. Here the LEDs do not move from left to right like in the normal chaser circuits.

Instead the lighting starts from the middle of the LED row and then slowly moves towards both sides.

So the LEDs on the left and right side light up one after another at the same time. This gives a nice effect as if the light is spreading out from the center towards both ends.

It is a simple idea but the effect looks quite different from the usual running LED circuits.

6) Making a Knight Rider Type LED Chaser Effect

If you have seen the old Knight Rider TV show then you may remember the red light moving from one side to the other on the front of the KITT car. We can make a similar type of running light effect using a 555 timer IC and a 4017 counter IC with a few diodes.

The circuit makes six LEDs light up one after another and gives that old Knight Rider scanning effect.

Here we will see how the circuit is made and how the different parts work together to produce this moving light effect. A simple transformerless power supply is also explained for powering the circuit.

7) LED Chaser Circuit with Slow Adjustable Fading Effect

One of my blog readers Tamam wanted an LED chaser circuit where the LEDs would not just switch ON and OFF suddenly.

He wanted the LEDs to glow slowly and then fade out slowly before the next group of LEDs starts glowing. So here we will see how this type of LED chaser effect can be made using some simple electronic parts.

The circuit does not use any microcontroller or programming. Everything is done using normal transistors and capacitors which help the LEDs to fade gradually and make the whole chasing effect look more smooth.

8) Simple LED Chaser Using IC 74C164

If you want to make an LED chaser using some other IC instead of the normal 4017 IC then you can also try the 74C164 shift register IC.

This IC works in a different way and can be used to make a nice running LED effect. In this circuit we use a 4011 IC which has NAND gates inside it.

Two of these gates are used for making the clock pulses which keep shifting the LED sequence from one output to the next.

An RC network is also connected in the circuit for automatic reset. Once the 8 LED sequence is completed the circuit resets itself and starts the same sequence again.

9) Using IC 74LS164 as the Controller

Here we are using two 74LS164 shift register ICs along with a 555 timer to make a different type of LED display. A changeover switch is used to change the working of the circuit. When the circuit starts working the LEDs begin to light up one after another from both ends and finally meet in the middle. After this a transistor stage resets the circuit and the same sequence starts again. So we get a nice LED bar effect using these simple ICs and a few other components.

Enabling Rapid Up/Down Sequence

Now if we want to make this LED display a little more interesting we can add one more oscillator circuit using an IC 4017. This extra circuit helps to hold the main LED bar in one position and then starts a fast up and down flashing effect. This way we can get another type of LED movement from the same setup without making the whole circuit too complicated. It is a simple addition for those who want to try some different LED display effects.

10) 16 LED Reverse/Forward Chaser Circuit

Here is another LED chaser circuit which can run 16 steps in forward and reverse direction. In this circuit we are not using the usual 4017 IC. Instead we are using a 40193 up/down counter along with a 4514 decoder IC to control the LED sequence.

The circuit also uses a few NAND gates to make a latch section. Some switches are provided so that we can control the forward and reverse movement of the LEDs as required. So with this setup we can make the LEDs move forward and then bring them back in reverse direction to get the chasing effect.