The old photon torpedo circuit
I plan to rework this photon torpedo circuit but for the time being, I thought others would appreciate my previous circuit, which uses both sides of a 556 timer to control the buildup of the torpedo launcher glow and then the flash as the torpedo fires. What this circuit does not do is fire port and starboard launchers sequentially. Nor does this circuit show an LED to provide the always present red, background glow.
This circuit is based on the System E board from Paul Newitt’s old Starfleet Assembly Manual, although using an op-amp to fade an LED is pretty common. My next step is to recreate this circuit on the breadboard and take some video to see if I still think it works, then try to figure out how to route the output from the 556 to port and starboard launchers. Then I’ll see if I can recreate it using an Arduino (which should be a lot easier).
Please be aware I recreated this circuit when I knew less than I know now, and I still basically know nothing. Any values for resistors and capacitors should be treated with suspicion and don’t be surprised if you burn out an LED. Fortunately the cost of components of this circuit is really low.