The transistor’s middle pin is wired to the output of the 555 timer (pin 3). The LED’s get their positive voltage from the battery, and the negative side of the LED’s goes to the transistor. The third pin of the transistor goes to the negative on the battery.

Here are some photos of the process, including the end result. This won’t be a tutorial because the Instructables instructions are very easy to follow. However, feel free to ask any questions in the comments below. Also note that you can change the blinking speed by putting in a different capacitor.

We got a chance to see and feel the 2010 Corvette at the 2009 San Francisco Auto Show. The first thing we noticed was a peeling racing stripe decal (see picture below) on a car valued at $60K; you might expect racing stripes to actually be painted on a car of this caliber. After adoring the cool looking body, we took a seat inside only to find that the seats wiggle back and forth about ten inches; no big deal, I suppose they’re not clicked in. So we get out of the car, play with the seat controls, and they still wiggle like crazy. I asked a company representative about this issue: he checked the seats on the Corvette and told me they shouldn’t be doing that. He proceeded to another corvette, only to find the seats doing the same thing. And later, when we were looking at the SV 9 Competizione (which is built on the Corvette platform), we noticed the exact same problem. Enough about the seats – the whole interior creaks and the quality of it feels like it belongs in a ten year old, worn and used sedan. Well, to fish out some positives, it puts out amazing horsepower (436 HP for the Grand Sport and 638 HP for the ZR1) and excellent gas mileage (16 MPG city / 26 MPG highway for the Grand Sport and 14 MPG city / 20 MPG highway for the ZR1) for a price you can’t beat ($54,770 for the Grand Sport and $106,880 for the ZR1) – just don’t expect the 2010 Corvette to feel as sturdy and solid as, say, a Porsche or Ferrari.

EDIT: Well this is interesting: looks like GM just raised the MSRP on the 2010 Corvette ZR1 from $106,880 to $108,180 according to their website.

Photos taken December 2009 at the San Francisco International Auto Show.

Chevy Corvette Convertible

Chevy Corvette Grand Sport Coupe

• MSRP of $54,770 (the one pictured is $60,550)
• LS3 6.2 Liter engine making 436 HP
• Dry Sump Oil System
• 6-Speed manual transmission
• Active Handling
• Traction Control System
• 4 Wheel independent suspension
• Power speed-sensitive variable ratio rack-and-pinion steering
• Limited Slip Differential

Chevy Corvette ZR1

• MSRP of $106,880 (the one pictured is $121,000)
• LS9 6.2 Liter Supercharged V8 making 638 HP
• Dry Sump Oil System
• 6-Speed manual transmission
• Active Handling
• Traction Control System
• 4 wheel independent suspension
• Power Speed-Sensitive Variable Ratio Rack-and-Pinion Steering
• Limited Slip Differential