I have some security equipment installed which will switch on the mains power for about one second to a standard mains socket which is built into the equipment.
Is it possible to get a self-contained strobe light which plugs directly into this switched mains socket but is small like a self-contained night light?
Something like these in size and fitting:
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idea is to use the strobe to give a visible warning indoors. I would need the strobe to start up very soon after it receives mains power.
If the wall outlet only receives power for about 1 sec where does the strobe light get its power from? It needs to be self powered and remain flashing after the initial 1 second power pulse to the outlet, I would assume. I doubt there is anything this specialised on the market and you would need to design/modify something to do the job.
I doubt you will find anything like this on the market.
Can you tell us a little more about this equipment, and what you are trying to achieve, as there may be an easier way to do what you want!
They only think I can think of is one of the little strobe lights you get from Maplin
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this is a lot bigger than you have asked for. I have one, and when it is switched on, it starts to flash almost immediately (The flash rate is also adjustable)
Is the strobe going to trigger something else, like a camera, or is it to alert someone?
Perhaps you might explain as to how you are intending to use this facility. Maybe it is simply a testing aid to check function?
If this is the case then it might be easier to use a 230V ac buzzer or bell so you could hear it during the 1 sec pulse - eg. Moeller Z-SU230 or Z-GL230 . It is far easier to listen than to stare at a lamp waiting for it to flash. You might blink when it does and miss it....
You would need to mount the buzzer in a plastic box and connect it via a standard plug and cable.
================================ Do you really need a strobe light to do this?
If it's going to be switched on / off in one second any normal light bulb (e.g. a small candle bulb) will give a momentary flash as it is powered rather like a manual head light flasher.
Yes that's right. I'm looking for a strobe which plugs into the mains, "small like a self-contained night light. ... Something like these in size and fitting".
I already have an audio warning. But in my setup the audio can be overheard too easily so it is not always switched on.
I use a 500W floodlight at present but on very bright days it is hard to see. I figure that strobe flashes are more noticeable,
I have seen strobes like that in the US that are used with fire alarm systems. They are no larger than the ones in your first two links. I don't know how soon the begin to flash after power is applied.
The first thing anyone used to build when they started electronics used to be a neon flasher.
You need a 400v rectifier diode (IN4007?)rectifier, a capacitor and a resistor and a neon.
Put the rectifier and the resistor in series with the capacitor ( 100v or greater electrolytic +ve to the bar on the rectifier diode), and put the neon across the capacitor as well.
Then connect the whole lot across the mains. Flash period is not far off resistor in megohms x capacitor in uF..
Modifying a neon equipped socket should be relatively trivial.
The Natural Philosopher wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@proxy02.news.clara.net:
The first thing anyone used to do when answering posts is to read them first. Did you really think a guy who found a 500 watt halogen inadequate was going to be satisfied with a flashing neon lamp??
Granted, the principle IS the same. Thing is, if you want a fast charge to get a xenon lamp flashing within a small fraction of a second with similar repeat interval, you'll need a fairly low resistance to get current into your capacitor fast. That could mean a loss of 10 watts in that resistor, so fitting that into a tiny enclosure safely is a no-no. You either need a bigger unit with good ventillation, OR a small sealed unit that won't start or run at high speed and high energy, you're going to have to compromise at some point.
One possibility is to use a high speed AND high power for fast response, but if you do this in a small container that uses a single second's worth of power supply to get several fast hard flashes done in that second, you'll need to put a timer in there to force it to shut down after that secone even if power is still applied, and you'll want to back that up with a thermal cutout too for safety.
"Homer J Simpson" wrote in news:2DZah.247$YV4.96@edtnps89:
The post I answered wasn't even a question.
If you mean the real original, then saying no is pointless, the guy already knows you can't easily get a self-contained plugin strobe, or he wouldn't be asking. So he has to make it if he wants one, or adapt something.
Vellemann made a kit you could buy from Maplin, it used around ten watts, started fast, and if you watched the heat dissipation, it could be adapted to something like this. So could one of those tiny £12 widgets used for small DJ setups. You might have to mount it on a shelf or bracket but that's just DIY. So the answer isn't "no".
As I am the OP, I would say that you are right: a neon is not likely to be able to cut it. Nor is a flashing LED.
However I have heard of LED strobes with about 20 or so LEDs but I am not sure what their light output is. However I can't easily imagine the LED strobe puts out any more than a small fraction of the xenon strobe.
I think I would agree with the consensus of the opinions here that the requirement is almost unique and hence is unlikely to be met by something off the shelf.
One thing that has surprised me is that none of the suggestions have looked at powering the strobe from it's own power source and using the mains power pulse as just a trigger. The battery driven remote photographic flashes come to mind - at around =A310 a time these look like a good starting point.
How to trigger - this may well be where the rub comes in because I suspect a bit of electronic modification would be required, either to do some sort of direct coupling or to adjust their sensitivity such that they would fire with the flash from an ordinary bulb. Perhaps someone could explore this idea further.
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