SparkFun Forums

[yair]

hi,
first of, i know... its not how its done, real strobes use xenon lightube. but this is art, just for the effect.

i was just wondering if some can help with a rough estimation of bulb life for this (hours? weeks? months?).
if the cycle will be ~20sec off then a flicker.

...__|on|______20sec_______|on|______20sec_______|on|___...

what can i expect to get from a regular bulb? i know expect it to be very demanding on the bulb.
as for the mechanism, i'll go for an arduino (or a 555) with a contact 220V relay (+ flyback diode).

thanks

[lyndon]

No idea, but the bulb will last longer if you swap the (electromechanical) relay with a zero-crossing start solid state one.

[esklar81]

yair,

1. I agree with lyndon's suggestion.
2. Frankly, if someone asked me to develop an accelerated lifetime test for an incandescent bulb, I just might start with the cycle you've chosen.
3. If you use a bulb rated for a higher voltage than you are going to run, you should get a bit more life.
4. How long is the flicker? If it's short enough to keep the bulb from getting to its equilibrium temperature, that might help.
5. Why, if at all, does this need to be an incandescent bulb? Unless you intend people to see the filament, why not use an LED in disguise? That would increase the tolerance of rapid cycling and decrease the power you need to switch. You might also be able to enhance the visual effect by placing several LEDs in a single translucent bulb and firing them in a pattern.

Good Luck,
Eric

[yair]

the filcker will be momentery, and the use of led is not an option. the lightbulb should be visible and "naked"
great advice, i'll go get a solid state relay

[mikeselectricstuff]

Ramp-up time will be faster, input current surges lower and lifetime much longer if you 'simmer' the lamp when 'off' - run it a low power just below where it emits significant visible light.
This is a common facility on stage lighting dimmers.
If using an SSR, all you need is a mains frequency reference to do phase-angle dimming to achieve this. Or a simpler option may be to just put a power resistor across the relay to got the simmer current - viability of this (in terms of heat dissipated in the resistor) will depend on the lamp power.

[yair]

haven't heard of simmering, outside of cooking.

i *think* this correlates to something i was thinking of
hacking a light dimmer to switch between two output currents.
one very low (simmer?) the other, as bright as i want it.

the yellow/red wires are connected to a 100k pot, which control the output.
replace with two set resistors. ftw?

http://www.ubasics.com/adam/electronics ... econ.shtml