Photocell to create strobe effect?

joker · #1 06-26-2008

I know strobes are relatively inexpensive and pretty easy to come by, but could a photo cell be used to create a strobe effect?

If you wired a photo cell inline for the power circuit to say a spot light and pointed the spot light directly at the photo cell would it cause the photo cell to cycle on/off and give the effect of a strobe?

joker · #2 06-27-2008

Nobody has any thoughts on this?

Koumajutsu · #3 06-27-2008

Actually, you just end up creating a negative feedback loop that will just cause the light to be on in a dim state.

MansionHaunter · #4 09-03-2008

Photocells themselves are typically rated for fairly low current use, not the kind of currents you'd need to run any kind of light. But if we're talking about an electric eye circuit used to control a 120VAC lamp, then what you'll get is a steady on-off blink at a rate somewhere between 1 and 4 cycles per second. I've tried it before. Not so much of a strobe as a beacon. And there's no way to control the rate; it'd dependent entirely upon the electric eye circuit.

Liam · #5 09-04-2008

Hi Joker,

Sorry for the late reply. You can probably use this circuit, just substitute a strobe for the flicker flame bulb:

http://www.hauntedillinois.com/lightflicker.php