# Strobing black lights?



## Slarti (May 18, 2006)

Okay folks, I know this old chestnut pops up from time to time and I've been trying to research it this morning, but I just thought I'd post and see what the current info/opinions are on it.

We've got an unusual dot room in our charity haunt where last season we tried a black light, a strobe light, the two together and separately. I've decided that the most awesome thing for this sucker would be a strobing black light.

Keeping in mind that I'm a moron and can't make my own strobing black light and can't spend hundreds on a commercial model, what's the best way to accomplish this effect? I saw a Web site with information on a model from Spencers that was inexpensive but not a true strobe, and a $500 high-end model, but the latest info on that site was from 2000.

I found this one pretty quickly, but haven't seen it anywhere else to compare: http://www.cooltopics.net/blacklightfixtures.html

So, anybody have any experience with this light? Any other suggestions?


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## Zombie-F (Apr 12, 2004)

I have a model similar to that I bought last year at iParty. I never really tried the strobing feature. I'll bust it out when I get home from work and let you know how it goes. If I forget, please remind me.


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## Slarti (May 18, 2006)

Thank you! That’d be awesome, and if it works well, I’d love to know the manufacturer/model # so I can gets my grubby little mitts on one too!


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## Zombie-F (Apr 12, 2004)

Bad news... I don't have that unit any more. Last year one of my two fixtures broke due to some careless handling on my part and it turns out the strobing light was the one that broke.

I do remember it was a Lite FX Blacklight Bolt. They make a few versions of this, one that strobes and one that does not. I never did try the strobe effect with it, so I'm not sure if it is what you'd be looking for. It was a 24" fixture.


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## fg4432 (Sep 18, 2007)

*Trying to get this thread alive again*

Has anyone had any luck with a strobing black light?


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## slimy (Jul 12, 2006)

American DJ makes a strobing UV LED light. I'll see if I can find a link.


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## THeme ssaGE (Jul 16, 2006)

Theres this Halloween store open all year by me called the Halloween Club. They ussually have mini strobes, the round kind. And next to these mini round strobes is ussually a pack of plastic caps, colored red, green, blue, and even a blacklight one....there for trading out the clear cap lense (cap) of your strobe for a colored one. 

I love these!


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## Faerydae (Sep 26, 2007)

That sounds cool!!


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## frstvamp1r (Nov 5, 2006)

Theme, I know that place well...the owners know when I stop by they bring out all the new stuff they get in to show me. I know which strobe light you are talking about, its at the end of the "Black Light" dark aisle. I don't think that one lens is UV. I think it is just a purple lens.


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## halloweenguy (Dec 27, 2006)

Here is a blackight stobe you can make yourself...Idea is from Scary Jerry

Scary Jerry06-12-2006, 05:36 PM
I've been looking for black light strobes to no avail so I finally gave a try at making my own. Ryan from Parallax donated a couple of cheapy strobes which I used as the starting point. I had a couple of those crappy 60 watt blacklight bulbs and combined them with the strobes. Here's the process: 

1. Using a dremel tool with a cut off wheel I cut lightly through the metal around the top of the light bulb base. Cut just deep enough to make it through the metal and slightly score the glass below. By the time you make it around the glass and metal will break away leaving a jagged edge. 

2. Disassemble the plastic case of the strobe. The flash tube points toward one end and has 3 right angle wires that plug into a socket on the pc board. Remove the bulb and straighten the pins. This is where you should know that the capacitor inside can hold lots of volts even when not plugged in! 

3. Using some clay I made a container about 1 inch deep and just slightly bigger in diameter than the skinny end of the black light bulb (or what there is left of it). 

4. Push the strobe tube wires into the clay with the flash tube sticking straight up. Place the blacklight bulb over the flash tube. Pour a couple of tablespoons of urethane plastic (equal parts a and b) around the base. 

5. Wait 20 minutes. Then remove the assembly from the clay. You should have a black light bulb with a strobe embedded in the end and held in place by a new plastic end that takes the place of the old metal screw in base. The jagged edges are also now embedded in plastic. 

6. Cut a slot in the original strobe plastic case for the bulb so that it now sticks straight up instead of at right angles. Silicone glue the bulb in place. 

So now you have a black light strobe. Not very bright though. So next step - back up a bit in the process. Run 3 wires to the potentiometer that controls the strobe speed. Wire a number of these cheap blacklight strobes together on one controlller to get the brightness you need. 

If I wasn't done already I'd post photos. I built 2 of them in about an hour. I could post photos of the completed unit if anyone expreses an interest. I hope this helps someone! 

A point of interest. A room painted with one scene that shows only under black light and another that is visible only under white light will be VERY disorienting if you alternate white and black strobes, which we will do this Halloween. 

cya, 

Scary Jerry


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## GOT (Apr 17, 2007)

Try casting the black light through a slow-moving fan (for the low-tech approach).


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Great idea GOT!


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## gadget-evilusions (Jan 26, 2007)

It's pretty easy to build one using black light led's and a prop-1 controller. I just built a setup using 14 seperate boards, each with 30 black light leds, all controlled by the prop-1, with variable strobing speed via a potentiometer for a haunted attractions dot room. I will give instructions if anyone wants to build their own.


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