# Flouro-starter flicker



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

I've seen a lot of people mention they use a florescent tube starter on an incandescent bulb to make a quick 'n easy fire-flicker-er. I looked at the one I saw in the local Home Despot and the price was certainly right... a buck fifty for 2... but I was wondering about the wattages. Is the wattage of your light supposed to be within a certain range of the wattage rating on the starter? More, less, equal...? Will different wattage bulbs flicker at a different rate when used with a given wattage of starter? 

It seems like a much easier solution than goofing with circuits, but I'm pretty much in the dark when it comes to electronics so if anyone could give me some info on that I'd appreciate it!


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

I use the FS-2 starter. It says it's rated for like 20 watts, but I've used it with 40 watt bulbs with no problems. I usually use low wattage (7.5 - 15 watt) lights, anyway. Use a socket to hold the starter as in this pic:
http://halloweengallery.com/displayimage.php?pos=-3697
I have more pics of the circuit - if you're interested let me know.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

That'd be great! Thank you.

So I take it that you can also use bulbs of lower wattage than the starter and it still works?


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Sure can. And I have noticed that each starter seems to have a unique flicker rate/pattern. Some are strobe-like and blink at sorta regular intervals, while other FS-2's are really random. Buy a couple of packs and see which one(s) you like best. Side note: I'm working on a power strip with four starters mounted on it. This will allow four different flicker patterns from one source. You can plug multiple lamps into the single-starter circuit, but they'll all blink the same pattern.


----------



## Wraith (Apr 2, 2007)

How exactly does this setup work? I am very interested!


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

The starter is wired in series with an 110AC incandescent bulb. When you apply power, the starter begins "stuttering", trying to start a fluorescent tube. The result is the bulb flickers rapidly and randomly. It's a pretty good effect for lamps 40 watts and less. I'll get some pics of the circuit up in a couple of days. It's easy to make.


----------



## wormyt (Aug 29, 2005)

I also used one for my sign
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v237/Wormyt/Sign post/ its so cool the way it flickers as if its about to go out. Its creepy in a way.


----------



## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

Hey guys, anyone got a vid clip of how that works? That is waay cool. Does it just flicker on and off?? Definately diggin it.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

That "lights going out" thing WormyT mentioned looks good on "hotel" signs too and is VERY creepy on indoor haunts! It just looks ominous... I know Australian horror movies use it a lot... I went through a haunt that had a stone basement, there was a stone loong corridor with a string of lights down the length on a sputter circuit like that... between the dancing shadows and the idea that you might get trapped in the dark it gave a really threatening atmosphere.

It's cool how people can be surrounded by thousands of dollars of wicked props and animations they Oooh and Aaah over while the idea of a light bulb going out can scare the hell out of them.

PS Wormy I like your sign a lot! You're in Missouri somewhere, right? I'm in St Louis.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

I've also used the flicker unit with great success for faux fireplaces on stage.


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Revenant,
Here's a pic of the flicker circuit. Let me know if you have any questions.
http://halloweengallery.com/displayimage.php?pos=-3706


----------



## zeenon (Oct 27, 2006)

Otaku,

So you can plug 4 -10W lights in the sockets you have in that electric box? (assuming we are going with a 40W max)

Z


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Yes. I've never had to use >40 watt lights with this box, but the accepted wisdom is that more than 40 watts will either cause premature failure or possible fire. Remember that all the lights will have the same flicker rate.


----------



## Liam (Mar 23, 2007)

I used a fluorescent starter flicker circuit for a fireplace last year in my haunt, and I have to say it was my favorite effect. Simple, cheap, and really cool looking. I used the instructions from Halloween Propmaster, although some of the image links seem to be broken right now:

http://www.halloweenpropmaster.com/u-build-it3.htm


----------



## .id. (Jul 3, 2006)

I made one last year and it worked great. Just don't use the FS-4 starter....As I found out (and had to ask), it doesn't work. Stick with the FS-2 or FS-5 and it'll work great.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

Liam said:


> I used a fluorescent starter flicker circuit for a fireplace last year in my haunt, and I have to say it was my favorite effect. Simple, cheap, and really cool looking. I used the instructions from Halloween Propmaster, although some of the image links seem to be broken right now:
> 
> http://www.halloweenpropmaster.com/u-build-it3.htm


Hey! That's where I learned mine, too! LOL


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Thanks guys. I just finished putting together one; it's not what I would call fire-looking but it certainly looks like a light having some major electrical problems. It's mostly on, and randomly flicks out. Any ideas on how to make it sputtery-er? Would using a dimmer change anything? How about putting 2 starters on one circuit, has anyone tried that?


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Try a couple of different FS-2's. I find that each one is different.


----------



## Troy (Oct 14, 2006)

Revenant said:


> Thanks guys. I just finished putting together one; it's not what I would call fire-looking but it certainly looks like a light having some major electrical problems. It's mostly on, and randomly flicks out. Any ideas on how to make it sputtery-er? Would using a dimmer change anything? How about putting 2 starters on one circuit, has anyone tried that?


If you use a higher wattage bulb, it will flicker better, I used 50 watt red, orange & blue bulbs for my fire effect. Didn't have any issue except you will wear out the starter faster. I used one circuit per bulb...Also I noted that the FS-5 seemed to provide a little better flicker...As long as you use the proper inline fuse, safety shouldn't be a problem.


----------



## Otaku (Dec 3, 2004)

Thanks for the tip, Troy. I like to use low wattage bulbs, but I never tried an FS-5.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

For my shows, I just wired mine into an extension cord, and plugged shop lights with colored bulbs into the cord sockets.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Aww nertz... my Home Despot only has FS-2's. I'll hafta look around.

Hmm... I'm a big fan of dim light... ya think mebbe if I plug the whole shebang into a dimmer and dial it down I'll still get the improved flicker awarded by the higher wattage bulb? I guess its worth a shot... I need to get a dimmer anyway for another experiment...


----------



## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

Sickie Ickie said:


> I've also used the flicker unit with great success for faux fireplaces on stage.


OOh great idea. I have a gas fireplace that i cant use because the gas line isnt long enough i guess and iw as trying to figure out a way to make it look lit up. Im gunna do the faux finish on it. Can you adjust the amount of flicker?


----------



## darryl (Mar 23, 2006)

A little different, but I made one of these and have also used the flouro-starter flicker.
http://www.twistedvisions.org/index1.html
You have more controll of the flicker because of the dimmer switch. Both have their place and worked great for me. Used the box for lights in a room and the starter for a hanging light.


----------



## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

turtle, mine have been effective as they were so I didn't need to adjust.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Well, I made a dimmer box tonight and tried plugging the flouro-flick circuit into that to control the brightness... no go. Apparently once the voltage drops to a certain point the starter won't fire and the whole circuit stays dead. Maybe if the dimmer would come after the starter... so there's a flickering power supply that then gets dimmed, that'll give me a brightness-controlled flicker... hmm. Or maybe I'm playing with horrifically incompatible elements and the whole thing will go up in a flaming holocaust... I'll try that way next, and if you don't hear from me in the next couple of days, it was that last one.


----------



## TommaHawk (Sep 18, 2007)

I think that would work fine - having the flicker starter feeding power to the dimmer, and the dimmer feeding power to an outlet. Not sure if it would be hard on the dimmer... Let us know how it goes if you try it.


----------



## eanderso13 (Apr 10, 2008)

the dimmer is just a variable resistor...flickering power should't hurt it unless you're running it *REAL* hot...as in way too much current going through it.


----------



## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

I put a flourescent flicker on a dimmer a few years back, turning the dimmer down greatly reduced the flicker effect.


----------



## TommaHawk (Sep 18, 2007)

Was your flicker before or after the dimmer? I'd think that having the dimmer after the flicker would work really well - it's sending strong little pulses of "full power" to the dimmer, which cuts down the power run to the bulb - in a strong, dimmed flicker effect. Having the dimmer before the flicker cuts down on the power fed to the flicker, so it won't operate at full flicker capacity (which is "less" flicker").

Thinking out loud here - let me know if I'm talking out of the "wrong end".


----------



## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

I had the dimmer before the flicker, but I don't think it makes a difference. What I know of dimmers new and old is that the dimmer, light and starter would all be in series, meaning it would not matter what order they are in. I did a little reading and it looks like there are 2 basic types of dimmer, rheostat based (okd) and triac based (new). One thing I don't know is if you would get a different effect from the older rheostat type dimmers and the newer triac dimmers. I am pretty sure I was using a triac type dimmer, but I'm not positive. Best way to find out is to try it.


----------



## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Most AC lamp dimmers out there if I'm not mistaken are not variable resistors but pulse-width modulators. The juice coming out of the dimmer is at full flow but in pulses; the more "off" time the cycle has, the less total light. Causes less disruption in the circuit when you turn the dimmer high or low than a change in resistance would.


----------



## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Revenant said:


> Most AC lamp dimmers out there if I'm not mistaken are not variable resistors but pulse-width modulators. The juice coming out of the dimmer is at full flow but in pulses; the more "off" time the cycle has, the less total light. Causes less disruption in the circuit when you turn the dimmer high or low than a change in resistance would.


Right, from what I saw the pulse width modulator is the triac based one I was referring to. You are supposed to be able to tell sometimes because the light bulb will hum. Have you learned anything from your experiments?


----------



## Brad Green (Jul 29, 2004)

I've built a couple of starter flickers and had pretty good success, however I've had better results with the unit that Doug Fergusen shows on his Phantasmechanics page (The Pilot Flicker) http://www.phantasmechanics.com/fpilot.html It's a little more complicated than the starters, but if it's done right, your have a full range of control on the effect by way of the dimmer control. Goes from a bright, erratic flicker to a dim gaslight pulse.


----------



## heresjohnny (Feb 15, 2006)

Brad thats a good link, I remember seeing that a ways back but I've never built one. Another flicker that I want to try is described here http://www.jacksonmanor.net/manor.php?page=clflicker. An alternative may be to combine this and the pilot flicker, put several twinkle bulbs in a closed container, have several photoresistors in there aimed at different locations in the cluster of twinkle bulbs, with a dimmer on each photo resistor. Sorry for hijacking the thread some.


----------

