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Flashing Hazard Lights


James Compton

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You could take a cue from that circut idea and make a programable unit. If you look up an issue of Popular Electronics (might be called poptronics now) they have a 'no parts programmer' (name of the article) that basicly with a socket, a couple of transistors and a few resistors can program atmel 8bit microproccessor. The code is simple enough for those and you can buy basic compilers.

 

If you need something easier to program you can build a couple SCRs into a printer-port (isolated, of course, wouldnt want to fry the computer) that way you can program the flashing of up to 8 lights easily (256 if you make the design a bit more complicated) also through PWM you can add fading control through it. Run that program off a laptop and you'd be the coolest cat in town.

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I'm looking for a way to rig an automobile flasher/hazard light control module to a

set of 500 watt light fixtures. They are chinese lanterns with a regular socket attached.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to rig this?

Simple is it young Skywalker.

 

First you have to get a heavy duty flasher, the regular ones won't flash without a light bulb load. Use a 12 volt source like a wall wart (one of those little power supplies that plug directly into a wall outlet) to power the flasher, probably around a 1 amp supply should be big enough, and connect the output of the flasher and the 12 volt ground to a solid state relay's low voltage DC control input, many are rated 3 to 30 volts DC for the control input. SSR's are made in a hundred different sizes, get one conservatively rated at 240 volts and at least one amp per 500 watt lamp. Wire one side of the lamp circuit through the output side of the SSR and you should be done. It would be best to mount the SSR on an aluminum plate for a heat sink, any old chunk of 1/8" or so plate about one foot square should be okay if you make sure air can get to it, I'd mount it vertical so natural convection would cool it. WWW.Digikey.com should have an SSR that will work, I've picked them up at electrical suppliers in a pinch. Potter and Brumfield makes SSR's along with many others. If you give me a landline call at 405-359-1100 this evening I'll be at home and I can research some catalogs real quick for you.

 

Be sure to insulate the 120 volt AC terminals at the SSR, you wouldn't want to fry your gaffer (or yourself either). :D

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I designed a 2 channel alternating mains flasher for a fish and chip shop gag. It's 240v and I didn't sketch it with the idea anyone would be looking at the schematic, so you'll have to do some interpretation.

 

FlashSchem.bmp

 

 

Thanks. Many thanks to all of you. I am now off to the lab to construct my device.

 

 

James

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Notes on the circuit:

 

- Only one flash channel is shown. You need two of the output stage for an alternating 2 channel flasher.

 

- Variable flash rate is achieved via adjustment of the resistance labelled 10k-250k. This is a dual-ganged pot in series with a fixed resistor, one half for each side of the oscillator.

 

- The optocoupler is a triac driver eg., MOC3021. You could use sensitive-gate triacs and drive directly with the transistor and pullup resistor. You don't have to worry about which quadrant you're triggering the triac in if you're using an optocoupler.

 

- The optocoupler LED is driven via the transistor and pullup resistor, so insert between these components.

 

- The 39R/10n snubber is good manners but not necessary for function of the circuit.

 

- The 470n in the voltage dropper may need to be increased to give the astable oscillator enough V's for reliable operation.

 

- IT'S MAINS POWERED SO DON'T TRY THIS IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!

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Guest Patrick Nuse
I'm looking for a way to rig an automobile flasher/hazard light control module to a

set of 500 watt light fixtures. They are chinese lanterns with a regular socket attached.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to rig this?

 

A thermal flasher that has two terminals may work as long as the current in the circuit is the same as what it was designed for in a 12v circuit. but that would not alow you a very high wattage bulb though. plus the contacts

are not going to last as long at a higher voltage.

 

I'm looking for a way to rig an automobile flasher/hazard light control module to a

set of 500 watt light fixtures. They are chinese lanterns with a regular socket attached.

Does anyone have any ideas of how to rig this?

 

another quick easy option is a dimmer pack or switch pack for DJ lights. the switch packs are pretty cheap. they can only turn lights on and off and many have built in preset flash sequences. they are typically 600w per channel. should be somewhere around $150

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