Hey all,
Hope someone can provide some suggestions with an application I have.
I'm needing to put 4 12 volt D.C. alarm type strobe lights up, but I need them to flash all at the same time. I can pick up simple alarm strobe lights from one of my suppliers, but from past experiences the capacitor charge / discharge to fire the strobes will not be the same, and will vary with each unit.
I seriously doubt if it would be as simple as taking one unit, taking it apart, finding the value of the capacitor, multiple that times 4, and substitute a larger capacitor in the circuit to fire all 4 strobes from the same output.
Don't have a real concern with the flash rate, one flash every two seconds would be ideal, but as long as all 4 flash together. Will be putting the main circuitry in a splice box, then just running a pair of wires out to each strobe light. I figure the longest wire run would be 'maybe' 8 feet, the shortest wire run probably 3 feet. And can be flexible with the wire gauge, so I don't believe the resistance of the wire will come into play.
If anyone thinks that taking one strobe light circuit and substitute a larger capacitor into that circuit would work, I'd certainly would go that route, but I have to wonder if I would overload the circuit by trying to charge a larger capacitor in that circuit.
Don't want to even consider off the shelf automotive type strobe packages, as they are expensive, and typically have a strobe bulb designed to be installed into headlights or taillights after drilling a 1 inch hole for mounting. Those bulbs are too large for my application anyway, and even though they offer multiple flash patterns, I doubt if I could get all 4 to fire at once, about every two seconds. These were more designed for police and security vehicles, and to flash at different rates.
Hope someone has some suggestions of diagrams out there...
Thanks,