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**DONOTDELETE**
Guest
I built a neat baby strobe flasher for myself and a friend of mine, using the Chicago Mini white LED that Digi-Key sells (CMD333UWC-ND, $3) and a Radio Shack blinkie light. The stock Radio Shack part is RS #61-852, $5.</p>
This is sold as a safety flasher. It runs off a CR2032 3V lithum cell, with a flasher chip, a momentary pushbutton and a 2000mcd red LED in a clear plastic two-piece case and belt clip. The LED fires upwards against a diffuser across the front of the flasher. It's a *very* ingenious design, actually, as it manages to convert a 20-degree angle LED into a (bright!) bar of light.</p>
It looks better than you would think with the stock LED, but it is *COOL* with the white LED! From what I can tell, the circuit slightly underdrives the LED (3.0V vs. the 3.75V forward voltage that the Chicago Mini light is rated for) so no special precautions are needed--just solder it in.</p>
The pushbutton is one of those very cheap membrane buttons like you would find on a $3 game controller and is activated by a stud on the casing, so it is *very* hard to turn on and off. That's the only bad part.
</p>
The only other step you may want to take is to put some reflective foil (aluminum or copper tape, or even a white label) on the top of the flasher, since the LED beams directly at it and will make a distracting flash if you mount it on your belt as intended.</p>
The battery should last a long while. I accidentally left the prototype in a U-Haul overnight and it was still blinking when my friend picked it up for me the next morning. </p>
Obviously, this isn't exactly a flashlight. But it's a cheap and very cool alternative to the dull red blinkies ("target indicators") that all the yuppie joggers use. Now that Radio Shack is selling white LED's, this is just the thing to try!</p>
Have fun!
Dave</p>
This is sold as a safety flasher. It runs off a CR2032 3V lithum cell, with a flasher chip, a momentary pushbutton and a 2000mcd red LED in a clear plastic two-piece case and belt clip. The LED fires upwards against a diffuser across the front of the flasher. It's a *very* ingenious design, actually, as it manages to convert a 20-degree angle LED into a (bright!) bar of light.</p>
It looks better than you would think with the stock LED, but it is *COOL* with the white LED! From what I can tell, the circuit slightly underdrives the LED (3.0V vs. the 3.75V forward voltage that the Chicago Mini light is rated for) so no special precautions are needed--just solder it in.</p>
The pushbutton is one of those very cheap membrane buttons like you would find on a $3 game controller and is activated by a stud on the casing, so it is *very* hard to turn on and off. That's the only bad part.
</p>
The only other step you may want to take is to put some reflective foil (aluminum or copper tape, or even a white label) on the top of the flasher, since the LED beams directly at it and will make a distracting flash if you mount it on your belt as intended.</p>
The battery should last a long while. I accidentally left the prototype in a U-Haul overnight and it was still blinking when my friend picked it up for me the next morning. </p>
Obviously, this isn't exactly a flashlight. But it's a cheap and very cool alternative to the dull red blinkies ("target indicators") that all the yuppie joggers use. Now that Radio Shack is selling white LED's, this is just the thing to try!</p>
Have fun!
Dave</p>
