Can someone explain to me, exactly how strobes (not LED) work? The way I think, is a capacitor gets involved and then steps up the voltage. When it is at the right point, a trigger charge somehow fires it off. I mean that's the best vision I have. I'd like way more detail though. Maybe also explain why multi-flaah stuff works with less time to build to that high voltage.
Strobes - Technical
- Thread starter Wolfie
- Start date
MtnMan
Member
I’ll give it a try. In the power supply, a step-up circuit charges a large capacitor to about 600 VDC. The positive and negative sides of the capacitor are connected to the ends (anode and cathode) of the strobe tube, which is filled with an inert gas like xenon. The gas is normally nonconductive, so nothing happens until the trigger wire wrapped around the tune gets zapped with a much larger voltage (several kV). This causes the some of the gas inside to ionize and become conductive. The stored charge in the capacitor rushes though the tube, ionizing the rest of the gas and releasing light and heat energy. All of this happens in less than a millisecond, and then the gas is back to its original state.
The problem with strobes is that a single flash is almost too brief for the eye to perceive it (cameras are even slower, which is why strobes look so weak in videos). Multiple flashes in rapid succession blur together and increase the visual persistence of the strobe. Attached is a Whelen brochure describing their flash patterns.
Much, much more detail here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashtube
The problem with strobes is that a single flash is almost too brief for the eye to perceive it (cameras are even slower, which is why strobes look so weak in videos). Multiple flashes in rapid succession blur together and increase the visual persistence of the strobe. Attached is a Whelen brochure describing their flash patterns.
Much, much more detail here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashtube
What to remember is that with multiple flashes the peak flash will decrease.
If you have a power supply that, let say, have 16 Joules in single flash it will not be 16 Joules per flash in double flash.
It is only the total power that will be 16 Joules.
Depending of the construction it might have 12 Joules in the primary flash and 4 Joules in the secondary flash.
If you have a quad flash power supply rated 16 Joules you will have even lesser peak flash energy, let say, first flash 10 Joules and the following three flashes have 2 Joules each.
What you get are lower peak flashes but a longer light time which is more visible.
There are some quite good single flash strobes and there are some not so good multiple flash strobes made.
Michael
If you have a power supply that, let say, have 16 Joules in single flash it will not be 16 Joules per flash in double flash.
It is only the total power that will be 16 Joules.
Depending of the construction it might have 12 Joules in the primary flash and 4 Joules in the secondary flash.
If you have a quad flash power supply rated 16 Joules you will have even lesser peak flash energy, let say, first flash 10 Joules and the following three flashes have 2 Joules each.
What you get are lower peak flashes but a longer light time which is more visible.
There are some quite good single flash strobes and there are some not so good multiple flash strobes made.
Michael