Thanks for the info I shall attempt to check the board for component alignment and track breaks.

Chris E.

Quote from: throgmorton on Oct 11, 2008, 03:31 amThanks for the info I shall attempt to check the board for component alignment and track breaks.

Chris E.

Got it sorted it was a wiring problem there was no power as such getting to the output bridged one of the output terminals and Voila it works.

Chris E.

Thought you may like to know that The Quality Save Stores are selling a Light Unit that flashes 1 pulse per second up to a full stroboscope effect. (and any point in between)

It contains two High Power white LED's with a reflector built in to its plastic case. Powered by 4 AA batteries. Comes with a mounting bracket. 8-)

Maybe ideal to power Lamp on Tardis Roof or other such application?
Cost is only £1.99!!

Perhaps dismantling it and removing the electronics maybe an option to get it to fit were you wish?

Chris E.

On my build we used a circuit from Maplin, but also used a clear car indicator bulb.   

I have the 1996 TVM, and even in that, it didn't fade in and out...

Hmm... interesting... did it really fade in and out or was it a quirk of the filming?

Hmm.. it may well have been a quirk of film vs. videotape filming, hadn't thought about that...  I can almost picture some early episodes with a quick flash (troughton/pertwee) and some with a warm-up/cool-down filament, and then of course there was the police panda car light..

From what I gather, the fading effect is down to the bulb being a pretty high wattage (100watt?).

When the current is cut from the bulb, the filament takes a short while to cool down, giving the fading effect.

I needed the same effect for another project, and this was the conclusion I came to.

I am suspecting that there are other ways to achieve the effect, maybe some sort of electronic circuit that creates a fadeing voltage, but I have no idea how to construct one!

I was idly switching a domestic halogen lamp on and off the other day (clearly one of my less full and active days) and I noticed how it fades off... and fades back on again (if something _can_ 'fade on').

Could this give the effect that you're looking for? - though I don't know how well it would take to being switched repeatedly in this way. It was one of the low-voltage ones on a transformer.

Hmm aren't halogens those teeny tiny litle bulbs, that contain the heat of 1,000 suns?
I think I'll try a 100/150 watt jobbie and see how that does first...
Besides which, I don't think Optimus Prime would fit inside... (really, really bad joke.)

I don't  get it.

No, neither did I!

Anyhow, don't forget that the type of lens you use for the lamp will make a (slight) difference to how the lamp-fade-effect works.

Speaking of halogens though, I have one of those huge torch/spotlight things (£20 ish from homebase) and apart from getting pretty hot, when you turn it off, there is indeed a fade.

Just to plonk in my fourpenneth for what it's worth - i had (and still have actually) a DAPOL TARDIS and on one very boring day I decided to film a demat/materialisation sequence on my video camera. Quite proud of it actually. Anyhow, when I watched it back I'd dubbed over vworp vworp noise to coincicide with the light flashing and that seemed to fade on and off so maybe the theory about it being to do with the filming effect is slightly plausible.

At the mention of Transformers, I recalled the 80's cartoon series 'The Transformers' - cars, planes, trucks, etc, which transformed into robots...  I did say it was a bad joke...

I'll snag a video camera and point it toward some different bulbs in a lamp and see what happens (I'm sure if you've got a good vidcam with changable ISO speeds (or whatever they're called for a vidcam), that might work, too...)

I get it now, my own fault for not ready the previous post (would have got it quicker if I had!)