Spinning Police Light

[GraysonLights09]

Does anyone use, or have used, a spinning beacon (police) light in their display? I think it would be cool to have one red and one blue for the beginning of Ghostbusters, but don't know which ones to order/where to order from.

I've tried looking on Amazon, but most are either battery operated, or wouldn't make it through our Wisconsin weather.

If you have one, could you please attach the link to the store you bought it from? I've attached a picture of my general idea.

 Thanks

[Box on Rails]

They come in many colors. these will work with an AC controller. 

https://www.werma.com/en/s_c1001i2834/Mini_TwinFLASH_115-230VAC_RD/26012060.html

https://www.werma.com/en/s_c1002i2386/LED_Siren_BM_32_tne_115-230VAC_BU/43150060.html

Edited August 3 by Box on Rails

[johnwayne]

Don't overthink this.  

This $10 version from Amazon will work fine: https://www.amazon.com/Rotating-Flashing-Beacon-Warning-Emergency/dp/B0D5WW795V. 

Connect the beacon to a cheap 5vdc power supply.  Plug the power supply into one channel of an AC controller, tweak your sequence (don't dim the police beacon channel... just on or off)  and you're good to go.

I've never lost one because of weather but even if i did, a new one is inexpensive.

[TheDucks]

59 minutes ago, johnwayne said:

Don't overthink this.  

This $10 version from Amazon will work fine: https://www.amazon.com/Rotating-Flashing-Beacon-Warning-Emergency/dp/B0D5WW795V. 

Connect the beacon to a cheap 5vdc power supply.  Plug the power supply into one channel of an AC controller, tweak your sequence (don't dim the police beacon channel... just on or off)  and you're good to go.

I've never lost one because of weather but even if i did, a new one is inexpensive.

A Gen 3 AC controller has a On / Off setting on the dimming curve (use HU).

Another choice is Ungroup a RGB port on a CMB24 if you are using 12VDC strobes (strobes do not take well to dimming. Spin Motors even less)

[dibblejr]

I used an AC controller to. Control one for Ghostbusters as well as the Thin Blue Line song I did.

All I did was plug it in to a channel on teh cintroller and add sequence whenever I wanted it to come on for the duration and then no sequence for off.

It’s that simple. I used the same technique to power all of my inflatables as well. They are a little different since I had to test to get the timing correct for fully inflate when needed, that ment changing any light bulbs as well so they would not be in during inflation.

Everyone said I would ruin triacs- I had no bad triacs. 
 

Happy lighting

JR

[Orville]

Or you could use smart RGB Floodlights to emulate the flashing red/blue lights like on top of a police vehicle.

On my phone, so don't have access to the test sequence I made to test it out.  It worked out even better than I expected.

When I get on my Desktop, I'll post the sequence for the RGB Smart Floods(HC) I used.

Don't think I've seen bubblegum machines(rotating beacons) on emergency vehicles now for many years.  Mostly all L.E.D. Light Bars now.

[k6ccc]

3 hours ago, Orville said:

Don't think I've seen bubblegum machines(rotating beacons) on emergency vehicles now for many years.  Mostly all L.E.D. Light Bars now.

Nope.  Have not seen a bubblegum machine around here on a car in decades.  You do still see them on low budget or old installations on non-public safety trucks and sometimes large fire trucks (which often have more lights than you can shake a stick at).

 

[TheDucks]

But the old bubblegum lights had a unique look because of the reflector. The beam gets brighter as it spins closer to you.and dimmer as it went past

 

I remember heading North on 101  at o-dark thirty and seeing the flashing orange (later blue) beacons on billboard leading to Wizins Cornell Corners

(pretty much nothing else around there in the 60's  except half a dozen billboards with these beacons)

[Little_b]

I used a couple once a few years back.  I just plugged them into one of the AC controllers and turned it on when needed.  I just set the channed to be either on or off, no dimming.  The only thing I had issues with  was that they just weren't very bright, especially on cameral.  Mine have an incandecent bulb, so maybe if you can get ones that are LED and bright, you may have better luck.  I just never went back to using them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxevrME41x0