JeffF Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 I have ~70 strobes I'm re-using from last year along with a few new ones this year and I had three defective "Daryl" strobes and three defective Action Lighting strobes.I've read AL strobes are sealed and can't be repaired but I spent about 10 minutes on two and got them open without any real damage(just some vice grip marks on the plastic base). Circuit wise it appears both brands are almost identical.One of the Daryl strobes had some cold solder joints and re-soldering fixed it. All the other strobes look fine inside but have an odor about them. So... what commonly goes bad in strobes? I see a few capacitors, a few diodes, a couple resistors, and a transistor. Doesn't really seem like much inside.Before I start poking around, I just thought I'd ask what people have found.Thanks in advance, Jeffp.s. It seems this year's Action Lighting strobes blink about twice as fast as the ones they sold last year. Using Daryl's strobes with these two types of AL strobes makes for a pretty nice affect. I also have 20 cruddy LED strobes and they are noticeably dimmer than the rest(but do add to the overall effect so I'm "happy"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffF Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Just wanted to update this in case someone else is also looking for how to repair strobes...http://www.landolights.com/main/content/view/110/39/Has loads and loads of good information!-Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl Lambert Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I was looking for that link to let you know. It was in a previous thread. I guess you beat me to it. I just checked my strobes the other night. I can't complain about the failure rate. Out of the 102 strobes, didn't purchase them from CLS but same manufacturer, only TWO dead. I did notice that some of the ones that hung down had moisture in them. Some were buried under 2 ' of snow by Jan. Leads me to believe the moisture is getting in through the socket.I also have a problem with drilling/burning weeping holes in them. If you do that your going to have to put that specific strobe in that specific socket and place it in the exact same location year after year to get the weeping holes to point down. Too much work IMHO.I'm just using silicone where the socket and base meet and conformal on the lens.Darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffF Posted November 24, 2009 Author Share Posted November 24, 2009 Wow, 2 out of 102... that's pretty darn good. I think I'm at right around 90-95 for this year and I didn't think 5 dead was too bad.I just stopped at our local electronic parts store and man... those 400v capacitors range from $1.85 to $2.85 each. Then I looked online and the price comes down to the $0.85 to $1.50 range per capacitor... but that's still pretty steep imho. Almost seems like your better off not wasting your time(at least during the season) repairing strobes... just buy replacements and be done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl Lambert Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 I'll just get replacements. It's not worth the time right now. @ $6.50 a bulb I don't know if it's worth me spending any time on it.Darryl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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