Minty Strobe

Make a simple triggerable strobe for taking action photos with.

You will need:
A working disposable camera flash unit, and the knowledge of how to use one safely
An Altoids tin
Soldering iron and solder
Electrical tape
Wire (preferably stranded and solid core, but you could get away with either)
1 or 2 small electronics switches
AA battery
Digital camera capable of taking long-exposure pictures, preferably with a remote
Camera tripod

...and for the photos:
Thick card (I use cereal box card)
Corrugated cardboard
Kitchen foil
Something to take photos of (I use a .177 air pistol and sheets of ice or plastic cups and a Fireball gun- get creative)

You may also want:
Fan (for reducing flux smoke inhaled)
Zip ties
Small single AA battery holder
Crocodile clips
Multimeter
Two friends to help you take photos in darkness

Step 1: Remove flash circuit

If you have already done this, skip a step.

To open the camera, it may have screws holding the case together which you will need to remove, but most cameras just have plastic locking tabs holding the case on. Break these off, but avoid sticking a metal screwdriver into the case as shorting the wrong parts of the circuit board can wreck it. Once you have the flash unit out avoid touching the capacitor wires or exposed metal parts of the board until you have discharged the capacitor by shorting out the two wires with a metal object. I handle the board by the battery contacts (safe), the casing of the capacitor and the plastic front of the flash bulb.

Comments

[dallasfan458]

450 volts? I was screwing around with one and shocked my self...knocked me out...i looked up online the voltage...4000-7000 volts!

[Dodge]

That's the trigger plate voltage. The current in the trigger circuit is extremely low. The capacitor is the painful part. Mine charges up to about 330 vdc.

[harrycarry250]

I would recomend taping the whole circuit in tape so you dont electrucute your self with 300 VOLTS like i did p.s 300 volts is three times a wall socket!!

[diy_bloke]

:-) I guess we are safe then in Europe as 300 volts is less than 1,5 times a wall socket :-)

[snicker2632]

ya its okay to take a small dc shock as long as the "I" is very low. approx under 100mA.

[warmario]

You electrocuted yourself... And youre still alive! It's a miracle! LOL. (There is a difference between electrocute and severe shocks.) ;D

[sthealthraider]

Its 330 volt xD

[redcars101]

Is This:
http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G17175 a good Micro Trigger Coil for Xenon Tubes. How Do I use if theres only one at the top?

[AdamVigneaux]

IF you had been shocked by 300 volts, you WOULD be dead. A wall socket will injure you, and could possibly kill you. Three times a wall socket.... You would be a crisp.

[data23]

actually, 300 V at a VERY low amperage would not kill you! Its not the amount, but the RATE at which the energy flows that is dangerous!

[app0]

 Once I was shocked by 220V, 6A~ . Felt only a little vibration in my fingers(Touched a wire with bad insulation). I think I was isolated(I wore socks). But don't try it at home!!!

[stefannasehi]

(removed by author or community request)

[CharMio]

actually your wrong on that one, a guy in California antecedently killed his friend by shooting a piece of tissue at him in a prank, other than that, good metaphor

[stefannasehi]

(removed by author or community request)

[arduinoe]

data23 is right , but a camera flash can be up to 5 ma , dosent sound a lot but the lethal limit is 6-8ma , it would probably just hurt A LOT if you touched your finger on the charged capacitor , but if you had it going in one arm and out the other , and you had a weak heart , your dead fred

[bschran]

5amps not mA... 5 amps would be pretty nasty 5mA you probably wouldnt even feel much

[diy_bloke]

well, the problem is that 50uA can cause yr heart to go out of rhythm and fibrilate. That be kinda bad. A 'higher' current, if any effect on the heart would keep the electric acivity of the heart cells synchronised (but if too high, fry you)

[stefannasehi]

(removed by author or community request)

[arduinoe]

a new 9 V battery is  more like 150 -200 ma at the least , and as the volatge goes up the current goes down , converted to 30 V thats nothing , listen in physics  :P

[harrycarry250]

Well, when i stood up i fell over onto the floor. i just sat there a few until the numbness in my leg went away!! :)

[PKM]

A low-voltage (110 or 230 V), 50 or 60-Hz AC current through the chest for a fraction of a second may induce ventricular fibrillation at currents as low as 60 mA. With DC, 300 to 500 mA is required.

From the fount of all knowledge- it goes on to say that a current of 1ma can induce fibrillation if administered directly to the heart, but I think that's unlikely from one of these- even arm to arm is difficult, it's usually just across one hand.

[panzuman]

these things wont kill you but i use this loosely if the conditions were right (fat chance) it could kill you but me and my frnds make tazers with these and we are fine aside from the burn marks you get in your skin afterwards :)

[PKM]

A wall socket is unlikely to kill you unless you are wet, or unlucky, or have a heart condition. I've electrocuted myself with UK mains (230V RMS or about 325V peak) several times and had nothing more than a painful buzz. More to the point, I've electrocuted myself with probably tens of thousands of volts from a piezo sparker from a lighter which gives a small tingle. Volts don't kill you, amps do- that is why the same voltage from mains is just painful with dry skin but lethal with wet, more conductive skin when a higher current can flow. I haven't measured the voltage on a camera flash but the capacitor is rated for 330V so I assume it is of that magnitude, and I've electrocuted myself with those a number of times- it's a painful jolt, like mains electricity, but not serious.

[arduinoe]

its the volts that jolt and the millies that killy

[AdamVigneaux]

Haha, sorry guys, I didn't think that through before I posted it. Whoops! That's embarassing....

[etw]

Where is the LED connected to with its anode?

[joehudy]

thats funny i shock my self on accident all the time im cinda used to it lol

[GENERALCHAOS]

ps: oh yea i had a turntable box with wires cut clean long time ago and for some reason to touch the thing every time i walk by it 0,o very shocking

[GENERALCHAOS]

very shocking don't u agree ?

[qmde]

lol yes, very shocking xD

[GENERALCHAOS]

i like the pic u have 0.@ lmao

[Azurial]

that was the capacitor discharging ^_^

[OWNERMAN]

 I have been shocked by a capacitor, let holes in my finger. Ouch

[Cubie2]

yeah, be careful with those :)

[jonnyboy323]

 Heres a few i took. Excellent Instructable!

[whatevers]

when i was doning this mine went POP!

[MadBricoleur]

So, the pellet goes right through the foil then? Or is there something i missed. O_o

[neardood]

i suspect you compied the altoids box idea from me who copied some other poor dood, so could at least give me credit so i can give him credit?!?!?

[PKM]

OK... you did notice I posted this Instructable a year before you even joined, didn't you? :P Also saying "you copied the Altoids box idea" to anyone is like saying "Hey! I walk using my feet too, you copied that from me!"

[electricalman123]

True, tons of people use altoids tins for their instructables, and many other things..