Mini Stroboscope
Physics teachers often rely on test equipment to make certain phenomena observable. Stroboscopes are useful for getting a closer look at vibrating strings and rotating motor parts. Conventional stroboscopes however will often not flash at a rate fast enough to ‘stop’ the motion for observation. The author is of the belief that a hands-on physical demonstration is worth a hundred hours of ‘chalk and talk’ whiteboard explanations.
Materials
Gerber file
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Component list
R1,R6 = 4.7kOhm
R2 = 22kOhm
R3,R5 = 1kOhm
R4 = 2.2kOhm
R7.R8.R9 = 1Ohm
R10 = 220Ohm
R11 = 10kOhm
P1 = 47kOhm, potentiometer, linear
Capacitors
C1 = 1000µF 10V, radial, pitch 5mm, diam. max. 13mm, 1 A ripple current (Farnell # 1165601)
C2,C3,C5,C7 = 100nF, MKT, pitch 5 or 7.5mm
C4 = 2.2nF, MKT, pitch 5 or 7.5mm
C6 = 22nnF, MKT, pitch 5 or 7.5mm
Semiconductors
D1 = 1N4148
D2 = BAT42
D3 = Power-LED, OSRAM type LCW CQ7P.PC-KTLP-5J7K
T1 = BC546
T2 = BC639
T3 = IRLU024NPbF (TO-251AA)
IC1 = TS556 or TLC556 (DIP16)
Miscellaneous
S1 = on/off switch, 1 A
S2 = on/off switch
LS1 = loudspeaker, 8Ohm 200mW
BT1 = 4 pcs AA alkaline battery with holder
3 pcs 2-way PCB screw terminal blocks, pitch 5mm, for BT1, S1 and D3
3 pcs 2-way pinheader, pitch 0.1”, for LS1, S2 and P1
PCB # 120055-1
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