Not a YAPP but is this a PP

[Sailingsaves]

Pointless project?

To me it is useful and I have been using it for ages.

Question is, do any of you find it useful?

It is a box about the size of a match box, holds an AAA rechargeable battery that is charged during daylight hours via stamp sized solar panel (even works in shade).

It strobes a bright LED (I use white) and it is placed down my side passage, so any thieves at 1am walking down pitch black street see it and think (or get confused) this place is too weird / dodgy to bother with and move along (we do have burglar alarm view-ably active at eves of house)

This thing strobes non-stop, 24/7 365 days, waterproof and never needs attention.

Price to build was 99p parts, plus battery, plus potting box (79p?) plus half hour soldering (because I am slow).

the strobe is very fast - very eye catching.

I am now making different coloured ones.

Wife says we won't have to put up Christmas lights with all my experiments going on around the house / garden.

Do you think this has a use to anyone but me?

 

[alahol2]

Friend has a flashing red led (that's all it does) on his hatch garage. He's never been broken into so it must work.

 

[SailorBill]

Sounds like a good idea for a pseudo burglar alarm-type warning light, but I'd prefer the light to flash something like on for one second and off for two seconds, rather than a rapid strobe, and also for the device to be fitted with an on/off switch.

 

[Sailingsaves]

Thanks for that.

I should have said that I did not design it to strobe at a spec. frequency.

I just found 2 cheap circuits, 99p one ready made and another, and by coupling them the product was made (and placed in a a box).

Benefits for me are:

Fit and forget - no turn on of off, no battery replacement, maintenance free.

To begin with I had to replace the battery every 3 months but now I have added the tiny solar panel it is maintenance free.

Only use I can see is as burglar deterrent or with a LOT of thinking and additional engineering, a very long lasting lifejacket light (with no solar panel) or liferaft light (with solar panel).

Simplicity is its feature, with just one or 2 benefits I think.