Last year they worked great, but this year I have about a 20% failure rate on these.  Does anyone know what part typically fails/requires replacement on these strobes (has anyone repaired one)?  I'd like to reburbish these and put them back out into the display.

 

 

Last year I had them in the superstrands on the mega tree.  This year I spread them across the yard for a different effect.  The effect is starting to thin out with the failures.

 

I took one apart but couldn't understand the circuit to troubleshoot it.  Is that a tiny neon lamp used in the circuit (the little glass thing, not the flash tube)?  Why? 

 

I did notice that the capacitors are charging, but nothing ever discharges.

 

 

-- copied from http://www.electro-tech-online.com/electronic-projects-design-ideas-reviews/100133-noob-needs-help-w-strobe-light.html - here . They said it better than I could have tried to explain it!

 

Carey

Tested in known good socket (I can swap to another working strobe).  Yes, they are pain in the neck Action sockets where you have to bend the tab every time you use it.

 

No corrosion, although it looks like a 4 year old could do a better solder job.  I continuity checked from part to part though, so although the joints could use a reflow that isn't what is wrong. 

 

The caps are charging (they are reaching 90V on the DMM), so I'll check from the neon lamp onward.  It'll probably wind up being the SCR... semiconductors are usually the weakest link.

 

Originally posted by deweycooter A couple years ago, I had pretty much the opposite numbers you have - 4 of 20 working.  I had found that the sockets that I bought (from ActionLighting?) weren't very reliable as far as making contact with the bulb.  So definitely start there if you're in that boat.  A user on PC had repaired some - here's what he told me in a PM: _____Original Message_____ Date: 2007-11-20 22:33:28 Subject: Re: Fixing Strobes I pretty much documented what I found with my bad ones. Typically it turned out to be the part that had the most corrosion! After that, it was pretty hit or miss. Check both sides of the board for obvious signs of arcing, or a 'white powdery' look. Either indicates water problems. Clean it up, check for broken traces (jump them if they are), and replace the parts where the arc occurred. Basically there are 2 circuits in there you have to worry about. The 'charging' circuit is what loads up the big cap. I test that side by plugging in the strobe, unplugging it, and then shorting across the terminals of the big cap. If I get a spark, it's working! Otherwise I work backward from there swapping parts out with another strobe. The 'firing' circuit is what causes the tube to flash. I test this side by charging the strobe (plugging it in, then unplugging it), and then shorting across the 2 terminals of the neon lamp. If the strobe fires, replace the lamp - otherwise replace the 2 small (or sometimes 1 medium) caps and try again. There are only a few components on the strobe, so it's easy to just swap parts until it works.