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120 VAC 100 watt Lamp Flasher Circuit

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HarveyH42

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I'm looking to make a 100 watt light bulb flash at about 2 Hz. I did some looking around, only found a couple but they were for 220 mains. I'm almost exlusively a low voltage guy (hate electric shock...). Kind of hoping for an AC solution, rather than a low voltage circuit switching the mains.

I was thinking about how a strobe light circuit works, charge a capacitor until a neon lamp conducts, triggering an SCR. Seems simple, until trying to figure out part values, which SCR/Triac, ect... Maybe there is a simpler solution, so figured it could hurt to ask.
 
a transformerless power suply, a 555(or PIC10Fxxx) and a triac should do the job.

Common transformerless PSu are capacitive dropper.
 
It's for an outdoor application, and thinking its 110 AC in 110 AC out, a low voltage control wouldn't be the best solution. A simple transistor oscilator would suffice, no need for chips on this one.

I don't mean to offend, but household AC power and lamps have been around over a hundred years now, transistors are about 40 years old... There must be something much simpler than a PIC to flash a 100 watt lamp on and off.
 
Here's the simplest circuit I've found, but it's 220 VAC. I need 110, and not sure if this would handle a 100 watt bulb. I really hate messing with stuff that can shock me, but sometimes you got to take a few risks.

I'll mess with the values, and see if can get this to work off 110, without burning up too mant components.
 

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Reduce R1 to 51K, beef up the diodes (1N5408) and the SCR to a higher current rating (3A+). Make sure the gate sensitivity of the SCR is the same or lower.
 
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