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Components and Circuits For discussions about component types, alternatives and availability, circuit configurations and modifications etc. Discussions here should be of a general nature and not about specific sets.

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Old 29th Sep 2017, 6:56 pm   #1
Dylan85
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Default A Flasher - what for?

The attached pictures are of a 'flasher' unit which recently came into my possession. It has male / female bayonet fittings at opposite ends such that one end would accept a standard domestic lamp and the other would plug into a standard domestic pendant fitting. On one side is moulded 'FLASHER WILL NOT INTRFERE WITH RADIO & TV. MADE IN ENGLAND PAT APP FOR.' On the other side is moulded what appears to be a stylised makers logo 'WG or possibly WIG' followed by '200 - 250V 25 Watts' It appears to be based on a bi-metal thermal mechanism internally, so the claim of no interference is a bit suspect to my mind. Anyway, does anyone know to what purpose this unit would have been for? If anyone would like it for their collection please pm me. Dylan
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 6:58 pm   #2
ms660
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Xmas lights?

Lawrence.
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 7:04 pm   #3
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

They were used for things like christmas-tree-lights and shopfront/advertising displays.
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 7:04 pm   #4
Biggles
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

For an advertising display? instead of the usual neon sign, or maybe for use in a good old pelican crossing, which could be about the right wattage.
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 7:09 pm   #5
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

The "no interference" claim might imply an elderly waxy across the contacts waiting to go bang.... Or possibly a more trustworthy BS415 disc ceramic.
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 7:14 pm   #6
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

WG would suggest Ward and Goldstone, George Scholes of Manchester, famous for Wylex electrical products. The fabulous unique mains plugs, consumer units etc.
Way back to my school days I remember taking my French 'O' level exam ( failed miserably ) when some wag had fitted one of these into a light fitting in the exam room. Our unliked master was not impressed. Thinking that the persistent flashing was due to a human hand, he sniffily said that "They will get fed up before I do" Wrong!
Purpose? Display and shop sign lights? Heaven forbid that early MES bulb Christmas tree lights would be subjected to this treatment though extension leads with male and female BC ends were common at one time.
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 7:17 pm   #7
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

The "WG" logo is probably "Ward & Goldstone" who were one of the big electrical-manufacturers in the decades following WWII.

http://www.leigh-lancashire.com/foru...p?topic=7601.0

https://invisiblehistoriesproject.wo...ard-goldstone/

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Ward_and_Goldstone
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Old 29th Sep 2017, 9:50 pm   #8
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

When I was a kid (late 50s, early 60s), we definitely had something like this to make the Christmas tree lights flash on and off.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 1:04 am   #9
emeritus
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

I still have a similar, but not identical, one of these, rated 40W. Dad bought it in the mid-1950's for our Christmas tree lights, the Pifco ones with 12 x 20V 3W MES bulbs, i.e. a total load of 36W. As a child I did try using it with a 60W bulb: it gave one flash and died, although it did recover and worked with the Christmas tree lights after it had cooled down.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 7:32 am   #10
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philips210 View Post
I wonder if the flash rate depends on the bulb power rating.
It almost certainly would. I have something similar, which uses a bimetallic strip, so the higher the bulb rating the faster it heats up and breaks the circuit. Presumably, the cooling down time will be unaffected, so the "on" time will be a smaller proportion of the cycle for a higher-rated bulb. I'm a little surprised, though, by the comment about a reduced current increasing the flash rate.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 8:23 am   #11
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Biggles View Post
or maybe for use in a good old pelican crossing, which could be about the right wattage.
Alan.
I suspect you mean Zebra Crossing.

A Pelican looks like traffic signals but does have a flashing sequence

The Pelican was first introduced in 1969.

Cheers

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Old 30th Sep 2017, 10:01 am   #12
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

They were often used in shop advertising displays. I have an EverReady shop display which employs one.
Regards.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 10:58 am   #13
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

We had one of those (made by Pifco?) for our Christmas tree lights in late 1950s and 1960s. It was plugged into a (switched?) 2-way adaptor put into a standard lamp next to the tree. I don't recall any problem with RFI so the capacitor across the contacts must have worked OK.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 3:22 pm   #14
Biggles
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Ok Mike, thanks for the correction. I suspect most people worked out what I meant. Those crossings with the flashing orange ball things stuck on top of poles...now then back to the Thunderbirds movie on Film 4! I bet Gerry Anderson used a few of those things in his film sets.
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Old 30th Sep 2017, 3:26 pm   #15
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Belisha Beacon...

Lawrence.
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Old 1st Oct 2017, 11:28 am   #16
Philips210
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Hi.

I noticed a number of posts are missing from this thread. Could it be that the thread strayed into engineering related to cars? It was only a brief but related subject regarding the car flasher units and thought it was nevertheless useful information provided by G6Tanuki. I certainly learnt something from it and I'm sure others will. Perhaps then it could be split into a new thread? It's a shame the information is not viewable anymore.

Regards
Symon.
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Old 1st Oct 2017, 12:56 pm   #17
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Default Re: A Flasher - what for?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philips210 View Post
Could it be that the thread strayed into engineering related to cars?
It did, and the technical discussion about the various sorts of electromechanical flashers was informative. Maybe that bit could be stickied and locked in the "Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items" category?
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