When most of us think of communication we think of phones, the Internet, or just talking to each other in person. But sometimes we need to instantly convey a message in the simplest and most effective way possible. This need for effective communication with a distant party dates back to ancient Babylon. Early Babylonians used to equip guard posts with flame beacons enabling them to pass simple warning signs quickly without the need of a human runner to deliver the message. Basically, a beacon is a device that is intentionally designed to draw attention.
Nowadays, strobe light warning is one of the most common practices. A strobe light is simply a device that produces patterned flashes of light and is has a wide range of applications in our everyday life. This includes airports, weather beacons, navigation, lighthouses, traffic signs, factories, specialized vehicles, hazardous areas, and yes, this includes even the party strobe lighting that produces that slow motion effect in dance clubs.
Due to the major advances in light emitting technology, LEDs are now becoming more and more popular in the mainstream strobe light warning industry. When you compare them with other more conventional light sources, such as incandescent or fluorescent, an LED offers a much longer service life, it is more energy efficient, and provides equal or even better light characteristics. All this translates to years of quality and maintenance free operation with a significant return of investment.
There are many types of strobe warning lights available on the market today. Here are some that are worth mentioning.
Flashing strobe beacons use glass tubes which are filled with xenon gas and produce a bright flash when energized. This type of technology is used for strobe beacons as well as flash photography. The typical rate of flashes is once per second, but that can may vary depending on what the device is used for.
Rotating mirror lights on the other hand, use a halogen lamp combined with a motorized reflector which spreads a concentrated light beam over a 360 degrees area. The most popular use for this type of lights is moving vehicles or alarm systems.
LED strobe lights are one of the most versatile choices. They can provide continuous, blinking, rotating, and many other operating modes. All that combined with low energy consumption and durability, makes them an excellent choice for various purposes. Their significant shock and vibration tolerance along with the long life characteristics makes them perfect for use on machinery.
One of the toughest strobe lights though, are marine lights. This type of lights is specifically built to withstand the toughest environments. They are resistant to moisture, salt, chemicals, shock, and vibration. You can find them available with both a xenon flash or with multi-functional LED technology.
