Halogen lamp flasher

[cmer]

I need to build a flasher unit that controls a 220 volts halogen lamp. I have tried to look for some circuits on the net, but the only circuits that I found were only to drive either LEDs or normal lamps. Thanks for your help.

 

[lancelot]

Aren't halogen lamps powered up by a cap. or ballast of some sort? (i.e transformer)
that would mean there's charge and discharge time...would make it really hard on the hardware to be "flashing it" no?

 

[audioguru2]

Hi Cmer,
Use a 555 low frequency oscillator to drive a relay. The relay provides the pulsing 220VAC to the lamp.

If you don't like a relay then use a triac or a solid state relay.

Hi Lancelot,
A halogen light bulb is an incandescent bulb with halogen gas inside. The gas causes the tungsten that is evaporated from the filament to be deposited back on the filament, instead of on the glass like in ordinary incandescent bulbs. Then the filament can have more current for a higher temperature and more light.
Fluorescent light tubes need a ballast.

It is very difficult to fully dim a fluorescent light tube. They fail sooner if they are flashed.
When an incandescent light bulb is flashed, then its filament has many current surges and fails soon. It draws about 10 times more current when it is cold. That is why they burn out when they are turned on.

 

[lancelot]

Sorry, was thinking of track lighting