Battery Battery powered Rotating Beacon

[dquake]

Hello
Hope everyone is well and thanks for creating this forum.

I'm looking for some help for a project I'm doing.
It's a Short Film where I would like a red rotating beacon to cast its light on a solider running in a bunker's corridor.

I found a rotating beacon that comes with a car plug


How can I convert this to battery powered (like AA or similar maybe? or a small lead battery?) and hang it off a wall without having it to look like it's extruding too much due to the battery size?

Thanks a lot for any advice

 

[Strima]

How long do you need it to run for? Or could you extend the cable and place a car battery out of sight?

 

[dquake]

How long do you need it to run for? Or could you extend the cable and place a car battery out of sight?

Hi Strima

I think 5min would be ideal, and eventually carrying extra batteries.

Or run a long cable and convert it to 13amp
Is it possible to do that?

 

[James]

8 x AA batteries will run it, but for how long? Half an hour to an hour as a guess.

 

[dquake]

8 x AA batteries will run it, but for how long? Half an hour to an hour as a guess.

That would be even more of what I would need.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

You could lose the curly cable and connect it to a mains powered 12V DC universal power supply, this would also give the benefit of remote switching.

 

[dquake]

Thanks for all the hints

If I would like to have it powered by AA batteries what should I get/do please?

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Thanks for all the hints

If I would like to have it powered by AA batteries what should I get/do please?

You need an 8xAA battery holder, check the available real estate inside the beacon, you’ll probably want a stacked 2x4 variant and not a line of 8

 

[dquake]

You need an 8xAA battery holder, check the available real estate inside the beacon, you’ll probably want a stacked 2x4 variant and not a line of 8

And wiring? Does the holder comes with an adapter or do I need a special converter?

 

[westward10]

Get a few of these and plug them into a car.

Hama 116028 6m Extension Cable for Vehicle Cigarette Sockets, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Hama 116028 6m Extension Cable for Vehicle Cigarette Sockets, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Deleted member 105166]

And wiring? Does the holder comes with an adapter or do I need a special converter?

Have a look at what’s available, you’ll probably need to re-route the cabling which is currently external, and I imagine, fit a switch.

 

[dquake]

I see

Thanks Mitch will post picture if I don't blow up XD

 

[Zerax]

Can I suggest that the OP asks an engineering friend to help him... I get the feeling he might not even know which way to turn a screwdriver. (no offence intended, I'm thinking safety here)

 

[DPG]

Can I suggest that the OP asks an engineering friend to help him... I get the feeling he might not even know which way to turn a screwdriver. (no offence intended, I'm thinking safety here)

The risk is minimal in this case, I can't see a problem.

 

[Admin]

Hello
Hope everyone is well and thanks for creating this forum.

I'm looking for some help for a project I'm doing.
It's a Short Film where I would like a red rotating beacon to cast its light on a solider running in a bunker's corridor.

I found a rotating beacon that comes with a car plug
View attachment 52028

How can I convert this to battery powered (like AA or similar maybe? or a small lead battery?) and hang it off a wall without having it to look like it's extruding too much due to the battery size?

Thanks a lot for any advice

Wow. That sounds proper unique!

Any chance you can link us to the film once done, or is it commissioned for somebody and you can't?

@buzzlightyear please don't delete posts that way, report them instead and ask for them to be deleted. @TonyMitchell (christ we have a lot of Tony's when I try to @ you!) please report the initial post rather than quoting it. When you quote it, we have to read the thread and find the quotes to delete those too. It's double the housekeeping work then.

Cheeeerrrrssss

 

[buzzlightyear]

soorrrrrrry Dan dare I was trying to send a link for the op and my mobile was not having it ,what it was send was random numbers .any way back at the ranch .

 

[Admin]

soorrrrrrry Dan dare I was trying to send a link for the op and my mobile was not having it ,what it was send was random numbers .any way back at the ranch .

Bless you. No problem matey. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[PEG]

Hi,may i suggest to the OP,that they would be better hollowing out that beacon,and getting a small,cheap xenon pcb,off the net. They can have a variety of pulse characteristics,and usually,are powered by AA or AAA batteries.

I did a heath robinson lash up,years ago,for such an ask,which was two 9V batteries,with the stud of one,pushed in to the castle of the other,and take your 18V DC off the remaining two.

You won't get long,and it is a very expensive way round it,if using Duracell

 

[Admin]

Might want the rotating action from the light to look a bit more authentic in the movie? Mind you if it's to mimic american police cars or something, pulse might work too, dunno.

 

[DPG]

Yeah I don't think a flashing xenon is going to give the effect he is after.

 

[Admin]

Was it @davesparks who worked on the Dr Who time machine room thingy-me-bob? (sorrrrry to Dr Who fans, I should know the name of that, I don't watch it though!)

That has a million flashing lights and things. He might even have some left over?

 

[dquake]

Hey @Dan

I think I will be able to share a private link to the video as festival not always requires a "single-use" screening. Not commissioned (I wish!), just a hobby

Hope I can get it done though!


I had a look a look around. The housing for 8x AA batteries only have two cables, red and black. I'm thinking to cut the beacon's car plug and see the wiring inside or buy a converter from car-female to red+black (actually used to jump start the cars)

Not sure about voltage/watts though. I'll try to get the beacon's manual

@Zerax never too safe, thanks for the warnings. I go as far as fitting a PSU in a PC so any help is appreciated

 

[DPG]

Connect the red wire from the battery pack to the wire that goes to the centre pin of the car dc plug. And the black wire to the other one.

 

[davesparks]

Was it @davesparks who worked on the Dr Who time machine room thingy-me-bob? (sorrrrry to Dr Who fans, I should know the name of that, I don't watch it though!)

That has a million flashing lights and things. He might even have some left over?

I'm not guilty of that one, all my entertainment industrt work has been in theatre and live events rather than any film or TV work.

And its a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space)

 

[dquake]

Connect the red wire from the battery pack to the wire that goes to the centre pin of the car dc plug. And the black wire to the other one.

Thanks will do.

 

[dquake]

Hi everyone!

So I managed to do it, but it's rotating really slow (see video here)

It's a 8x AA to power a 12V H1 lamp.
The instruction on the beacon says I can change the internal engine belt to 24V.
If I daisy-chain the batteries packs, like 2x 8xAA, will it go faster?
Can I daisy chain 3x to feed power into it? Will the lamp blow?
(Manual says 18V to 34V for 24V fitting) Should do up to 180rpm