Rummaging through my buckets of stuff I came across this little curiosity...
On the back are some interesting inscriptions...
The top says "Outlet **inker" and the bottom says "100 Watts - 115 Volts". Hmmmm..... I tried looking into the holes and cracks, but couldn't see anything definitive. So, I stuck a 40W bulb in my trouble light (it originally had a 150W bulb), plugged it all in - and whadda know!? It BLINKS!
See?!?! (Sorry - the video is sideways...)
On the back are some interesting inscriptions...The top says "Outlet **inker" and the bottom says "100 Watts - 115 Volts". Hmmmm..... I tried looking into the holes and cracks, but couldn't see anything definitive. So, I stuck a 40W bulb in my trouble light (it originally had a 150W bulb), plugged it all in - and whadda know!? It BLINKS!See?!?! (Sorry - the video is sideways...)
These used to be used for blinking christmas tree lights. The mechanism is likely a simple thermal one, as was once used in automobile turn signals. Part of the connection is a bi-metalic strip - when it heats up, it breaks the conneciton, then cools off. Does it click audibly?
Yes it clicks - although it is very quiet. The thing I found odd was that with a 150W bulb in the trouble light (what I first tried), the device didn't do anything. The light stayed off.