Mini Strobe, retail $7.99 (Spirit Needle*...er...uh...Spirit HALLOWEEN)
Manufactured by (Unknown)
Last updated 10-23-12
The Mini Strobe is a smallish box that features four intense blue LEDs at the bottom of a rectangular reflector that flashes at speeds that are user-defineable via an easily accessible (variable resistor) on one side of the product.
It comes in a black plastic body, and feeds from three AA cells.
* There's a Digimon episode called "Spirit Needle", from season 2.
Here, let's prove that with this screen dump:
SIZE
Batteries are included and already installed when you purchase this product, so it is ready to use right away.
To use the Mini Strobe, turn the knob (located on the right side of the product's body as it is facing away from you) clockwise (as though tightening it) until it clicks. The LEDs will then flash at their slowest speed.
Keep turning the knob to speed up the flashing.
When you are finished using the Mini Strobe, turn the knob counterclockwise (as though loosening it) until it clicks and the LEDs go out.
To change the batteries in the Mini Strobe, turn it upside-down. Use a small or medium phillips screwdriver to loosen the screw holding the battery door on. This screw is captive, and should not fall off and become lost unless you make a concerted effort to remove & dispose of or lose it.
Unclip the battery door & remove it. Carry it to a cemetary and huck it into an open grave so that the zombies get all upset at it and tip a gravestone onto it or even uranate on it...O WAIT!!! YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead!
Remove the three old, used-up AA cells from the battery chamber (gently tug on the orange ribbon in the battery chamber if necessary to dislodge the cells), and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.
Be certain that the orange ribbon lies in the bottom of the chamber with the loose end sticking up from the chamber itself.
Insert three new AA cells into the chamber, orienting each cell so that its flat-end (-) negative faces the spring for it in each compartment.
If necessary, push the loose end of the orange ribbon over the topmost cells (insofar as it does not get caught in the battery door when you put it back on).
Place the battery door back on, and tighten that screw.
Aren't you glad that you didn't chuck that battery door into an open grave with all those ticked off zombies with full bladders now?
This is a light meant to be placed somewhere indoors around Halloween (October 31), not a flashlight meant to be bashed, thrashed, trashed, and abused; I won't throw it against the wall, stomp on it, try to drown it in the toylet bowl or the cistern, run over it, swing it against the concrete floor of a porch, use a medium claw hammer in order to smash it open to check it for candiosity, fire it from the cannoņata, drop it down the top of Mt. Erupto (I guess I've been watching the TV program "Viva Piņata" too much again - candiosity is usually checked with a laser-type device on a platform with a large readout (located at Piņata Central), with a handheld wand that Langston Lickatoad uses, or with a pack-of-cards-sized device that Fergy Fudgehog uses; the cannoņata (also located at Piņata Central) is only used to shoot piņatas to piņata parties away from picturesque Piņata Island, and Mt. Erupto is an active volcano on Piņata Island {In the episode "Les Saves the Day...Again", Paulie Preztail says "Hey, ever wonder why this park's called 'Mount Erupto' anyway?", then Franklin Fizzlybear says "I think its an old native term. Means 'very safe.'" }), send it to the Daystrom Institute for additional analysis, or inflict upon it punishments that flashlights may have inflicted upon them.
The Mini Strobe is very lightly splatter- and weather-resistant, but it is not submersible. If it fell in water and you suspect it got flooded, remove the battery door and batteries, dump as much of the water out as you can, and set the parts in a warm dry place for a day or so just to be sure it's completely dry inside before you reassemble & use it again.
If it fell into seawater, got thrown into a glass of milk, if it fell into a root beer float, if it fell into a bowl of "soft-serv" ice cream, if somebody squirted a Massengill brand post-menstrual disposable douche or a Fleet brand disposable enema at it (and hit it with the douche or the enema), if it got kicked under a leaky car radiator, or if somebody or something got "pist off" at it and subsequently "pyst" on it, rinse the parts out with fresh water before setting them out to dry. You don't want your Mini Strobe to smell like seaweed, sour milk, flowers, fresh butts, or rotten pee when you go to use it next. Besides, salt (from seawater, disposable douches, disposable enemas, or uranation), lactic acid (from moo juice), glycerol (from antifreeze), or sugar (from root beer & ice cream) can't be very good for the or the flasher circuit.
Although this product is called the "Mini STROBE", it is not a true strobe.
That's because the "on" time of the LEDs during each flash is far, far, FAR too long to elicit any stroboscopic effects whatsoever. It is however, very nice to look at and the color of the light is vibrant and quite unusual for a flasher of any pedigree. So unless you absolutely must have true stroboscopic effects that only a xenon strobe can produce, I would still highly recommend this product.
Beam photograph on the test target at 12".
Because this is a flashing product, I cannot provide intensity values with the equipment at my disposal.
Needless to say though, it is quite intense!!!
Beam photograph on a wall at ~10 feet.
Those colored graphics toward the left are my "Viva Piņata" posters, and that clock on the right that looks like a gigantic wristwatch is my Infinity Optics Clock.
You may also be able to see two of my SpongeBob SquarePants plush (Squidward Tentacles & Patrick Star) and a Digimon plush (Greymon)
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flasher.
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flasher; newer spectrometer software & settings used.
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flasher; spectrometer's response narrowed to a range between 440nm and 475nm. This shows that the peak wavelength is 456.10nm.
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flasher; yet newer spectrometer software & settings used.
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this flasher; newer spectrometer software & settings used. Spectrometer's response narrowed to a band between 440nm and 470nm to pinpoint peak wavelength, which is 455.377nm.
Video clip on YourTube allowing you to see the product in action.
You can see me ramp up the flash rate and then ramp it back down.
***VERY IMPORTANT!!!*** As the flash rate is increased, you'll note that it becomes irregular in this video -- that's because the camera works differently than the human eye does. In reality, the flashes are evenly spaced apart.
This clip is approximately 8.388567123494 megabytes (8,592,044 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than forty two minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
I cannot provide it in other formats, so please do not ask.
Another video clip on YourTube allowing you to see the product in action -- this time against a wall that is ~10 feet downrange.
You can see me ramp up the flash rate and then ramp it back down.
***VERY IMPORTANT!!!*** As the flash rate is increased, you'll note that it becomes irregular in this video -- that's because the camera works differently than the human eye does. In reality, the flashes are evenly spaced apart.
This clip is approximately 7.488866723471 megabytes (7,644,544 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than thirty seven minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
I cannot provide it in other formats, so please do not ask.
TEST NOTES:
Test unit of this plus two other Halloween products was purchased at a Spirit Halloween store in Federal Way WA. USA on 09-14-10 (or "14 Sep 2010" if you prefer).
UPDATE: 11-01-10
I deployed this light on the front porch to greet the Trick or Treaters on Halloween evening.
MANUFACTURER: Unknown
PRODUCT TYPE: LED flasher for Halloween
LAMP TYPE: 5mm LED
No. OF LAMPS: 4
BEAM TYPE:
SWITCH TYPE: Rotary pot + click on/off
CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
BEZEL: Plastic; LEDs & reflector protected by plastic window
BATTERY: 3x AA cells
CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
WATER- AND URANATION-RESISTANT: Very light splatter-resistant at maximum
SUBMERSIBLE: FOR GHOUL SAKES NOOOOOO!!!
ACCESSORIES: 3 AA cells
SIZE: 3.540" H x 4.130" L x 1.570" D
WEIGHT: Unable to weigh (no scale at my disposal)
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated
PRODUCT RATING:
This is a seasonal product, and will not be rated for that reason.
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(variable resistor) on one side of the product.
SIZE
on it, rinse the parts out with fresh water before setting them out to dry. You don't want your Mini Strobe to smell like seaweed, sour milk, flowers, fresh butts, or rotten pee when you go to use it next. Besides, salt (from seawater, disposable douches, disposable enemas, or uranation), lactic acid (from moo juice), glycerol (from antifreeze), or sugar (from root beer & ice cream) can't be very good for the 
