MINI POLICE
BEACON LIGHT

Mini Police Beacon Light, retail $3.95 (www.orientaltrading.com...)
Manufactured by (Unknown) for Oriental Trading Co. (www.OrientalTrading.com)
Last updated 08-04-07




This is a rotating "police"-style light designed to be used indoors at parties and similar functions.

It has a small incandescent light bulb at its center, surrounded by a rotating reflector/mirror assembly. Both of these are covered by a somewhat cylindrical, fuchsia-colored (purplish pink) dome. This dome not only protects the lamp/mirror assembly, it colors the light produced by the product.

It can be powered by three AA cells, or with a 4.5 volts DC 1,000mA adapter - neither are included though...but for just $3.95, it isn't a big deal.


SIZE



To use the beacon, feed it first (see directly below), and then you can go light up that party.

On the side of the product, toward the bottom edge, there is a slide switch. Slide it to the right (toward the "ON" position) to turn the beacon on.

Slide this switch toward the left (toward the "OFF" position) to turn the beacon off.



To install batteries, turn the beacon upside-down, remove the battery door, very gently place it on the ground, and kick it into the garden so the hungry, hungry praying mantids will think it's something yummy for their insect tummies and subsequently strike at it...O WAIT!!! YOU'LL NEED THAT!!! So just set it aside instead.

If necessary, remove the used AA cells from the compartment, and dispose of or recycle them as you see fit.

Insert three new AA cells into the compartment, orienting the cells so that their flat-ends (-) negatives face the springs for them in each chamber.

Place the battery door back on, and be done with it.
Aren't you glad you didn't kick that battery door into the garden with all those hungry, hungry praying mantids now?


Here is what a praying mantis looks like.
I found this guy on the morning of 09-08-06 clinging to the basket of my scooter.

Unable to measure current consumption due to how the product was constructed and how it operates.

To use an AC adapter, first get one that outputs 4.5 volts DC at 1,000mA (1 amp). Plug the small plug on the end into the receptacle for it near the lower edge of the product, and plug the larger end into a household AC receptacle. Use the lamp as described earlier; the only thing different about this configuration is that you are now powering the beacon from AC power instead of batteries.

Polarity is not indicated on the product; but you can relatively safely assume that the center post is (+) positive and the outer edge is (-) negative. This is a fairly standard polarity, and should (not *WILL*, but ***SHOULD***) apply here.



This is a rotating beacon light designed to be used in a dry area, not a flashlight meant to be carried around, thrashed, trashed, and abused, so I won't try to drown it in the toilet, bash it against a steel rod or against the concrete floor, let my housemate's kitty cats go to the bathroom on it, run over it with a 450lb Celebrity motorised wheelchair, or perform other indecencies on it that a regular flashlight might have to go through. So this section of the web page will be significantly more bare than this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.

I honestly expected it to be brighter; even at $3.95, I thought it would be.
It's not bad mind you; just dimmer than I expected.



Photograph of the beacon, illuminated of course.

WMP movie (.avi extension) showing the product functioning.
This clip is approximately 4.2 megabytes (4,353,630 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than twenty minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
I cannot provide it in other formats, so please do not ask.

The television game show "Chain Reaction" was playing when this recording was made.
This product is not sound-sensitive, and the sound may be ignored or muted if desired.



TEST NOTES:
Test unit was purchased at the Oriental Trading website on 07-27-07, and arrived on the afternoon of 08-03-07.

Product was made in China. A product's country of origin really does matter to some people, which is why I published it on this web page.


UPDATE: 00-00-00



PROS:



CONS:



    MANUFACTURER: Unknown
    PRODUCT TYPE: Rotating "police" beacon light
    LAMP TYPE: Incandescent bulb
    No. OF LAMPS: 1
    BEAM TYPE: N/A
    SWITCH TYPE: Slide switch on/off on lower side of product
    CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
    BEZEL: Plastic; bulb & mirrors protected by plastic cover
    BATTERY: 3x AA cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER RESISTANT: Splatter-resistant at maximum
    SUBMERSIBLE: No
    ACCESSORIES: None
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





Mini Police Beacon Light * www.orientaltrading.com...






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