Light Flicker Detecting Top

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Use this device to spot energy-wasting light fixtures by their slow frequency flashing! All you do is spin the top and look for a blinking blue line to see if a more efficient light fixture could be used instead! Why This Works: Fluorescent light bulbs flash at twice the AC frequency because the magnetic ballast driving them is directly affected by the AC current peaks. So 60 Hz AC equals 120 Hz flashing. Newer, more efficient solid-state fluorescent tube lights flash at a much faster rate. This top has high-contrast colors spaced in such a way that when spun at low speed it creates frame rate interference, just like when you look at your TV through a digital camera. The photos taken with the blue lines are what you see with slow flashing light, while the other two photos use sunlight which doesn't flash and just makes a red-white blur. Note: Some LEDs have low flicker rates and will give you a false positive. Don't throw away your energy-efficient LEDs!