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YOU CAN BUILD THE LIGHT THAT FREEZES A SPINNING BLADE IN MID-AIR

Point it at a running bandsaw and the teeth on the moving blade become readable.

by Excessive Overkill

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

WorkshopDisplays

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a weekend-plus
license
license not specified
repo
repo ACTIVE13 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a high-power strobe board that fires extremely short, extremely bright pulses of light in sync with a camera exposure, so a rotating object is captured frozen mid-motion. The array is 36 Cree XP-G4 LEDs driven by six AL8843 drivers, with a TPS1663 eFuse for protection and an RS-485 differential trigger input, all running from a 24 V supply; the creator quotes a peak of around 30,000 lumens while averaging under 10 W. The design is published with full KiCad sources, Gerbers, a BOM with part numbers and printed mounts. What will be hard: the repository has no licence, so you cannot assume the right to modify or sell this, and the README flags the separate camera controller board as needing fixes, so you may need your own trigger source. There are no assembly docs, so you will be reading schematics and inferring the build sequence — the creator himself soldered some LEDs in backwards because their orientation is not marked. The creator kept pulses at or below 250 µs at 40 Hz because of heat, and getting the trigger timing wrong means the effect does not work. If you have done LED driver boards before and can read a schematic as your assembly guide, this is a weekend-plus of careful soldering and testing. If this is your first time with high-current LEDs or you need a licence to modify the design, it is not for you.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —KiCad sources, gerbers, bill of materials CSV and STL files for printed parts are all present.
  • —The repository carries NO licence file — the files are published but the terms are not stated. This is not open source; treat it as published work.
  • —The repository was updated in August 2026; the README flags the separate camera controller board as needing fixes.
  • —No assembly instructions — you follow the schematic and PCB layout. Some of the creator's other hardware repositories use CERN-OHL-W-2.0, but that licence does not apply to this repository, which has none.
  • —Python control scripts (camera, strobe, control panel) are included but undocumented beyond the code itself.
  • —The creator is Excessive Overkill; all design files are in his GitHub repository.

Parts to buy

6 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • 36x Cree XLamp XP-G4 LEDsFind
  • AL8843QSP-13 driverFind
  • TPS16630RGER eFuseFind
  • THVD1420DR RS-485 transceiverFind
  • PCB fabricationFind
  • Full BOMFind

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Can I build this?

PrintMounting parts only — STL files for the strobe mount, camera mount and laser detector mount, plus a DXF for an acrylic strobe part.
Buy36x Cree XLamp XP-G4 LEDs, AL8843QSP-13 driver, TPS16630RGER eFuse, THVD1420DR RS-485 transceiver, PCB fabrication, and the full BOM from the repository CSV
ToolsSoldering iron, multimeter, KiCad for viewing files, access to PCB fab service, 3D printer
SkillsIntermediate to advanced electronics — you need to read a schematic as your build guide, solder SMD parts confidently, and understand high-current LED drive
TimeA weekend-plus if you have done similar LED driver boards; longer if you are learning as you go or debugging the control board issues mentioned in the README
Cost$$ — dominated by the 36 high-power LEDs and PCB fabrication; the Cree XP-G4 parts are not cheap in quantity
SafetyHigh current through the LED array. The eFuse is there for a reason — a short or driver fault can damage LEDs or create a fire risk. Do not stare at the light. Most importantly, under the strobe a running machine can look completely still: the creator forgot a part was spinning and touched it more than once, so never reach towards a machine lit by the strobe until it has fully stopped. No mains voltage. If you are not confident with high-current DC circuits, do not start here.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

Creator’s build video

The creator's own video: a lathe, its gears, a bandsaw blade and a spinning endmill filmed so they appear frozen or slowly turning, plus an explanation of how the strobe and camera sync work.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the repository README, and order only the strobe board from the manufacturing outputs folder(The README flags the camera controller board (not the strobe board) as needing fixes)
  2. 2.Review the KiCad schematic to understand the build sequence(There are no assembly instructions — the schematic is your guide)
  3. 3.Source the 36 Cree XP-G4 LEDs and the driver components from the BOM CSV(The LEDs are the cost anchor; verify stock and lead times before committing)
  4. 4.Order PCBs from the gerber files(Standard two-layer board)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • The repository has no licence file — you can build this for yourself, but modifying or selling it is legally unclear. If you need those rights, this is not the project.
  • The separate camera controller board is flagged by the creator as needing fixes — the strobe board itself has ready manufacturing files, but do not order the controller board as-is.
  • No assembly documentation — you must be comfortable reading a schematic as your only guide.
  • The LEDs are driven at high current for very short pulses. A mistake in the driver circuit or a component substitution can destroy the array or create a fire risk.
  • The effect depends on timing each flash to the same point in the rotation (or to a multiple of the spacing between evenly spaced blades). Slightly off and the object appears to rotate slowly forward or backward — the creator uses that on purpose — but badly off and you only get a bright blur.
  • Very bright pulses are uncomfortable to look at directly and can cause temporary vision disruption — this is a tool for pointing at machinery, not for general room lighting.

Can I use different LEDs?

Not without recalculating the driver circuit. The AL8843 is tuned for the Cree XP-G4 forward voltage and current; substituting a different LED changes the thermal and electrical behavior.

What does 'the camera controller board still needs fixes' mean?

The README says the camera controller board is included for reference and needs fixes before it is production-ready; it does not say what is wrong. The strobe board itself has complete manufacturing files, so you can build the light and trigger it from your own RS-485 source.

Can I sell this?

No licence file means no clear permission. Some of the creator's other hardware repositories use CERN-OHL-W-2.0, but this one carries no licence, so modifying or selling is legally unclear — ask the creator first.

How do I trigger it in sync with the motion?

The strobe board takes a 5 V differential trigger that any RS-485 or RS-422 transmitter can drive. In the creator's setup a laser and a piece of reflective tape on the rotating part detect each revolution, and a microcontroller times both the camera and the light from that signal; where he could not place a reflector, as on the bandsaw, he used a fixed timing adjustment lined up by eye.

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The strobe board is documented and ready to order, but there is no licence file and the camera controller still needs fixes as of August 2026 — would you build it anyway, or wait?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the repository carries no licence file and the API licence field is empty. Several of the creator's other hardware repositories use CERN-OHL-W-2.0, but that does not apply here, so ask before you modify or sell anything based on it. The strobe board itself is documented with Gerbers, drill files and a BOM with part numbers, and the README covers the essentials: a 24 V supply, a 5 V differential trigger input that any RS485 or RS422 transmitter can drive, and an e-fuse that limits inrush and trips if you try to run the LEDs continuously. The 'needs fixes' note applies only to the separate camera controller board, which is included for reference. The creator kept to 250 microseconds at 40 Hz in testing and warns about heat beyond that. The hard part is the timing: getting the flash in sync with whatever you are filming is the difference between frozen motion and a very bright blur. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Excessive Overkill

Excessive Overkill is a YouTube maker who designs electronics and machine hardware, from servo drives and motion controllers to this stroboscopic camera setup, built to film rotating workshop machinery such as a lathe and a bandsaw as if it were standing still.

Star the project on GitHub

DISCLAIMER

  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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