I am building my own disco/party lights. 230 V/60 W bulbs, and ideally I would like to switch them on and off at 5 Hz.
I was planning on a simple setup with an Arduino controlling the lights. My original plan was to use relays, more specifically SRD-05VDC-SL_C (datasheet).
It says "Max electrical ON/OFF switching" is 30/minute, which is too slow for what I had in mind. This seems like a common theme with relays, since after all there is a mechanical switch inside.
After some research triacs/gate turn-off thyristors seems like a possible alternative. I had a look at TIC226m (datasheet), but I could not find any max switching rate.
Are these usable for my setup? Any other tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Best Answer
Mechanical relays won't last long if forced to switch at 5 Hz, but solid state devices (thyristors, triacs or transistors) are perfect for your task.
Instead of coming up with your own thyristor/transistor circuit, I suggest that you use a solid state relay. It's easier and safer. They consist of an optocoupler (for electrical isolation of the logic level input), a driver circuit and some kind of solid state switching element, all integrated into a single off-the-shelf package.