Bought this Strobe light kit from Radio Shack when I was a kid 50 years ago. Any one have any info on it.

 

Radio Shack 1973 Catalog, page 155.

 

Old Radio Shack kit manuals/schematics
Wendy's Index

https://radioshackcatalogs.com/science_fair_kits.htm

 

A strobe light circuit is not complex. You can reverse engineer the circuit and compare it with this one:



Reference: https://www.high-voltage-lab.com/147/adjustable-strobe-light

 

I built several those when I was a teen.

Funny story my brother built one that was directly connected to AC but no way to kill it when they had been triggered, ideally the cap will discharge completely when the xenon tube lights up. He didn't do that so here he was with a real clue using alligator clips and wires to make one of these and it turned on continuously. He was blinded by the light so there he was groping for the power cord while this sucker illuminated the entire room like something out of the encounters of the third kind light was pouring from every orifice the keyhole and I got to see it the house was a little bit old and ramshackle so there was light pouring between the ceiling in the wall fortunately for him the xenon 2 popped before much damage could happen. Beginners and electricity don't always mix well.

 

$19.95 in 1975 dollars!
That was expensive.

 

$19.95 in 1975 dollars!
That was expensive.

Yup. I remember wanting one, but the price was a no-go. I was working at Baskin-Robbins for well under $1/hr.

 

$19.95 in 1975 dollars!
That was expensive.

About $120.

Have you seen the price of TVs?

 

My first Apple Macintosh set me back $3500 in 1984 dollars.

 

Did you sell a kidney?

Electronic devices were really expensive. Back in 1974 I remember wanting an HP45 scientific calculator, but the price, if I recall correctly, was something like $450.
Totally outside my budget. I settled for a TI30 for something like $200. Still a lot of money. Worked my tail off to save that much.

 

Did you sell a kidney?

Electronic devices were really expensive. Back in 1974 I remember wanting an HP45 scientific calculator, but the price, if I recall correctly, was something like $450.
Totally outside my budget. I settled for a TI30 for something like $200. Still a lot of money. Worked my tail off to save that much.

Look through the IC ads in old electronic magazines. Most ICs are cheaper today not even accounting for inflation.