Solving Agricultural Lighting Issues: Strobing Lights Threatening Livestock

Lighting issues in agricultural settings aren’t just inconvenient they can be detrimental to livestock health and productivity. When an Alberta-based agriculture facility experienced severe lighting disturbances that were startling and harming their flock, they reached out to SineWave Solutions for answers.

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The Problem: Unpredictable and Disruptive Light Strobing

Lighting That Threatened Livestock

From time to time, the barn lights would begin strobing violently, creating a chaotic and stressful environment for the animals. In some instances, this disturbance was severe enough to cause the loss of birds – a significant concern for any poultry operation.

To stop the strobing, the facility staff had to manually shut off the lighting system, interrupting their normal operations and putting additional strain on their team.

Initial Theories

Early discussions among the facility’s staff and technicians focused on two possible culprits:

• Faulty LED lighting components

• Malfunctions in the automated dimming system

But without clear data, no one could confidently identify the root cause.

SineWave’s Diagnostic Approach

Step 1: Setting Up Monitoring Equipment

SineWave Solutions deployed multiple analyzers and an oscilloscope to get real-time, synchronized readings from across the electrical system. By capturing waveforms at various points, we could trace the problem at its source not just where it appeared.

Step 2: Analyzing Voltage Graphs

Our first major clue came from the voltage waveforms:

• The red line represented voltage feeding into the dimmer pack

• The blue line showed voltage output from the dimmer pack to the lighting system

These two voltage curves were asymmetrical—a clear sign that something was wrong inside the dimming circuitry.

Step 3: Pinpointing the Failure

Upon further inspection of the graphs:

• Page 2 showed voltage rises on the neutral line during dimmer output

• The blue voltage was being produced on the trailing edge of the primary waveform

• This caused notching on the feeder voltage (red line), indicating electrical resonance

We confirmed that the rectification circuit inside the dimmer pack was failing intermittently, occasionally generating a resonant frequency that triggered the violent strobing.

Using the oscilloscope, we could clearly observe these resonance events in real time confirming both the timing and the root cause.

*Graphs below show the results and are clickable to enlarge*

The Solution: Replacing Faulty Electronics

We recommended replacing the electronic boards inside the affected dimming packs. Once these components were updated, the strobing completely ceased.

Results:

• No further bird losses

• Consistent, smooth lighting levels

• A return to stable and safe operating conditions

Why This Matters: Electrical Health = Livestock Health

This case highlights how modern waveform diagnostics can solve high-stakes problems in agricultural settings. A subtle internal fault in a dimming controller—not visible to the naked eye—was creating conditions that severely impacted animal welfare and production.

With the right equipment and expertise, we were able to:

• Trace the waveform distortion

• Confirm real-time resonance events

• Resolve the issue with targeted component replacement